﻿44 
  

  

  CIRCULAR 
  2 
  70, 
  U. 
  S. 
  DEPARTMENT 
  OF 
  AGRICULTURE 
  

  

  PEACH 
  AND 
  APRICOT 
  

   INSECTS 
  

  

  Green 
  Peach 
  Aphid 
  

  

  Peach 
  crops 
  are 
  sometimes 
  seri- 
  

   ously 
  reduced 
  by 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  

   green 
  peach 
  aphids 
  (fig. 
  52) 
  in 
  the 
  

  

  J 
  

  

  Figure 
  52. 
  — 
  Green 
  peach 
  aphids 
  on 
  pear 
  

   foliage. 
  

  

  opening 
  blossoms. 
  These 
  sucking 
  

   insects 
  remove 
  the 
  juices 
  from 
  the 
  

   newly 
  formed 
  fruit, 
  causing 
  it 
  to 
  

   drop. 
  They 
  also 
  curl 
  the 
  leaves 
  

   badly 
  and 
  prevent 
  them 
  from 
  de- 
  

   veloping 
  normally. 
  It 
  is 
  impor- 
  

   tant, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  control 
  meas- 
  

   ures 
  be 
  taken 
  early, 
  as 
  little 
  or 
  no 
  

   injury 
  occurs 
  later. 
  The 
  green 
  

   peach 
  aphid 
  came 
  from 
  Europe 
  

   and 
  is 
  common 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  peach- 
  

   growing 
  districts 
  of 
  the 
  West. 
  

  

  LIFE 
  HISTORY 
  

  

  The 
  glossy 
  black 
  wintering 
  eggs 
  

   may 
  be 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  twigs, 
  in 
  the 
  

   axils 
  of 
  the 
  buds, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  crev- 
  

   ices 
  of 
  the 
  bark. 
  They 
  hatch 
  early 
  

   in 
  the 
  spring, 
  and 
  the 
  pinkish 
  

   young 
  begin 
  feeding 
  at 
  once 
  on 
  the 
  

  

  opening 
  buds, 
  pushing 
  their 
  way 
  

   into 
  the 
  unfolding 
  blossoms 
  and 
  

   between 
  the 
  developing 
  leaves. 
  

   The 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  generations 
  

   are 
  green, 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  acquire 
  

   wings 
  and 
  migrate 
  to 
  summer 
  food 
  

   plants, 
  which 
  include 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  

   common 
  vegetables 
  and 
  orna- 
  

   mental 
  plants, 
  such 
  as 
  cabbage, 
  

   cucumber, 
  lettuce, 
  potato, 
  tomato, 
  

   turnip, 
  carnation, 
  chrysanthemum, 
  

   snapdragon, 
  and 
  violet. 
  In 
  the 
  

   fall 
  winged 
  forms 
  return 
  to 
  the 
  

   peach 
  and 
  produce 
  a 
  wingless 
  gen- 
  

   eration 
  that 
  lays 
  the 
  overwinter- 
  

   ing 
  eggs. 
  

  

  CONTROL 
  

  

  An 
  emulsion 
  containing 
  4 
  per- 
  

   cent 
  of 
  oil, 
  as 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  San 
  Jose 
  

   scale, 
  affords 
  good 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  

   green 
  peach 
  aphid, 
  if 
  applied 
  just 
  

   as 
  the 
  buds 
  begin 
  to 
  swell. 
  It 
  must 
  

   be 
  used 
  after 
  the 
  eggs 
  have 
  hatched 
  

   and 
  before 
  the 
  buds 
  have 
  opened. 
  

   If 
  lime-sulfur 
  is 
  used 
  for 
  the 
  peach 
  

   twig 
  borer, 
  nicotine 
  sulfate 
  should 
  

   be 
  added 
  at 
  three-fourths 
  pint 
  to 
  

   100 
  gallons 
  of 
  spray, 
  as 
  lime-sul- 
  

   fur 
  does 
  not 
  control 
  the 
  aphids. 
  

   (See 
  Caution, 
  p. 
  60.) 
  The 
  addi- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  oil 
  to 
  the 
  late 
  dormant 
  

   application 
  of 
  lead 
  arsenate 
  for 
  

   the 
  peach 
  twig 
  borer 
  (see 
  p. 
  46) 
  

   usually 
  also 
  gives 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  

   aphids. 
  Since 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  damage 
  

   occurs 
  during 
  and 
  shortly 
  after 
  

   blossoming, 
  later 
  treatments 
  are 
  of 
  

   little 
  value. 
  

  

  Black 
  Peach 
  Aphid 
  

  

  The 
  black 
  peach 
  aphid 
  is 
  occa- 
  

   sionally 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  North- 
  

   west, 
  having 
  been 
  introduced 
  from 
  

   the 
  Eastern 
  States, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  na- 
  

   tive. 
  It 
  feeds 
  on 
  the 
  roots 
  and 
  

   leaves 
  of 
  peach 
  and 
  apricot 
  trees, 
  

   as 
  well 
  as 
  on 
  the 
  young 
  trees, 
  and 
  is 
  

   therefore 
  potentially 
  a 
  pest 
  of 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  importance, 
  since 
  root- 
  

   feeding 
  forms 
  are 
  often 
  more 
  diffi- 
  

  

  