GREENHOUSE PESTS 117 



on vines. The Tortrices, although a minor group of 

 moths, often make up for their size by their prohfic rate 

 of increase. It does not follow that because a moth is 

 small in size it can be ignored. In fact it is just these 

 diminutive creatures that are apt at first to be overlooked, 

 and which in many cases do the damage we are least able 

 to cope with, more especially because it is not seen until 

 it is too late. To the difficulties that attend their study 

 is due the fact that the history of these tiny insects has 

 been rather neglected, so that there is always the chance 

 of the horticulturist and the food-grower discovering 

 something new to science if they will go to the trouble 

 of boxing and observing strange little insects whenever 

 an opportunity occurs. (See Plate 25.) 



These very small moths are called by the entomologist 

 Microlepidoptera. Their life stories are exceedingly 

 interesting and diverse, as much so as those of beetles. 



In the Tortrices we have those moths which roll or 

 twist up the leaves and buds of oiir fruit and forest trees, 

 or lay their eggs in the calyx of the flower in order that 

 the grub when hatched may work its way into the fruit 

 and feed out of sight. We have already seen one or two 

 examples among the Orchard pests. The word Tortrix 

 simply means " twister " (i.e. leaf -twister), a name which 

 aptly expresses their general habits. Then there are 

 the Tinea, among which we get the Clothes Moths on 

 whose account so much naphthalene and camphor has 

 to be purchased to protect our woollen attire, furs, 

 feathers, etc. The Deltoides or Snout Moths, so-called 

 on account of the extremely long palpi which cover the 

 proboscis ; the PyraHdes or Meal Moths, which worry 

 the miller ; the Crambites or Veneers, among which we 

 find the insect which bee-keepers have cause to remember, 

 viz. the Honeycomb Moth (C. cerella), are other groups. 

 Finally there are the Pterophori or Plume Moths, whose 

 wings are so spHt up that they look like feathers and are 

 quite devoid of any covering membrane. 



