The Bud Moth. 67 



One brood only occurs in Great Britain. The moth is very 

 common all over the South of England, but becomes rarer in the 

 North. 



Food Plants. 



All fruit trees are attacked by this pest, but it is especially 

 cherry and apple that suffer in this country. It also occurs on the 

 sloe and plum, and has been recorded from the blackberry, whilst in 

 North America it attacks the peach and quince also. 



Natueal Enemies. 



Five species of Ichneumon flies prey upon the caterpillars of this 

 moth in Europe, but none have been noticed in Great Britain. In 

 North America they also are preyed upon by three species of 

 Ichneumons. Amongst birds we find the blue and great tits {Parits 

 cceriUeus and F. major) picking the larvae out of the buds and leaf 

 nests. The sparrow also has been observed feeding upon them. A 

 large sand-wasp, Odynerus catsJcillcnsis, stores its nests with these 

 caterpillars in North America. None of these natural enemies, 

 unless it be the Paridte or Tits, do much good in keeping down this 

 Bud Moth. 



Methods of Preventing the PiAvages of Bud Moth Laev.e. 



Now that we know that the larvae feed upon the leafage in the 

 late summer we can to a large extent check the ravages of this pest 

 by arsenical spraying. Larvae are always more easily destroyed 

 when young, and there is not the least doubt that spraying in the 

 autumn will kill them. There should also be a second washing in 

 the spring when the caterpillars are to some extent exposed just 

 when the buds are bursting, and this followed by a third dressing to 

 kill those that escape when they are in their leaf and blossom nests. 

 Hand-picking may be resorted to in gardens and nm-series and where 

 single low trees are invaded, the leaf nests being easily seen and 

 picked off by hand before the moths have emerged from the pupal 

 stage. 



Washing with caustic alkali wash does not seem to check this 

 pest, for trees so treated last winter (1902) suffered severely from 

 the Bud Moth and also Pith Moth. Probably the larval cases were 

 hidden under the bud-bracts and in such places that the wash does 

 not reach, the larval cases also protecting the caterpillars within from 

 the burning action of the wash. 



F 2 



