82 INSECT PESTS 



Various other large moths are recorded as feeding on 

 the leaves of the apple, including the Dot, the Elephant, 

 the Eyed Hawk, the Tiger, and the Lobster Moth, whose 

 odd-looking caterpillar sets up its head and tail when 

 startled, and possesses the pecuUar filament appendages 

 which give it a resemblance to the crustacean it is named 

 after. These insects, however, all belong to the natural 

 fauna of the country and really need not be considered 

 in the light of pests. 



The Cockchafer Beetle is also injurious to the leaves 

 of apple trees, but I shall deal with that insect in the 

 chapter on soil pests, where wire-worms and milUpedes 

 which are root-eaters will be considered in full. 



Coming to the flowers and fruit, we find first of all 

 the Apple Blossom Weevil (Anthonomus pomorum) which 

 attacks the bloom in such a way as often to be mistaken 

 for the action of frost, causing it to wither and drop off. 

 This insect is only I inch long, black with grepsh down, 

 a V-shaped mark being prominent on the wing-cases. 

 Its larva is yellow with a brown head. The beetle itself 

 feigns death when shaken off, and the trees should be 

 beaten for it, a cloth being spread out underneath. The 

 culprits must be swept up quickly, as when they think 

 their little dodge has worked long enough they begin to 

 scutter off. 



During the winter months, the weevils hide away in 

 chinks of bark and among mosses, turf and lichens, so that 

 a word to the wise is sufficient in this respect. Spraying 

 the trees with caustic alkali in February is also 

 useful. 



Incessant vigilance is necessary with weevils, and I 

 strongly recommend the beating of the trees in the spring 

 as the readiest way of catching them. They also have 

 natural enemies in the Tits, Wagtails and the Tree-Pipit, 

 which deserve notice. 



The Apple Sucker {Psylla mali) is quite another kind 

 of insect. It is really a poor relation of Mrs. Aphis, but 



