UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



1 BULLETIN No. 429 \ 





Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



^-u^'^^u 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



February 28, 1917 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE CODLING MOTH IN THE 

 PECOS VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 



By A. L. QuAiNTANCE, Entomologist in Charge of Deciduous Fruit Insect Investigations, 

 and E. W. Geyer, Scientific Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 



Introduction 1 



Defmition of terms used 2 



Seasonal-history studies of 1912 3 



The spring brood 3 



The first generation 6 



The second generation 13 



Thetliird generation 25 



Seasonal history of the codling moth during 



1912 31 



Band-record larvaj of 1912 32 



Seasonal-historystudies of 1913 . ., 34 



Source of rearing material 34 



Method of procedure 35 



Seasonal-history studies of 1913 — Continued. 



The spring brood 



The first generation 



Egg deposition by indi\ddual moths 



The second generation 



The third generation 



The fourth generation '. 



Miscellaneous emergence of moths 



Band records of 1913 



Seasonal history of the codling moth during 



1913 



Summary 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the past four years the Bureau of Entomology has main- 

 tamed a field laboratory at Roswell, N. Mex., for the purpose of in- 

 vestigating the hfe history and habits of the codling moth, Carpocapsa 

 pomonella h., under semiarid conditions in the Southwest, and for the 

 purpose of caiT3dng out experiments in orchards for its control. 

 Especial attention was given to the life history of the insect in that 

 region duiiiig 1912 and 1913 in addition to extensive spraying opera- 

 tions in orchards. During 1914 and 1915 the work has been limited 

 to orchard experiments. 



Tlie Pecos Valley, in the vicinity of Roswell, comprises an im- 

 portant fruit-gi'owing section especially devotcnl to the cultivation of 

 apples and pcui-s. The codling moth in this region, due to tlie mild 

 climate, is able to develop thrcse and pr(>l)a])ly four l^roods of larvaj 

 each season and is hence extremely injurious. The present investi- 

 gation by th(! Bureau of Entomology will furnish ncu^xhul information 

 to the orchardists of tlie Pch^os Valley in N(>,w Mexi(;o for tlie control 

 of the codling moth, and the results .should be applicable to similar 

 regions in the; Southwest gciiierally. 



bSSSS'—huiL 42'J— 17 1 



