282 Bulletin 311 



We have found the larvae feeding on a wide variety of plants. We have 

 bred the moth from larvae on the apple, pear, sweet cherry, wild cherry, 

 black walnut, and mountain ash. At Bethany Center we found the 

 larvae abundant on plum, pear, quince, apple, and cherry trees. Gillette 

 records it on apple, plum, cherry, honey locust, rose, currant, gooseberry, 

 and a species of Circocarpa known as " deer-bush." 



As already pointed out, Dr. C. V. Riley bred the leaf -roller from rose, 

 apple, hickory, oak, soft maple, elm, and cherry. Packard records it on 

 oak, black walnut, maple, cherry, and California horse-chestnut. In 

 addition, Stedman finds it on apricot, osage orange, box elder, sassafras, 

 and hazelnut. 



The larva of A. ar gyros pila is very similar to that of A. rosaceana, and 

 one is likely to confuse the two species in a superficial examination. The 

 only safe way to determine the host plant is to breed the adults. 



HABITS AND INJURIES 



The larvae appear as the buds are bursting, and begin to attack the 

 unfolding leaves. They bend the leaves over and tie them together with 

 silk (Fig. 67). Within this sort of nest the larvae live and eat the 

 leaves. As soon as the blooms appear the larvae begin to eat off 

 the blossom stems and tie them together with silken threads, along 

 with the leaves surrounding the blossom cluster. This webbing and 

 tying together of the blossom clusters is a most pernicious habit 

 because it interferes seriously with spraying for the codling moth. 

 In one Baldwin orchard in which the larvae were very abundant, the blossom 

 clusters were so webbed together and covered over with silk, dried petals, 

 and leaves that it was almost impossible to get the spray mixture into the 

 calyx cup. As soon as the young apples or pears begin to set they are tied 

 together with silk, while the larvae live inside and gnaw cavities into the 

 sides of the young fruit (Figs. 64, 65, 68). Doctor Lintner reports the 

 same habit of the larvae and refers to some young pears that were eaten 

 into, sent to him by P. Barry, of Rochester, in 1888. Stedman mentions 

 the same kind of injury in Missouri and considers this the most serious 

 form of injury committed by the insect. It is certain that in New York 

 orchards during the past season a very large number of pears and apples 

 were totally destroyed by the larvae, and many others were seriously 

 marred and deformed. To give some idea of the number of larvae present, 

 the writer counted 17 worms in nine blossom clusters; Braucher counted 21 

 larvae on one twig 21 inches long, and 19 larvae on another twig 22 inches 

 long. 



The larvae also work on the leaves, rolling them and living within the 

 roll. Here, effectually hidden, they feed on the tender tissues of the leaves. 



