CHAPTER XIV 



CRANBERRY INSECTS 



As cranberries are usually grown in bogs which are regularly 

 inundated during the winter and which can be reflowed at will, 

 many cranberry pests can be controlled by a proper manipu- 

 lation of the water. In some cases, however, spraying must be 

 resorted to. As it is difficult to drive on the bogs with a sprayer, 

 some growers have installed permanent pipes running through 

 the beds and connected with a central power pump. The pipes 

 are provided with outlets at regular intervals to which a rubber 

 hose can be attached. After such a spraying plant has been 

 installed it is a simple matter to spray a bog thoroughly. 



The Black-headed Cranberry Worm 

 Eudemis vacciniana Packard 



The }:)lack-headed cranberry worm, or fire-worm, as it is more 

 often called, is one of the most troublesome pests with which 

 the growTr has to deal. As a rule, the higher, drier bogs are 

 less sul^ject to injury from this source than are those regularly 

 submerged during the winter. Submergence protects the eggs 

 from winter-killing and also probably reduces the abundance 

 of parasitic enemies. Bogs in which there is a heavy growth 

 of vines are also more liable to heavy infestation. 



The insect passes the winter in the egg-stage. The flat, 

 circular, disk-like, bright yellow eggs are readily found on the 



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