1916 ENTOMOLO GICAL SOCIETY. 79 



A CAPSID ATTACKING APPLES. 



{NeurocolpiLS nubilus Say.) 

 H. G. Ceawford, Wilton Geove, Ont. 



In the Province of Ontario four Capsids, or Plant-bugs have been found 

 attacking apples, namely: Neurocolpiis nuhilus, Lygidea mendax, Heterocordylus 

 malinus and Paracalocoris colon. The nymphs of the second and third are the 

 so called " Red-bugs " described by Crosby of Cornell. Lygus invitus, the False 

 Tarnished Plant-bug, occurs in abundance in the Province, but, strange to say, has 

 not been observed doing any damage either to apples or pears, though a great pest 

 in Nova Scotia and causing considerable damage to pears in New York State. 



Of the above four injurious Ontario species the only ones of much importance 

 so far as known at present are Neurocolpus nuhilus and Lygidea mendax. Crosby 

 in Bulletin 219 of Cornell University described the life history, habits and means 

 of control of the latter; but very little was known about the former, and as this 

 was the more common and troublesome Capsid in Ontario and, as requests for 

 information on the means of control had begun to be made, Prof. Caesar decided 

 to attempt to work out its life-history this year, being influenced also by the fact 

 that this species was very common in the same orchard where he had planned to 

 study the Leaf-rollers of the Apple. It was my good fortune to be chosen to do 

 this work under Prof. Caesar's guidance and with his personal co-operation so far 

 as his other duties permitted. The following is a brief account of the knowledge 

 gained. 



History of the Insect in the Peovinoe. 



There is no doubt whatever that this Capsid has been present for many years 

 in Ontario, in fact it is apparently a native species. It is only very recently, how- 

 ever, that it has been discovered to be an apple pest. In 1909 Prof. Caesar was 

 shown by Mr. Jos. Tweddle some deformed apples that caused him to suspect that 

 a Capsid might be to blame. In 1910 he accordingly visited Mr. Tweddle's 

 orchard at Woodburn when the apples were about the size of small marbles, and 

 saw the nymphs at work, though at the time he was not sure of the species. In 

 1911 he again visited the same orchard, saw both these nymphs and those of 

 Lygidea mendax feeding on the fruit, and from specimens brought to Guelph 

 reared adults of three species: Neurocolpus nuhilus, Lygidea mendax, and 

 Paracalocoris colon. In 1914 he found the former two species were in a large 

 orchard at Hamilton, and in 1914 found nymphs of Neurocolpus nuhilus alone in 

 abundance in the orchard of Johnson Bros, at Simcoe. This is the orchard in 

 which the investigation was carried out. There has been no opportunity to 

 examine many orchards to see just how important the pest is in the Province. 

 We suspect that it occurs in a good many orchards but know that the great majority 

 of them are free or almost free from the pest. 



Distribution. 



This insect has a very wide American distribution. From literature at our 

 disposal, records were obtained of its presence in a collection of Capsids made in 

 Panama and Guatemala, in the States of Florida, New Mexico, California, 

 Colorado, New Jersey, Maine and New York, as well as in the Provinces of Quebec 



