SPRING PRACTICE IN ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY. 41 



The Lime Tree Winter Moth, Erannis tiliaria Harris, is quite 

 like the canker-worm moth in habits. The eggs are deposited by the 

 wingless females in October or November and hatch in early spring, 

 or the moths may not issue from the ground and ascend thetrees un- 

 til spring. The larvae are loopers, or measuring worms, somewhat 

 longer than canker-worms. The head of this caterpillar is dull red 

 with a V-shaped mark on the front; the body is yellow above with 

 many longitudinal black lines; the under side is paler. When full 

 grown, about the middle of June, it is about one and one-quarter 

 inch long. Remedies are the same in all respects as for canker 

 worms. 



The stem mothers of the Apple Plant Lice, or Aphids, Aphis 

 fitchii, A. pomi and A. sordi, hatch in late March and during April 

 and early May from shining black eggs laid on the bark and 

 about the buds in the preceding Autumn. The earliest specimens of 

 A. fitchii may be expected in late March and early April in southern 

 Ohio, and one or two weeks later in the north half of the State. 

 About the middle of April, the green colonies of young lice may be 

 found clustering on the swelling terminal buds. After passing 

 through several generations, this species migrates during the latter 

 part of May from apple to other host plants and is not again found 

 on apple until fall. Aphis pomi, very similar in appearance to 

 A. fitchii, appears about two weeks later than the latter species, and 

 is not found on the unopened buds, but, again unlike A. fitchii, curls 

 the leaves in characteristic fashion and remains upon apple througlf- 

 out the season. 



A. sorbi, a species containing blackish, reddish, yellowish and 

 brownish representatives among its different forms, appears in late 

 April or a little later; and, during tlie first half of May, the stem 

 mothers may be found depositing their small brownish young 

 among the green colonies of A. fitchii. This species curls the leaves 

 worse than A. pomi and like A. fitchii is a migrant from apple to 

 other plants, but not until spring is over. 



The best treatment for aphids is very thorough spraying with 

 tobacco decoction, kerosene emulsion or whale oil soap. Some of 

 the commercial preparations of tobacco extract are excellent for this 

 purpose. A home-made extract of tobacco is made by boiling one 

 pound of tobacco stems, or dust, for about an hour in one or two 

 gallons of water. When boiling is finished, add water to make two 

 gallons of liquid for each pound of tobacco used; the efficiency of the 

 spray will be increased by adding one or two pounds of whale oil 

 soap to every fifty gallons of decoction. Kerosene emulsion may be 



