The More Important Apple Insects. 31 
LESSER BUD MOTH.” 
Although the lesser bud moth is reported as an apple pest of minor importance, 
it is quite possible that its depredations are more extensive than generally 
recognized, since it may be responsible for a part of the injury usually attributed 
to the bud moth (p. 28). The overwintering 
larve bore into the buds as they begin to swell 
in the spring (fig. 53) and often, like the bud 
moth, destroy the flowering parts, thereby re- 
ducing the size of the fruit crop. As the leaves 
begin to expand, the larve tie them together 
with silken strands and feed within the inclosure 
thus formed. Another type of injury of much 
less importance is caused by the newly hatched 
larve mining in the leaves during midsummer 
(fig. 54). 
The lesser bud moth is of European origin and 
was probably accidentally introduced into this 
country on nursery stock. Its present distribu- 
tion covers the Northeastern and North-Central 
States. The pear is reported as its favorite 
food plant, but it has also been found on the 
apple, peach, plum, cherry, wild plum, and 
hawthorn, 
At the conclusion of the spring feeding period, 
the full-grown larve, which are about three-eighths of an inch in length and 
of a brown to light green color, crawl to the tree trunk, where they spin 
cocoons beneath the bark scales or in crevices. The larvze soon transform to 
pup which measure about three-sixteenths of an inch in length and vary in 
color at first from green to greenish brown. 
later changing to brown. The small moths (fig. 
55), which have a wing expanse of about half 
an inch, are streaked in appearance and have 
conspicuous black and white banded legs. They 
deposit their small, yellowish colored eggs on 
the underside of the foliage, and the larve, 
upon hatching, eat through the lower epidermis 
of the leaf and mine therein until the approach 
of cold weather, when they desert their mines 
and spin their winter hibernacula. ; 
The lesser bud moth can be well controlled 
by spraying the dormant trees with concen- 
trated lime-sulphur solution. testing 32° Baumé, 
at the rate of 6 to 64 gallons, diluted with suffi- 
cient water to make a total of 50 gallons—a 
Fig. 55.—Adult of the lesser bud strength also effective against the San Jose 
moth resting on bark of pear aje, blister mite, etc. If the orchardist does 
tree. Enlarged. k } 2 
not wish to make the foregoing dormant treat- 
ment, two applications of arsenate of lead at the rate of 1 pound of the powder 
or 2 pounds of the paste to 50 gallons of water or fungicide may be substituted. 
The first of these applications should be made when the buds are swelling and 
the second as soon as the cluster buds have separated, commonly known as the 
pink cluster-bud stage. 
Fic. 54.—Work of lesser bud 
moth lary on apple leaf. 
1% Recurvaria nanella Hiibner. 
