INSECTS 195 



Insects affecting the Blossoms 



Bud moth (Tmetocera ocellana). The eye-spotted bud moth is 

 recorded as injurious in most of the Eastern states, in Michigan, 

 and in Missouri. The moths of this species appear in June and 

 deposit eggs singly on the undersurfaces of leaves. The larvae eat 

 the lower epidermis and the pulp, thus skeletonizing the leaves. 

 They spin thin webs under which they work until early fall, when 

 they move to twigs, where, in any rough or angular place in the 

 bark or about a bud, they spin a silken case to which they retire 

 for the winter. In the spring the half-grown larvae emerge and eat 

 into the buds or tie together the young leaves or flowers, forming 

 nests within which they work. Late in May they pupate within 

 these clusters, and soon the moths appear. There is thus but 

 one brood. 



Where numerous, these insects do very serious damage. The 

 destruction of flower buds cuts short the fruit crop, and the destruc- 

 tion of leaf buds induces irregular growth and interferes with the 

 symmetry of the trees. 



The apple-bud moth (Eccopsis malana). Saunders, 1 in his work 

 on injurious insects, describes another species, which he says has 

 seriously injured the apple trees in the orchards of northern Illinois 

 by devouring the terminal buds on the branches. 



Pear thrips. In its appearance and habits the thrips is quite 

 different from the other insects which our growers have to combat. 

 The adult is a small, dark, flylike creature, which seeks the buds 

 as they are opening and attacks the tenderest of the flower parts. 

 The destructive work of the insect is largely done before the ap- 

 pearance of the flowers, and trees that are severely injured have 

 at the time of blossoming the appearance of suffering from blossom 

 blight. Affected orchards sustain losses in yields according to the 

 severity of the attacks. In the worst-infested areas one may fre- 

 quently observe plantings which show total losses in fruit yields. 



Spraying experiments indicate that this pest may be effec- 

 tively combated. Growers interested in the work of this new pest 

 are referred to Bulletin No. 343 of the Geneva (New York) 

 Experiment Station. 



1 William Saunders, F. R. S. C, Insects Injurious to Fruits. 



