14 REPORT ON INJURIOUS INSECTS IN 1903. 



The moth makes its appearance towards the end of the summer, 

 and lays its eggs in groups of three or four, near to the mid-ribs of 

 the currant leaves. After about eleven days they hatch out, and the 

 caterpillars feed for a short time upon the currant leaves. They then 

 spin leaves together enclosing themselves, and fall to the ground. 

 When, however, the bushes are grown against walls, the larvae 

 hibernate in the cracks, etc., between the bricks, or in the accumu- 

 lations of dead leaves between the branches and the wall. In the 

 early spring they commence to feed upon the young leaves and 

 become full fed usually about June, when they change to the pupae. 

 The pupae may be found in the earth, fastened to the leaves or stems, 

 or hidden away in crevices in the wall. 



PREVENTATIVE AND REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Early in the spring and again in the autumn the bushes should be 

 sprayed with Paris green (Blundell's) in the proportion of i Ib. to 

 250 gallons of water, and 2 Ibs of lime, the whole to be well mixed. 

 This must not be used on ripe or ripening fruit, it may, however, 

 be safely used four or five weeks before the fruit is gathered, if 

 necessary. 



Hand-picking, especially in the case of wall bushes, should be 

 adopted in the spring, and the ground around the bushes hoed and 

 dressed with quicklime. 



Where, in the autumn, there are evidences of a bad attack, 

 the bushes should be pruned and the cuttings burnt. The ground 

 beneath should be treated with quicklime and early in the winter 

 dug in deeply. 



The Gooseberry Sawfly. 



Nematus ribe^ii, Curtis. 



Considerable damage has been done to Gooseberry bushes in 

 Worcestershire by the larvae of this species. 



The eggs are laid on the underside of the leaves, and the lar- 

 vae hatch out in from six to eight days. At first they are very 

 small, almost white with a few black spots anteriorly and a black 

 head. There are four moults, and after the first one the caterpillars 

 are greener in colour, and the black spots more numerous. They 

 continue active for about twenty-eight days. On becoming full-fed 

 they usually fall to the ground, enter the earth, and there spin 

 brownish-coloured, oval cocoons. Sometimes the cocoons are 

 found upon the bushes themselves. From these cocoons the flies 

 appear in about twenty-one days. Usually there are three broods 

 during the summer ; the cocoons of the last brood remain in the 

 earth until the spring, and the flies appear early in April. 



