28 



FRUIT INSECTS 



The Apple Red Bugs 



Heterocordylus malinus Reuter, and Lygidea mendax Reuter 



These two native sucking plant-bugs have in recent years 

 caused considerable injury in certain orchards in New York 



and New Jersey by 

 puncturing theyoung 

 apples during May 

 and early June. 

 Many of the punc- 

 tured apples fall to 

 the ground, others 

 dry up on the tree, 

 while the remainder 

 mature but are badly 

 deformed and ren- 

 dered unmarketable 

 (Figs. 24 and 25). 

 Red bug injury may 

 be distinguished from 

 1 '»>g the work of the plum 

 curculio ])y the fact 

 insecl does not, n^move any of the 



Fig. 24 



Mature apple defon 

 puneturrs. 



that in making the puuclui-c It 

 tissue, but merely 

 sucks out tlie juices. 

 When al)undaut 

 the apple aphis fre- 

 q u e n 1 1 y causes 

 knotty and mis- 

 shapen apples, but 

 its work is usually 

 characterized by a t^, or v i i,- u j j ^ i 



^ l^iG. 25. — \ oung apples which dropped prematurely 



stunting or pucker- as a result of red bug injury. 



