REPORT OF THE SOCIETY 61 



THE NATURAL CONTROL OF THE GREEN APPLE BUG 



(Lygus communis var. novascotiensis Knight) by a New 

 Species of Empusa 



By Alan G. Dustan, Assistant Entomologist, Dominion Entomological Labo- 

 ratory, Fredericton, N. B. 



The study which forms the basis of this paper was commenced in the sume 

 mer of 1920 in the Annapolis Valley, N. S. At the time the Green Apple 

 Bug was doing an immense amount of damage to the orchards in that section- 

 in fact in a great number of the orchards the crops was being entirely wiped 

 out each year by the ravages of this pest. A great deal of work had already 

 been done along the line of artificijal control but up until that year no natural 

 control studies had been made and it was with a view to finding out what 

 natural enemies the Green Apple Bug had preying upon it, and in the hope of 

 being able to increase the efficiency of these parasites, that this work was 

 under taken. 



In order that what follows may be more clearly understood, a brief 

 summarj^ of the life history of the insect host is given. 



The Green Apple Bug, as the name implies, is a small, green, Hemipterous 

 insect, belonging to the family Miridae, which feeds for the most part on the 

 blossoms, foliage and fruit of the apple. 



In the spring when the blossom buds are beginning to show pink, usually 

 about the last week in May, the nympjis begin to emerge. They are very 

 tiny in this stage and pale-yellow in color. From the first they are extremely 

 active and are able to run about on the twigs at a surprisingly rapid rate. 

 As soon as they leave the egg they hide inside the blossoms where they feed, 

 sucking the juice out of the opening buds and causing them to drop in great 

 numbers. The nymphs turn green in color and are extremely difficult to see 

 due to their habit of hiding under the leaves and in the blossoms. They 

 grow and develop very rapidly and about a month after hatching reach the 

 adult stage, when they are able to fly for considerable distances. In average 

 seasons the first adults appear about the first week in July. 



Mating takes place soon after the winged stage is reached. The females 

 begin to lay their eggs during the latter part of July and, in some cases, continue 

 the process right through the following month. The eggs are laid principally 

 on apple trees, being deposited in the cambium layer of the twigs, chiefly on 

 Gravensteins, Golden Russets, Nonpareil and Ben Davis varieties. There is 



