Insects Injurious to the Apple. 



31 



of England, but is most abundant in the south and west. It does 

 not seem to occur further north than York, where it is uncommon. 

 In the south of EngLand it is always more or less common in our 

 plantations, but at certain times it appears in enormous numbers, 

 especially in apple and pear orchards, where it strips the foliage. 

 Only last year a vast concourse of them appeared in the Sittingbourne 

 and Faversham areas of Kent and carried all before them, one grower 

 stating that he could collect them by bushels. Carpenter (1) records 

 it from Ireland. It is particularly common in France, where there 

 are laws compelling growers to cut off and destroy the " tents " and 

 the larvte. Guerin Meneville states that it is one of the most 

 injurious fruit and forest tree pests in France. Kollar (2) gives an 

 account of it, and says that it is troublesome in Germany. 



Unfortunately it feeds on hawthorn hedges and in woods, and 

 l)eing capable of modei'ate powers 

 of flight, it is thus always liable to 

 invade our orchards and gardens. 



Life-History and Habits. 



The moth (Fig. 18) is very 

 variable in size and colour, and 

 measures about 1 inch in expanse 

 of wings in the male and Ih inch 

 in the female. The front wings are 

 a rusty reddish-brown, ochreous 

 or brick-dust red, with two pale 

 or dusky transverse lines across 

 them, the space between the two 

 bars being often more deeply 

 coloured than the rest of the 

 wings ; the hind wings are the 

 same tint as the fore, but (jften a 

 little paler. 



The moth occurs in July and 

 August, and a few stragglers may 

 be found in September. 



The females deposit their eggs in rings or bands, and usually 

 choose the year's growth of wood. Each band contains from forty 

 up to two hundred eggs. The bands are shown in Fig. 17. AVhen 

 the wood shrinks they may become quite loose and turn round and 

 round, but at other times they may be found tightly gummed to the 

 shoots. In colour thev are dull grev to greyish-brown, with a small 



[/•■. F,l,;i,lrn 

 FIG. 17.— EGG BANDS OF LACKEY MOTH. 



Young hatching out on right. 

 (Twice natural size. ) 



