184 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



cipal host is the apple, although sometimes pears, plums and peaches 

 are attacked. The young grubs bore into the sap wood, and in the 

 case of young trees complete girdling may result from their attack. 

 Usually unhealthy trees and those wounded or sunburnt are selected by. 

 the beetles upon which to lay their eggs. Discolored bark and exuda- 

 tion of sap indicate the presence of the larvae. Protect the trees from 

 sunburn and injury. The burrowing larvffi may be destroyed by a 

 crooked wire or knife blade. Painting the trunks and larger limbs with 

 a solution made by reducing soft-soap to the consistency of paint, by 

 adding a strong solution of washing soda in water serves as a good 

 preventive. 



CITRUS FRUIT INSECTS. 



The Citrus Red Spider. 



The adult red spider is a minute reddish mite with eight legs. The 

 red spiders work on the leaves producing a spotted effect. Some 

 growers use dry flowers of sulphur blown on the trees. However, the 

 commercial lime-sulphur solution diluted to 2 or 2^ per cent and applied 

 as a fine misty spray under a pressure of from 150 to 200 pounds has 

 taken the place of the flowers of sulphur to a large extent. Apply the 

 spray when the mites are numerous. 



MISCELLANEOUS INSECTS. 



Cutworms. 



Cutworms are the larvte of the Noctuida, a family of moths. They 

 are very common pests attacking a great variety of plants. Some 

 species are climbers and crawl up the plants to feed on the leaves. 

 Others cut off tender plants near the surface of the ground. They are 

 dark, fat, greasy looking worms and in the day time can usually be 

 located an inch or two under the surface of the soil near the attacked 

 plant ready to emerge again upon the return of night. Control is diffi- 

 cult. Many will be killed by using poisoned bait which is placed near 

 the affected plants. The l)ait is composed of one pound of Paris green, 

 40 to 50 pounds of bran sweetened with a cheap grade of molasses and 

 mixed with enough water to make a stiff mass. 



(This year climbing cutworms have been exceptionally abundant in 

 parts of the San Joaquin Valley. They have done great damage to 

 grape vines and apricots and other deciduous fruit trees. 



As they bury themselves in the earth by day and feed by night, their 

 mischief is not observed in the doing, and so other insects and birds 

 receive the credit which belongs to these climbing cutworms. 



In Michigan the west coast -vineyards have been seriously injured at 

 times by these caterpillars. It was found that bright tin bands about 

 the vines were an effective preventive of their dastructive work. They 

 could no crawl over the tin. The tin bands were three or four inches 

 wide and long enough to encircle the trunks of the vines. These were 

 kept and used each season. A central hole in one end of each band 

 and a slit at the other end just opposite permitted easier adjustment of 

 the bands, as a tack could be pushed in by the thumb. 



Possibly all species would not be held back by this tin band, but it is 

 worth the trying. 



