THE BUD MOTH 



(TMETOCERA OCELLANA.) 



EARLY in spring, just as they com- 

 mence to swell and open, the buds 

 of the apple, pear, plum, cherry, 

 quince and peach trees are sometimes .t- 

 taciced by a small, naked caterpillar about 

 one-fifth of an inch long and dirty white in 

 color. The head and thoracic shield are 

 black or very dark brown. These caterpil- 

 lars voraciously devour the opening buds 

 and later feed on the tender leaves, binding 

 several of them together at the end of i 



shoot. In this 

 nest the caterpil- 

 lar lives and 

 feeds, after a 

 time attaining 

 (^ half an inch in 

 size. Specimens 

 sent us from Bad 

 Axe, Mich., and 

 placed in breed- 

 ing cages, became full-grown about June i . 

 On June 15 they pupated inside the nest of 

 leaves. On June 28 they commenced to 

 emerge as ashy-grey winged months, ex- 

 panding about three-fifths of an inch from 

 tip to tip of their wings. This delicate little 

 moth (Fig. 2577) is very prettily marked 

 near the centre of each fore wing with a 

 large, ill-defined creamy spot, while the base 

 and tip of the wing are marked with black 

 and dull blue. The hind wings and the ab- 

 domen are grey. According to Professor 

 Slingerland,* the moths lay their eggs three 

 or four days after emerging, usually on the 

 under side of the leaves. They are de- 



FiG. 2577. Bui) Moth. 



scribed by him as transparent, flat, dish-like 

 bodies, oval and very small. The egg stage 

 is said to last from seven to ten days. The 

 little caterpillars immediately commence to 

 eat the outer coverings of the leaves, usually 

 on the under side, leaving the skeleton of 

 veins untouched. The young larvae spin -i 

 delicate tube of silk, in which they live. 

 When they are grown to about one-fifth of 

 an inch in length they spin a tube in some 

 protected place on the bark, and in this pass 

 the winter. In the spring they come out 

 and attack the bark as described. • 



REMEDIES. 



The bud-moth may be destroyed most 

 easily at the time when it first attacks the 

 buds in spring. Prof. Slingerland says : 



" Undoubtedly it can be checked some- 

 what by spraying in July, when the larvae 

 are at work on the under side of the leaves, 

 but the time to combat the pest most profit- 

 ably and successfully is in the spring when 

 a little poison can easily be sprayed upon the 

 opening buds ; and thus the little larvae, hun- 

 gry from its long winter's last, will be quite 

 certain to get the fatal dose at its first meal." 



This spraying should be repeated several 

 times, as the period during which the insects 

 can be reached is a short one, and they do 

 not all come out together. The opening 

 buds should be kept thoroughly poisoned, 

 and the trees should be sprayed once or 

 twice after the blossoms fall. — Mich. Exp. 

 Station. 



