22 



to the middle of June become, full grown. They are then 

 winged, are bright green in colour, and have the general form 

 shown in Fig. 4. The full-grown bugs as in the previous 

 stages are very active, running or falling off the branch 

 when disturbed, and using their wings to get back to a tree. 

 They do not appear to fly long distances or to migrate from 

 one orchard to another. From the middle of *June to the 

 middle of July, sometimes later, the bugs lay their eggs in 

 the apple twigs, and by the middle of August are no longer 

 to be found in the orchards. The eggs remain through the 

 autumn and winter, and give rise to bugs in the following 

 spring. 



Methods of Control. Apple Capsids are difficult insects 

 to control, but the damage can be greatly reduced by careful 

 spraying. The work, however, must be well done, tor it is 

 necessary to wet each bug with the spray fluid -not an easy 

 matter when they are sheltering between the flower buds in 

 the trusses or among the developing leaves. Further, a very 

 few bugs are capable of doing great injury, and therefore the 

 majority of the insects must be killed if real benefit is to be 

 gained. A fairly coarse nozzle should be used so as to get a 

 driving spray, which should be directed first downwards into 

 the trusses and leaves of a branch passing from the tip to 

 the trunk, and then back again to the tip after turning the 

 nozzle upwards so as to catch bugs sheltering underneath 

 the leaves. 



The best time to spray varies with the season, but it is 

 generally during the. week or ten days immediately preceding 

 the bursting of the blossom. A watch should be kept for the 

 first signs of spotting of the leaves then after an interval 

 of ten days to allow the majority of the bugs to hatch, the 

 spray should be applied. Much good can be done by one 

 spraying, but in a badly affected orchard, especially if a good 

 crop is anticipated, it is. better to spray again immediately 

 after the petals have fallen. 



The best insecticide to use is nicotine, which should always 

 be combined with soap or paraffin emulsion to assist it to run 

 freely in the trusses and between the young leaves. The 

 following formula has proved satisfactory : 



Nicotine (98-99 per cent.) ... 3 oz. 



Soft soap ... 4 Ib. 



Water ... ... 40 gal. 



This wash is, of course, expensive, but it is waste of labour 

 and time to spray against Capsids with a wash which is not 

 highly efficient. Further, nicotine and soap will kill aphides, 

 apple suckers, and a good proportion of any winter moth 

 caterpillars which may be present, and it is therefore a good 

 " general purpose " spray. 



