1907 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95 



INJURIOUS INSECTS IN ONTARIO IN 190T. 



By C. J. S. Bethune, Ontario Agricultural College, Guelph. 



Owing to tlie prolonged cold weather during April and May tlie season 

 of 1907 was remarkably backward and the appearance of our common in- 

 sect pests was much later than usual. Many kinds were no doubt greatly re- 

 duced in numbers by the change from very warm days during the last week 

 in March, which caused them to come out of their winter quarters, to the 

 abnormal cold of the following two months. A drop of 50 degrees of tem- 

 perature between the 29th of March and the 1st of April must have been 

 a severe trial of the vitality of the early appearing species and large num- 

 bers must have succumbed to it. But notwithstanding these losses, most 

 of our familiar insects were to be found during the season, while some were 

 conspicuous by their absence. Among the latter may be mentioned the 

 Squash-bug (A7iasa tristis), which has entirely disappeared in this part of the 

 province, though one of our most abundant pests only a few years ago. The 

 season was marked by one great outbreak of the Variegated Cut-worm, a full 

 account of which is given in another part of this report. 



Fruit-Tree Insects. 



Among insects affecting fruit, none has been more complained of this 

 year than the codling-moth, which has taken its heavy toll from orchards 

 throughout the fruit-growing districts. The greatest amount of damage has 

 been inflicted in those localities where there is a second brood of the worms. 

 Careful spraying twice in the spring with poisoned Bordeaux mixture fol- 

 lowed by the prompt removal of all fallen fruit, should reduce the second 

 brood to a minimum, and what survives may be successfully dealt with by 

 bandaging the trees from the middle of July, and destroying regularly the 

 worms that take refuge under them. These operations certainly involve 

 much trouble and expense, but it has been many times proved that they pay 

 well in clean marketable fruit and plenty of it. There are still some points 

 in the life history of the codling-moth about which we continue in doubt 

 and many careful observations in different localities are required to clear 

 them up. Recent discussions among our most practical fruit growers show that 

 interest in these matters has been awakened, many various opinions have 

 been expressed and painstaking investigations may be expected. Any posi- 

 tive results will, no doubt, be made known at once. 



Another insect that threatens to spread over the province is the Apple 

 Maggot (Rhagoletis pomonella), which is quite as injurious to the fruit as 

 the codling-worm. In the central part of the State of New York, in Con- 

 necticut and Vermont, and as far north-east as Maine, this is now a most 

 serious pest. In many localities it is impossible to find an apple free from 

 the attack, which spoils the appearance of the fruit and renders it worth- 

 less. So far we have only seen specimens in this country from the neigh- 

 borhood of Bowmanville, and Dr. Fletcher last year recorded its presence in 

 injurious numbers in the county of Prince Edward. Having now obtained 

 a foothold, it is to be feared that its range will soon be extended over a wide 

 area and that fruit-growers will have another just cause for lamentation. 

 The damage is caused by a small white slender maggot, which burrows in 

 all directions through the fruit, turning the flesh brown wherever it goes; 

 it takes about six weeks to mature and then it usually causes the fruit to 

 fall, in which case it leaves the apple and enters the ground. The parent 

 is a small, two-winged fly, prettily marked with bands and with 



