64 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



thousands of miles in a single year. The spread is accomplished as 

 follows: Fruit containing caterpillars of the codling moth is packed in 

 barrels or boxes and in time, as the worms mature, they crawl from their 

 eaTly home to seek a sheltered place to spin their cacoons and pupate. 

 Under the above-described circumstances they spin their cacoons in 

 cracks, crevices and corners of the shipping cases. If these infested 

 cases are located near an apple orchard when the moths emerge the 

 establishment of a codling moth colony in that orchard is assured. 



In Nebraska there are two broods of the codling moth per year, with 

 possibly a partial third brood present some seasons. The eggs of the 

 codling moth are, in shape, a flattened oval, and in size, that of a small 

 pin head. When first laid, they present a pearly white appearance, but 

 later on as the embryo develops they become yellowish in color. The 

 first brood eggs are laid on the leaves aibout three weeks aftr the petals 

 have fallen and hatch in five to ten days, depending on the weather. The 

 young worm is at first white in color about one-sixteenth of an inch long 

 and has a shiny black head. Its first meal is sometimes made from the 

 tender leaves, but more often the healthy youngster begins at once hiS' 

 hearty meal on the apple itself, and seeks immediately the core and seeds, 

 the most nutritious part of the apple. To begin his work he must find 

 the calyx ov some other depression on the surface of the apple. In all 

 about 90% of the first generation enter the fruit at the calyx, the remain- 

 ing 10% making their entrance from the stem or side of the apple. The 

 ravenoMs feeder loses no time in his work, and at the end of three weeks 

 has attained his growth and by that time has excavated an exit tunnel 

 to the side of the fruit, although in some instances the full grown cater- 

 pillar leaves the fruit by its entrance route through the calyx or makes 

 a tunnel to the stem end. 



The depredations of its tenant generally cause the apple to fall, al- 

 though it is by no means rare for the fruit to persist on the tree. The 

 caterpillar, now full grown, crawls from its home, seeks a sheltered spot, 

 and there spins its cocoon of white silk. The common location of the 

 codling moth cocoons is under lose bark, in knot holes and in cavities 

 and crevices in the tree. If the apple tree is young and smooth barked 

 the caterpillar simply utilizes the most sheltered place available, which 

 may be rubbish under the tree or lumber supported by it, in which take 

 place those wonderful transformations hy which the crawling caterpillar 

 is changed to the winged moth. This process in the case of the codling 

 moth takes about two weeks. The moths, within a few days of their 

 emergence from the cocoon lay their eggs on the leaves and fruit These 

 eggs soon hatch and the young caterpillars mature as do those of the 

 first brood. Unlike many of our common moths, the sexes of the codling 

 moth are very similar in general appearance, a more than superficial 



Unless they are very abundant, the moths are not usually noticed in 

 the orchards, as they spend the larger part of their lives resting on the 

 bark of the trees on which they are rendered inconspicuous by their color. 

 Th moih lives less than a week and is not attracted by light. The natural 



