The Fruit-tree Leaf-roller 283 



When disturbed, they drop down out of their hiding places and 

 remain suspended by silken threads like cankerwomis. When all is 

 quiet, they climb back to their hiding places and begin their 

 work again. Their injuries to the leaves are often very serious, 

 especially when the larvas are abundant. Gillette says, " I have seen 

 small orchards entirely defoliated by this species so that not a green 

 leaf could be seen." 



LIFE HISTORY 



The number of broods. — Packard observed the caterpillars feeding on 

 the oak early in June and found the moths appearing the latter part of the 

 same month, and therefore inferred a second brood of larvae. He says: 

 " Hence without much doubt there are two broods, the caterpillars 

 occurring late in summer turning to chrysalids, and hibernating as such, 

 the moth flying about in the spring and laying its eggs on the shoots, so 

 that the larva may hatch when the leaves are unfolding and find its food 

 ready at hand." 



Gillette says that he finds only one brood a season in Colorado. The 

 eggs, which are deposited in July, rjmain unhatched until the following 

 spring. Stedman says, " There is, in Missouri at least, only one brood 

 of this insect each year." 



Our observations accord with these and we find only one generation 

 each year in New York. We have many batches of eggs now in the cold 

 house lying over until next spring, and there are many thousands of them 

 on the apple trees. The fruit-tree leaf -roller undoubtedly passes the winter, 

 in New York State, only in the egg stage. Further, it would seem as 

 though one generation a year was the normal habit of the insect. 



The eggs. — The eggs are laid by the moths in June, the major number 

 during the middle days of this month. We have a definite record of the 

 eggs being deposited in our cages on June 12. They remain on the trees 

 until the following May, or over ten months. The eggs are deposited in 

 small oval, convex patches (Figs. 60, 63) on the bark of the smaller twigs. 

 In searching for them in the orchards we very often find them laid on the 

 rough fruit spurs of the apple, where it is almost impossible to see them. 

 The masses are usually a shade darker green than the branches, but often 

 there is very little difference. The eggs are placed very closely together 

 in the mass and covered with a heavy varnish, so that it is difficult to dis- 

 tinguish the individual eggs. In one batch about average in size the writer 

 counted no eggs; other masses certainly contained more, and still others 

 much less. The masses vary in size from that of the end of a lead pencil, 

 and smaller, to twice that size. 



