FRUIT ENEMIES, 283 



infested with this pest soon become sickly. The remedies 

 are those advised for the Brown Currant Scale. 



Other Pests. The larvae of the Winter and Magpie 

 Moths also infest Currant bushes. See descriptions, etc., 

 in other sections. 



Gooseberry Pests. 



Gooseberry or Magpie Moth(Abraxus grossulariae). The 

 larvae of this moth feed on the foliage of the Gooseberry 

 and the Currant, and speedily defoliate the bushes unless 

 they are destroyed in an early stage of their existence. 

 The parent moth is a very pretty insect. It has a yellow- 

 ish body and creamy-white wings, spotted with black. 

 The female lays its cream-coloured eggs in July and 

 August in groups on the under side of the leaves. The 

 larvae feed on the leaves for a short time, then they spin 

 leaves together and pass the winter thus, either in the soil 

 or in crevices of the bark, etc., until spring, when they 

 come forth, ascend the bushes, and begin to feed on the 

 young foliage. They are then of a creamy-white colour, 

 spotted with black, and marked with yellow on their sides. 

 Early in July they enter the pupal stage, and emerge as 

 moths in August. Spraying in early autumn with arsenate 

 of lead to kill the larvae is the best remedy. If any larvae 

 are seen in early spring, spray the bushes with a similar 

 preparation. 



Gooseberry Red Spider (Bryobia ribis). A small mite 

 with a pale-coloured body, dotted with reddish spots, which 

 infests the leaves in hot, dry seasons, and sucks out the 

 sap, causing them to assume a silvery appearance. It 

 feeds mostly on the under surface of the leaves. The mites 

 lay their eggs on the shoots in early spring and onwards, 

 and if the weather should be warm and dry the larvae will 

 soon swarm over the foliage and do serious harm. Spray- 

 ing the bushes in February with a lime-sulphur wash will kill 

 this pest; or later with a nicotine preparation if the first 

 remedy should fail, will prove effectual. 



