Insects Injurious to the Apple. 129 



thoracic region thickened as we notice in the rose feeder. The latter 

 pupate in the rose stems a.nd occur in larval form from July to 

 October. 



Since the above Eeport was drawn up (2), the E. cinctus has been 

 compared with the apple species and found to be distinct. 



Eefbkences. 



(1) Cameron, P. ' Phytophagous Hymenoptera,' vol. I., p. 278 (1882). 



(2) Theobald, F. V. Eeport on Economic Zoology for the year ending 



April 1st, 1905, pp. 16-18 (1905). 



WASPS. 



( Vespida':) 



Wasps are a general cause of annoyance. They attack all kinds 

 of fruits and spoil them. The soft plums are no more attacked than 

 the hardest cooking apples. The loss in the former is perhaps the 

 greatest, but the manner of attack in the latter is the most inte- 

 resting. In 1887, 1892 and 1893, and in 1900, and again in 1903, 

 quite a number of complaints were made about wasp damage to 

 apples. From near St. Xeots, Huntingdonshiie, Mr. MurBn sent, in 

 1900, a number of apples which had been completely hollowed out 

 by wasps; the skins had dried and remained on the trees. These 

 specimens are to be seen in the Gallery of Economic Zoology in the 

 British Museum, South Kensington, which has never been completed 

 owing to lack of funds. Two species of wasps are the main culprits 

 on fruit, namely, the Common Wasp ( Fcspa vulgaris) and the Tree 

 Wasp (Vespa, sylvestris), and two others I have found now and 

 again injuring fruits, namely, Vespa germaidca and Vespa rufa. 

 In Scotland a tree wasp ( Vespa nonvcgica, Fab.) is also somewhat 

 harmful. 



Possibly others of our seven British wasps may do harm, but no 

 records have been sent me and it is extremely unlikely that one, 

 the Hornet {Vespa crahro), attacks fruit. The life-history of wasps 

 can be found in any book on Natural History, so need not be referred 

 to here. 



Desteuctiox of Wasps. 



This again scarcely needs to be mentioned. Any labourer or 

 gardener will find the nest on the ground, and each has his special 



K 



