Insects Injurious to the Apple. 85 



uniting tliem together with silk. When mature they pupate in a 

 tube of dead leaves. 



The pupa is bright brown, with two rows of backwardly -projecting 

 spines on each segment. 



One brood only occurs in Great Britain. The moth is very 

 common all over the south of England, but becomes rarer in the 

 north. 



All fruit trees are attacked by this pest, but it is especially 

 apple and cherry that suffer in this country. It also occurs on the 

 sloe and plum, and has been recorded from the blackberry, whilst in 

 North America it also attacks the peach and quince. 



Natueal Enemies. 



Eive species of Ichneumon flies prey upon the caterpillars of this 

 moth in Europe, but none have been noticed in Great Britain. In 

 North America they also are preyed upon by three species of 

 Ichneumons. Amongst birds we find the Blue and Great Tits (Parus 

 coendeus and P. major) picking the larvte out of the buds and leaf 

 nests. The Sparrow also has been observed feeding upon them. A 

 large Sand- wasp, Odyncrus catskillensU, stores its nest with these 

 caterpillars in North America. None of these natural enemies, 

 unless it be the Paridce. or Tits, do much good in keeping down this 

 Bud Moth. 



rREVEXTIOX AND TliEATMEXT. 



As we know that the larvic feed upon the leafage in the late 

 summer we can, to a large extent, check the ravages of this pest 

 by arsenical spraying. Larv.e are always more easily destroyed 

 when young, and there is not the least doubt that spraying in the 

 late summer will kill them. There should be a second M'ashing in 

 the spring when the caterpillars are to some extent exposed, just 

 when the buds are bursting, and this may have to be followed by a 

 third dressing to kill those that escape when they are in their leaf 

 and blossom nests. Hand-picking may be resorted to in gardens 

 and nurseries and where single low trees are invaded, the leaf iiests 

 being easily seen and picked off by hand before the moths liave 

 emerged from the pupal stage. 



Washing with caustic alkali wash does not seem to check this 

 pest, for trees so treated in the winter of 1902 suffered severely from 

 the Bud j\Ioth and also Pith ]\Ioth in the following year. Probably 

 the larval cases were hidden under the bud-bracts and in such places 



