THE INSECT AND OTHER 

 ALLIED PESTS 



OF 



OFiCHAliD. BUSH AND HOTHOUSE FRUITS. 



INTKODUCTIOK 



Since Miss Ormerod wrote her valuable little handbook on ' Orchard 

 and Bush Fruit Insects' in 1898, fruit-growing in this country has 

 much increased and with it our knowledge concerning its enemies. 

 Then and previous to it we had to rely mainly for information about 

 insect pest treatment from our Colonial kinsmen and the Americans. 



With the development of rational fruit-growing and its general 

 stimulation has grown up from the times of Curtis and Westwood a 

 desire to know more and more of the pests which harass the grower. 



The life-history of an insect, mite or worm seems a trivial matter, 

 but it takes much labour to unravel. Yet it is upon the knowledge 

 of such matters that we must rely if we wish to fight this wonderful 

 Nature which seems to us to do such incalculable mischief. The 

 complete understanding of the vagaries of this or that insect pest 

 may expose some vulnerable point where we can attack it with some 

 possible hope of success. 



Unfortunately we can lay no claim to complete, or anything like 

 complete knowledge even of the best known of fruit pests. If any- 

 one studies these beautiful, interesting, yet apparently unfriendly 

 creatures, one can at once see what little we know about them. Any 

 one of the best known may form a lifelong study, and even then 

 we are far from the end. It is in this respect, this lifelong study of 

 an insect pest, this specialism, that is followed so closely, so carefully 

 by the school of economic biologists in our Colonies and America. 

 AVorking assiduously, backed up officially, helped in all ways 

 monetarily, they continue to make rapid and sound progress. In 

 this country the so-called " science " of fruit-growing has taken 

 enormous strides within the last fifteen years. The insect pests have 

 grown with it one may say. To cope with them, methods for their 



