100 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



Methods of Preventing its Ravages. 



This insect is proving an exceedingly liarcl one to combat. It 

 cannot be elt'ectively and practicably fou<rht while in the adnlt or 

 egg stages, and there is but little hopes of reaching the cater- 

 pillars in their hibernacnla during the winter. Although the 

 caterpillars work under a silken covering on the undersides of the 

 leaves during the early part of the summer, it may be possible to 

 kill some of them with a Paris green spray, but we doubt it. 

 The pupae can be reached only by hand-picking the nests dm-ing 

 the ten days in June which the insect passes in this stage. Thus, 

 so far as we now know, the most vulnerable period in the life- 

 cycle of the bud moth is during the last half of its caterpillar life 

 when it is at work upon the opening bnds, leaves and flowers. 



We once saw a case where hand-picking could have been protit- 

 ably practiced. A block of young pear trees had become badly 

 infested and each caterpillar's nest was rendered conspicuous by 

 one or two brown dead leaves. All of the then nearly full-grown 

 caterpillars could have been quickly killed by collecting and burn- 

 ing their nests ; this would have effectually prevented the appear- 

 ance of the insect another year One man could have thus exter- 

 minated the pest in that block of a thousand or more young trees in a 

 very short time. This method ma}' prove practicable in many 

 cases where nursery stock becomes infested. The nests should be 

 gathered before June 1st. 



Although hand-picking is the surest method of checking the 

 insect, it is impracticable on large trees, and besides, by the time 

 the work of the caterpillar has progi-essed far enough to render its 

 nest conspicuous, it has done most of its damage. Fruit growers 

 cannot afford to wait until after the developing fruit and new 

 growth are " nipped in the bud" before placing any obstacles in 

 the way of this insect. 



We believe the pest can be reached with an arsenical spray 

 aj)plied frequently and thoroxighly . It will necesitate at least two 

 thorough applications he/ore the flowers open If possible keep 

 the swelling and opening buds coated with Paris green so tlmt the 

 little caterpillar's lirst meal in the spring will be a poisonous one. 

 In order that the spraying should be thoroughly done at this time, 

 fruit growers should realize that if the insect is not killed before 



