UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



BULLETIN No. 429 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology 

 L. O. HOWARD, Chief 



4\&*<$ m fU 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER. 



February 28, 1917 



LIFE HISTORY OF THE CODLING MOTH IN THE 

 PECOS VALLEY, NEW MEXICO. 



By A. L. Quaintance, Entomologist in Charge of Deciduous Fruit Insect Investigations, 

 and E. W. Geyer, Scientific Assistant. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



Definition of terms used 



Seasonal-history studies of 1912 



The spring brood 



The first generation 



The second generation 



The third generation 



Seasonal history of the codling moth during 

 1912 



Band-record larvse of 1912 



Seasonal-historystudies of 1913 . ., 



Source of rearing material 



Method of procedure 



Page. 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 3 

 6 

 13 

 25 



31 

 32 

 34 

 34 

 35 



Seasonal-history studies of 1913 — Continued. 



The spring brood. 



The first generation 



Egg deposition by individual moths 



The second generation 



The third generation 



The fourth generation 



Miscellaneous emergence of moths 



Band records of 1913 



Seasonal history of the codling moth during 

 1913 



Page. 



36 

 42 

 50 

 56 



68 

 78 

 79 

 80 



87 



Summary 87 



INTRODUCTION. 



During the past four years the Bureau of Entomology has main- 

 tained a field laboratory at Roswell, N. Mex., for the purpose of in- 

 vestigating the life history and habits of the codling moth, Carpocapsa 

 pomonella L., under semiarid conditions in the Southwest, and for the 

 purpose of carrying out experiments in orchards for its control. 

 Especial attention was given to the life history of the insect in that 

 region during 1912 and 1913 in addition to extensive spraying opera- 

 tions in orchards. During, 1914 and 1915 the work has been limited 

 to orchard experiments. 



The Pecos Valley, in the vicinity of Roswell, comprises an im- 

 portant fruit-growing section especially devoted to the cultivation of 

 apples and pears. The codling moth in this region, due to the mild 

 climate, is able to develop three and probably four broods of larvae 

 each season and is hence extremely injurious. The present investi- 

 gation by the Bureau of Entomology will furnish needed information 

 to the orchardists of the Pecos Valley in New Mexico for the control 

 of the codling moth, and the results should be applicable to similar 

 regions in the Southwest generally. 



55888°— Bull. 429—17 1 



