4 



THE BUD-MOTH. 



Tmetocera ocellana (S. V.) 





Fig. 1. 



This insect, Fig. 1, is very abundant in some parts of Massachus- 

 etts, and has done a vast amount of damage to our fruit trees, much 

 more than has been generally supposed. The minute brownish cat- 

 erpillars eat out the inside of both leaf and flower buds, and not 

 unfrequently those of grafted scions, and the failure of those grafts 

 has generally been thought to have been caused by imperfect grafting. 



These caterpillars make their appearance about half grown in early 

 spring, when the buds of our fruit trees are beginning to swell, and 

 eat their way into the bud thus destroying it. If one bud does not 

 suffice they go to a second, and so on. When a terminal bud is 

 destroyed, the growth is continued from a lateral one ; and, as often 

 occurs, the terminal bud of this lateral branch is destroyed by these 

 minute caterpillars, thus giving a peculiar appearance to the older 

 trees of an orchard, so that one can easily recognize the work of the 

 bud moth by the irregular growth of the branches. 



The moths emerge during the latter part of June or early in July 

 and lay their eggs on the leaves of apple and various other trees. 

 The young, as soon as hatched, feed on the leaves, and are about 

 half grown when the cold weather comes on, and they hibernate in 

 that stage. 



To destroy these caterpillars it is desirable to gather all the leaves 

 from under the infested trees in the fall and burn them, and also to 

 shower the trees with one pound of Paris Green in one hundred and 

 fifty gallons of water, in the spring when the buds first begin to 

 swell. 



This application will also prove valuable for the destruction of tent 

 caterpillars and other early leaf eating insects. 



The following technical account is prepared for those who desire a 

 more complete history of the insect than is given above. 



This species was first described briefly by the authors of the Vienna 



