CAPE COD CRANBERRY INSECTS 



27 



Description nnd Seasonal Histvrij. 



The Eyy. 



Most of the eggs are laid in October. Tliey are pale yellow at first but 

 soon turn dingy brown. Tliey are fastened singly to fallen leaves (fig. 2.5) 

 or pieces of dead vine littering the bog floor. They pass the winter, the bog 

 flowage not harming them even when held fairly late. They usually hatch 

 somewhat after the middle of May on bogs drained in April, and in late May 

 or early June where tlie winter flood has been held till after mid-May. 



Cranberry Blossom Worm, 

 rig. 25. Eggs on fallen leaves. 



The Worm. 



The worms (Plate Two, figs. 4a and 4b), after they pass their first stages, 

 are reddish brown, with the head light mottled brown and with a whitish 

 stripe along each side of the smooth and well-rounded body. They mature 

 the last of June on bogs bared of the winter flood early. They tlien become 

 pale brown, often look somewliat bloated and act torpid and are nearly an 

 inch and a half long (Plate Two, figs. 3a and 3b). They soon enter the ground 

 or deep trash to remain dormant two to four weeks before pupating. 



The Pupa. 



Pupation normally occurs mostly in late July, usually in a cell slightly 

 below the surface of the ground. The pupa is brown and about five-eighths of 

 an inch long. It is enclosed in a loose and indefinite cocoon of silk and sand. 

 The moths emerge during September and are active till mid-November. 

 Pupation may take place in August or early September and the moths emerge 

 in late September and early October on l)ogs drained of tlie winter water late. 



The Moth. 



The moths vary greatly in color. Some (Plate One, fig. 8a) are brownish 

 gray; others (Plate One, rig. 8b) are fox red above and somewhat lighter be- 

 low. The front wings are crossed by a few fine lines and there are two char- 

 acteristic subcircular markings placed lengthwise on the middle of tiie front 

 part of each. The main part of the body is tufted heavily with iiair. The 

 wings expand about an inch and a half. These motl.s are seen commonly in 

 September and October on infested bogs and on the uplands everywhere. The 

 females are prolific layers. The males fly well and often. 



Treatment. 



FJoodmij. 



Flood for 18 days right after picking the crop, beginning late in Septemiier 



