Annual Report for 1912 of the Zoologist. 293 



Fruit Pests. 

 Advice has been given with regard to numerous fruit pests, 

 and some of the cases reported have presented points of interest, 

 and may be briefly commented upon. 



In a case of apple-sucker attack reported by one correspon- 

 dent, the disease was confined to the Ecklinville seedling variety, 

 while Warner's King and Lane's Prince Albert, with which 

 the Ecklinvilles were alternated, apparently escaped. There 

 seemed to be no unsaitability in the soil, for a few years ago 

 the trees bore well and even now their leaf-growth and general 

 health seemed quite satisfactory, but the blossom was annually 

 destroyed, while the other varieties thrive as well as ever. 



A bad attack of the plum fruit saw-fly was reported in June 

 from the Windermere district. This insect must not be con- 

 founded with the " slug-worm " which devours the leaves, nor 

 with the red moth caterpillar which often infests the fruit. 

 The grub of the saw-fly, whose scientific name is Hoplocampa 

 fulvicornis, is creamy white, and has seven pairs of sucker- 

 feet, while the moth caterpillar has only five. The grub bores 

 into the fruit, the same grub attacking and destroying several 

 plums in succession, till the ground is littered with abortive 

 fruit. When full fed, the grab enters the soil and surrounds 

 itself with a finely woven cocoon. In its treatment, two 

 measures are very clearly indicated. The fruit should be 

 swept up and destroyed as fast as it falls, so that as many of 

 the grubs as possible may be prevented from attaining their 

 winter quarters ; and, where practicable, the ground beneath 

 the trees should be dressed in the winter with some substance 

 calculated to kill the pupa? in the soil. From the same district 

 came a notice of the presence of Thrijjs jnjri attacking apple 

 leaves. This pest has only been observed in England of recent 

 years. 



Currant gall-mite, i-ed-spider and codlin moth have, as 

 usual, figured among the fruit pests reported, and winter-moth 

 was again troublesome. In some cases where trees had been 

 banded to keep off the winter-moth it was clear that the 

 preparation employed had been ineff^ectual. In one case this 

 fact was demonstrated by placing Imnds of a more satisfactory 

 material above those originally used, when numbers of winter- 

 moths which had negotiated the first obstacle were caught by 

 the second. Of the sticky substances experimented with, by 

 far the most eff:ectual was the American preparation, " Tangle- 

 foot." The greater cost of this preparation deters many fruit 

 growers from using it, but after all it should be considered 

 whether anything is gained by using a cheaper substance 

 which is very much less efficient. Banding which does not 

 eflEect its object is clearly a waste of time and money. 



