ORCHARD INSECTS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 



15 



the fruit tree leaf roller lias not been an important pest, but occasional 

 very serious outbreaks have occurred elsewhere, and may occur 

 again. In the past the insect has periodically become of prime 

 importance, remained so for a few years, and then again subsided into 

 relative unimportance. It is a native insect which originally fed on 

 the foliage of a number of wild plants. 



LIFE HISTORY 



The fruit tree leaf roller passes the winter in the egg stage. The 

 eggs (fig. 15) are laid in masses of 100 or more, and are rather in- 

 conspicuous, oval, grayish or 

 brownish patches, nearly one- 

 fourth of an inch long, on the 

 limbs, twigs, and trunks of 

 the trees. The eggs hatch as 

 soon as the buds begin to 

 open. The caterpillars gnaw 

 small holes in the surface of 

 the egg mass, through which 

 they escape, and hatched egg 

 masses may be identified by 

 these perforations. The cater- 

 pillars are quite active, crawl- 

 ing backward about as rapidly 

 as forward, and often letting 

 themselves to the ground on 

 a thread if disturbed. They 

 become full-grown in June and 

 at that time are about three- 

 fourths of an inch long, and 

 are green with black heads. 

 They transform to brown pupae in the rolled-up leaves, and the moths 

 (fig. 16) emerge about 10 or 12 days later. These are a little larger than 

 codling moths, the expanded wings measuring about three-fourths of 

 an inch across. They are cinnamon brown, with 2 or 3 light-yellowish 



Figure 14. — Fruit eaten by larvae of the 

 fruit tree leaf roller. 



Figure 15. — Egg mass of fruit 

 tree leaf roller. 







s^M\. "" 





*S 





Figure 16. — Fruit tree leaf roller 

 cocoon, pupal skin, and moth. 

 About X 2V 2 . 



