ANIMALS INJURIOUS TO FRUIT TREES. 31 



THE RED PLUM MAGGOT. 



Opadia funebrana, Tr. 



Two cases of damage to plums by the larvae of this insect have been 

 reported upon. In one case the damage was not noticed until the fruit 

 had been bottled ; in the other, near Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, 

 large quantities of plums fell off before ripening. 



LIFE-HISTORY. 



The moths make their appearance in June and July, the female 

 depositing her eggs on the developing fruit at the base of the stalk. 

 The larvae hatch out in from nine to twelve days and at once com- 

 mence to eat their way into the fruit. 



The larvae are a reddish-brown in colour, with yellowish sides. 

 The 8th, 9th, nth and i3th segments have each two dark lateral spots. 

 Each segment has three pairs of lateral hairs, excepting the last, 

 which possesses a number of smaller hairs. The full-grown larvae 

 measure just over half an inch in length. 



On entering the fruit they eat a somewhat sinuous tunnel through 

 the fleshy portion until reaching the stone, when they gradually form 

 a large cavity. When full-fed they leave the fruit, and under the bark 

 or under debris on the ground, they spin silky white cocoons, in which 

 they remain for the winter, pupating in the spring. 



PREVENTIVE AND REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Banding the trees, as for Codling Moths, proved very successful. 



All fallen, grub-eaten fruit should be gathered up and burned. 

 It is advisable to shake the trees, as recommended by Schmidberger, 

 for several days, in order to bring down those fruits that are attacked. 



In the winter the trees should be well sprayed with caustic soda 

 emulsion and the trunks scrubbed, in order to destroy any larvae in 

 the cocoons beneath the broken bark. 



THE PEAR=LEAF BLISTER MOTH. 



Cemiostoma scitella, Zell. 



In Warwickshire this insect has been very plentiful during 1911, 

 but although I have seen a large number of trees attacked, in only one 



