FRUIT NOTiiS - May, 1939 



W. H. Thies 

 Extension Horticulturist 



Apiiids Plijnti ful 



Not in recent yaars h&ve aphids been as plentiful on tbu buds of upple 

 trc^s us thuy werts about Mt-y 1 this yuur. Howovor, speciraons from a dozun dif- 

 furunt orchards in Middlesex County all proved to be thu grain aphis which is 

 the l«i.st troublesome of those commonly found on apple treos. In the past vifhen 

 grciin aphids have been abundant they havo attracted much attention during the 

 pink and blossom periods but actually caused little serious damage. About the 

 petal fall stage they have migrated to the grasses and have disappeared from 

 the apples. A heavy infestation of grain aphis also is conducive to an 

 abundance of lady beetles, syrphus flies and other aphis enemies which help 

 tremendously in keeping the aphids in check. Incidentally, lady beetles have 

 been seen frequently on the trees this spring- ^, p, Whitcomb 



The Bud Mot h^ Situation 



Bud moth cocoons have b&cin quite plentiful in orchards whure this pest 

 was destructive last year. In fact, a microscopic examination of twigs from a 

 poorly sprayed orchard revealed an average of 37 bud moth cocoons on each 100 

 fruit spurs, which is considered a very large population. Larvae emerged from 

 these cocoons from April 27 to May 6, mostly during the late silver-tip and 

 early delayed dormant stage of buds. Sprays applied from about April 20 to 

 May 3 should have been timely. 



An extensive spraying experiment for bud moth control using various com- 

 binations of dinitro-phenol, dinitro-cresol and oil-nicotine hjis been started 

 and should yield some very helpful information for combating this pest in other 

 years. Vif. D. Vi/hitcomb 



Pine IvUce in the Connect icut Valley 



Here's an interesting story on pine Liice, submitted by V»'.Vi/. Dykstra, 

 District Agent in Rodent Control Vi/'ork. "Recent trapping investigations by the 

 Biological Survey nave revealed the presence of pine mice in three orchards at 

 East Longmeadow and in one orchard at Three Rivers. It is possible that these 

 rodents are also present in orchards ir.-Eediately north, east and west of the 

 area, and trapping checks are being continued. 



"One of the easiest methods of determining the presence of these mice 

 consists in examination of tree roots pulled out bocuuse of hurricane damage. 

 If roots show extensive dc-op injury over a period of several years, pine mice 

 may havo been responsible. Sucn trees generally appear stunted and bear heavy 

 crops of small fruit. Trails >..re beneath thu surface and are not easily detected 

 except for presence of holes around the tree. 



"Pine mouse infestations in Massachusetts appear to be confined to sm.all 

 areas and are not general throughout the orchard. These nice prefer a light 



Issued by the iixtension Service, Willurd A- Jilunson, director, in furtherance 

 of Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914. Massachusetts State College, United States 

 Dtap-^rtraent of Agriculture, and County Extension Services cooperating. 



