Insects, etc., Injurious to the Plum. 



377 



in the Evesham district. The damage is done to the young plums 

 by the larva of this sawfly eating out the interior. If the fallen 

 fruitlets are cut open a pale larva, at once seen to be that of a 

 sawfly, is detected within it. Later the infestation manifests itself 

 more clearly by the presence of a round hole in each fruitlet whence 

 the sawfly larva has escaped. The developing kernel seems to be 

 their chief attraction, for in all I have examined this has been 

 either damaged or completely destroyed. Fruitlets from to 

 nearly 1 inch in length have been found damaged. Ormerod says 

 that those she examined from Urchester had usually one boring 

 near the end opposite to the insertion of the stem. In all those 



24!). PLUM FRUITLET 



[A. V. D. Rintoul. 



DAMAGED BV SAWFLY (Hoplocampa flllmcomis). 



A, cocoon from soil. 



sent me from Herefordshire and those found at Wye the exit hole 

 was at the side. 



The opening is usually filled with wet frass as long as the larva 

 is within, similar to what we notice with the Codling Moth. 



I have never yet found more than one larva in each frnitlet. 

 Although greengages have been especially mentioned as being 

 attacked, it appears that all varieties of plums suffer, for I have 

 seen it in Czars, Early Prolifics, Victorias, Blue Gage, Damson Plum 

 and Pershores. 



Kollar (4) says " the greengage and other round plums are 

 attacked when they are hardly the size of a pea." 



LlFE-HlSTORY. 



The sawfly appears in April and May. In colour it is shiny 

 black with yellow, yellowish-red or reddish-brown legs and iri- 



inch. 



