32 Provincial Board of Horticulture. 1897 



The' Mottled Umber Moth {Hihernia defoliaria) is reported from Victoria and the sur- 

 rounding district as injurious to the foliage of fruit-trees, especially plums and cherries. The 

 larvae are slender loopers or measuring worms, 1^ inches in length, with 

 Umber* Moth °li6s*i'i* ^^^ heads, dark reddish-brown backs, mottled with broken narrow 

 black lines, the lowest distinct and waved ; the sides bright yellow, paler 

 beneath. There is a dark reddish patch shaded with black, surrounding each spiracle. The 

 male moth is of a dull ochre-brown hue, expanding 1 1 inches, and has the upper wings dotted 

 and crossed diagonally by two dark waved bands ; the space between these is pale and bears 

 on each wing a dark discal spot ; the lower wings are paler than the upper, and like them 

 sprinkled with brown dots, and they have a dark spot near the middle. The female moth is 

 brown, with two rows of conspicuous spots down the back. The wings are almost entirely 

 aborted. When the moths appear in the autumn, the females crawl up the trunks of trees 

 and lay their eggs on the branches. In this condition the insect passes the winter. 



The usual remedies for the canker-worms are applicable for this species, and consist of 



tying sticky bandages or mechanical contrivances around the trunks of fruit trees to prevent 



□ ,. the females from crawling up to deposit their eggs, or what will be found far 



more effective, spraying the trees in spring when the young caterpillars hatch, 



with Paris green and lime, 1 pound of each to 200 gallons of water. 



The Bud Moth or Worm (Tmetocera oceUana) is reported froni Okanagan, 

 Nanaimo, Victoria, and Ladner's Landing. 



As soon in spring as the buds begin to open, the little caterpillars may com- 

 mence work upon them, gnawing the miniature leaves and blossoms, but the 

 attack is more likely to begin after the buds are about half open. 

 Bud Moth. The larvse then eat out the centres of the buds, where the leaves and flowers 

 are least developed. The caterpillar forms for itself a protecting case, by 

 using silken threads to bind together the leaves. As the season advances some of the leaves 

 are killed, become detached at the base, and turn brown ; the blossoms also are more or less 

 webbed. The life history of this insect may be summarized as follows : — The moths appear in 

 the orchard early in summer; during daylight they rest upon the bark of trees or other 

 shelter; at night they fly about and deposit their egg.s, one in a place on the underside of 

 the leaves. About ten days later these eggs hatch into small green larvse, which feed upon 

 the epidermis of the leaves, each making for itself a silken tube and a thin layer of silk for 

 protection and concealment. In a day or two the green colour changes to brown. 



As the larva increases in size and the area over which it feeds becomes larger, the tube 

 is enlarged and lengthened along the mid-rib, sometimes becoming nearly one inch in length. 

 The silken web under which the larva feeds covers the entire field of operations, but is so thin 

 near the edges where the larva has last fed as to be scarcely visible. The excrement of the 

 larva being retained by the web, appears as little black pellets scattered here and there over 

 the feeding ground. The green portion of only one side of the leaf is eaten, the veins and 

 veinlets being left untouched ; these and the green on the opposite side die and turn brown, 

 and thus become conspicuous. Late in summer, or early in autumn, the half-grown cater- 

 pillars desert the leaves and crawl upon the twigs, where they form little silken cases, generally 

 near the buds or in creases in the bark. In these they remain throughout the winter. The 

 following spring they emerge to feed upon the opening leaves. They again make tubes, which 

 serve as protective cases. After feeding six or seven weeks they become full grown ; then 

 they form silken cocoons, generally in a rolled leaf or between two leaves, in which they 

 change to pupae, to emerge a short time later as moths. The full-grown larvas are cinnamon 

 brown in colour, with the legs, head and shield behind dead black. They are about half an 

 inch long and of the general form. The moth has a general resemblance to the common 

 codlin moth. It is dark ashen gray, with creamy white blotches on the front wings, which 

 expand a little more than half an inch. 



These little pests can most successfully be destroyed by spraying with the arsenites early 



in spring, when the buds are opening and the larvae just beginning the season's work. It is 



Remedies. advisable to use the Bordeaux mixture and Paris green combination, in order 



to prevent injury by apple scab or other fungus maladies, as well as by 



insects. {See Spraying Mixtures.) 



