MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 6l 



survive until September, or in rare instances until late fall. 

 During the season both males and females feed upon the same 

 fruits in which eggs are deposited, making small, usually cyl- 

 indrical punctures. The eggs hatch in from 4 to 6 days and 

 the young larvae start tortuous burrows through the fruit. 

 Development of the larvae causes the fruit to fall within a few 

 days. In about 20 days the larvae mature, cease feeding, bore 

 out of the fruit, and at once enter the ground where they com- 

 plete their transformations and in about 28 days emerge as 

 perfect beetles, (figs. 25, 26, 27). The newly emerged beetles 

 usually remain quiet for a day or two, allowing the body wall, 

 beak and jaws to harden ; then they fly into the trees and begin 

 feeding upon the fruit. Beetles of this new generation do not 

 (except possibly in rare cases) pair and no eggs are laid during 

 this first season. The fruit is freely punctured for feeding 

 purposes and the amount of this work increases as the season 

 advances. It is this feeding of the new generation that causes 

 the greatest injury to the fruit crop. (fig. 45.) Feeding 

 continues as long as fruit remains upon the trees. Late in the 

 fall the beetles leave the trees and hide away in secure places 

 for the long winter period of hibernation. Such in brief is the 

 life history of the plum curculio. 



Another curculio known as the Apple curculio is smoother 

 and has a longer- snout. This species has not been recorded 

 from Maine. 



REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



Destruction of fallen fruit is one of the chief means of com- 

 bating this pest. Where hogs are pastured in the orchard 

 with a view to devouring apple maggots in fallen fruit the cur- 

 culios would be incidentally disposed of. The recommenda- 

 tions that fallen fruit be destroyed commonly conveys no idea 

 of the first fallen apples. The mind turns to the tangible fruits 

 of midsummer and fall, and where the recommendation is fol- 

 lowed the small apples the size of peas that fall in early summer 

 are entirely ignored. The same small apples are, however, an 

 important factor, and should be considered in any systematic 

 attempt to control the ravages of the plum curculio. 



