Insects, etc., Injurious to the Plum. 363 



The moth is widely spread over Britain. I know of no records of 

 it having caused serious damage. 



Should it occur in sufficient numbers it can easily be prevented 

 by " grease-banding," as for Winter Moth, and arsenical spraying. 



THE RED PLUM MAGGOT. 



[(/jxfdiff fuiuhrana. Tr.) 



This is a well-known insect, entomologically, but fruit-growers 



seem to pay little attention to it. Stainton says : " In the caterpillar 



state it is exceedingly plentiful in plum 



pies." 



One does not like finding these little 



caterpillars, as frequently happens in 



the West of England, in plum and 



damson tarts, and their presence in 



bottled fruits, as was reported from the 



Horticultural College, Swanley (1), is 



just as bad, and would materially lessen 



the market value. 



In 1894 it occurred in some numbers 



in plums at Kingston-on-Thames (2), 



many larvie being obtained on the 15th 



of August. The plums fell before they 



were quite ripe, one tree lost all the crop. 



On examining the fruit, a hole at the base of the plum near the stalk 



is noticeable, and on opening the fruit, the centre is seen to be 



damaged, and there is much wet 

 " frass," together with the reddish 

 caterpillar. They live inside the 

 plum around the stone, tunnel- 

 ling here and there into the 

 flesh. 



The damage done by the 

 maggots to the fresh fi'uit is not 

 80 easy to detect, especially in 

 damsons. 



Very frequently, in fact, in 

 the majority of cases, the frait 



does not fall, and hence the larvae get bottled with the fruit and get 



into pies, etc. 



-PLUM OPENED TO .SHOW 

 NG OF PLUM MAGGOT. 



[Horc 



FIG. 237.— PLUM FRUIT MOTH 

 ((JpcuUa fu nehra lUi). 



