200 BULLETIN NO. 62. 



the moth may begin laying within a few days after emerging, if 

 ,1 cold rainy spell occurs at the critical time the operation may be 

 delayed for weeks. This as well as the length of the period through 

 which the moths eme-rge would account for the overlapping and 

 consequent confusion of broods. 



The first eggs are laid, in the region of Missoula, at about the 

 first week in June, the first larvae appearing about I2 days later. 

 The first eggs of the second brood are produced about August lo 

 and the first larvae of this generation appear some 12 days later. 

 I''rom the fact as previously published, that moths may be seen lay- 

 ing eggs in the orchard as late as October 4 and that the broods over- 

 lap in the middle part of the summer it is clearly evident that eggs 

 are being laid and that larvae are hatching practically all summer 

 from early in June on. We have only meagre data upon which to 

 base an opinion regarding when the bulk of each generation of lar- 

 vae is hatched but we may venture to state that for practical pur- 

 poses in spraying the middle of June and the middle of August are 

 probably the critical times when the fruit should be well covered 

 with an arsenical poison. 



THE FOOD OF THE CODLING MOTH. 



The developing or ripe fruit of apples and pears seems to be 

 the natural food of the codling moth though it is thought by some 

 that originally the larvae fed on the leaves of the apple, later acquir- 

 ing the habit of burrowing in the fruit. While crabapples seem to 

 be less preferred they are sometimes very severely attacked. It 

 should excite no surprise if peaches, plums, prunes, cherries, apri- 

 cots and quinces are found to be slightly infested also, as there 

 are numerous authentic records of these fruits being attacked. It 

 should be borne in mind that the moth accepts such less preferable 

 food probably only when apples and pears are not to be found in 

 sufficient abundance. 



Dr. Riley in 1869 reported that the moth had been bred from 

 the screw bean but the correctness of this record has more recently 

 been brought in question. Some Have thought it probable that the 

 fruit of the rose may in some cases serve as food for the larvae. 

 Having this in mind Mr. Simpson, in 1901, carefully examined many 

 hundreds of these rose fruits in the vicinity of a badly infested 



