15 



Raspberry Moth. (Lampronia rubiella). 



(PLATE II. Fig. 1.) 



The small red caterpillars of this moth have been most 

 destructive to raspberry canes in the last five seasons. The 

 culture of raspberries has increased enormously during the past 

 10 years, as they have proved to be a profitable crop, and the 

 canes come quickly into bearing. In 1891 very great loss 

 was caused by these caterpillars, and in the past season in some 

 districts the crop was almost a failure in consequence of their 

 attacks. In 1891, upon several large fruit farms in Kent, nearly 

 half of the buds of the raspberry canes were destroyed, and in 

 1892 the injury caused by the caterpillars was even worse in 

 some localities. The attack of the previous season appeared also 

 to have affected the health and vigour of the stock, as the new 

 shoots were weak and small, and produced but little fruit. 

 Many of the two years' shoots also were bare of leaves. 



Upon close examination of canes infested with this caterpillar 

 it was seen that the soft juicy whorls at the base of the buds 

 had been eaten away so that foliage and blossoms could not be 

 put forth. In some cases almost every bud contained a cater- 

 pillar, or had been destroyed by one which had left it and gone 

 to another bud. 



LIFE HISTORY. 



The Raspberry Moth (Lampronia nibiella) belongs to the 

 family Tineidce of the group Tineina. It is a very pretty little 

 moth, of a light brown colour " shining brown," Mr. Stainton 

 terms it having a series of spots, as of burnished gold upon its 

 fore wings.* The hinder wings are rather lighter coloured with 



di fringes. It is barely half an inch across the wings and its 

 y is not quite the fourth of an inch in length. (Fig. 1 a.) The 

 moths may be seen towards the end of May and the beginning of 

 June flying round the raspberry canes, and laying eggs upon their 

 flowers. As to this process Dr. Chapman says : " the moth selects 

 a fully open flower, and without any prolonged examination 

 insinuates her terminal segment in the angle formed at the base 

 of the stamens outside, between them and the calyx, seating 

 herself on the stamens. The spear with which the ovipositor is 

 armed pierces the substance of the receptacle in this angle, and 

 the egg is placed in the substance of the receptacle at a depth 

 from the surface about equal to its own diameter." The egg is 



* Delta, in the Entomological Magazine, describes this moth as Maculis insiynis et 



