ORCHARD INSECTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 



33 



and other ground plants. When full-grown they construct cells in the 

 soil, where tbey pupate, and the orange-brown pupae are often turned 

 up when the soil is plowed or spaded. The moths emerge at various 

 times during the summer and 

 are among the fairly large, 

 dull grayish or brownish moths 

 seen flying about lights at 

 night. There may be one or 

 more generations, but later 

 generations are of little con- 

 sequence, as vegetation is plen- 

 tiful by the time they appear. 

 Eggs are deposited in the fall 

 on the trees or cover crops in 

 patches of a hundred or more. 

 After the eggs have hatched 

 the small worms feed for a 

 time before going into hiber- 

 nation. 



CONTROL 



The most effective means of 

 control consists of placing 

 bands of suitable material on 

 the tree trunks to prevent the 

 worms from climbing into the 



Figure 38. 



Completed cotton tree band. 



trees. Sheets of cotton batting cut 

 into strips 5 or 6 inches wide may be used. A strip should be wrapped 

 around the trunk, overlapped an inch or so, and tied tightly with 



twine near the bottom of the 

 band (fig. 37); the top of the 

 band should then be pulled or 

 rolled down over the twine 

 (fig. 38), forming a sort of in- 

 verted funnel in which the 

 worms are caught. On rough 

 or uneven trunks it may be 

 necessary to fill in depressions 

 under the bands with extra 

 cotton or to put a thin band 

 of some sticky substance on 

 the tree before the cotton band 

 is applied, to prevent the 

 worms from crawling under it. 

 Bands of sticky material 

 (fig. 39) or of axle grease are 

 often used. They should be 

 3 or 4 inches wide, and are 

 effective only as long as they 

 remain sticky. Dust blown 

 by the wind or from cultivating operations often covers these bands 

 and makes them useless. They should not be put on young or 

 smoothbarked trees, as they roughen and may kill the bark. 



Baits are very generally used to control cutworms in gardens and 

 fields, and are of some value against climbing cutworms, especially in 



291255°— 41 5 



Figure 



