70 



MISC. PUBLICATION 62 6, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



Mo inch in length. The male scale is 

 snow-white, somewhat narrower, and 

 smaller. When the scales are abundant, 

 every needle may become encrusted with 

 these white scales (fig. 115). There are 



Figure 115.- 

 needles. 



-Pine needle scale on pine 

 Twice natural size. 



either one or two generations a year, 

 depending on the locality. Purplish 

 eggs, laid by this scale early in the fall, 

 winter over concealed under old female 

 scales. The young crawlers of the first 

 generation appear in May and those of 

 the second generation in July. 



Treatment. — Spray early in the 

 spring, before the buds begin to open, 

 with miscible oil or oil emulsion. Lime- 

 sulfur used as a dormant spray is also 

 effective. A spray of nicotine sulfate 

 and soap solution at 1% times the usual 

 strength may be used. It should be 

 applied several times at intervals of a 

 week or 10 days during the period when 

 the crawlers appear, in May and July. 



European Pine Shoot Moth 



The buds on new shoots of pine may 

 be killed by the European pine shoot 

 moth (Rhyacionia buoliana (Schiff.)). 

 This insect now occurs in many locali- 

 ties from New England to Virginia and 

 west to Illinois and Michigan, and is 

 gradually spreading. In midsummer 

 the young caterpillars kill the needles 

 at the tips of the twigs by boring into 



the needle bases. In late summer or 

 fall they hollow out the buds (fig. 116), 

 causing a small mass of pitch on the out- 

 side of the injured bud. The winter is 

 spent in the buds as partly grown 

 larvae. When the new shoots start 

 growing the caterpillars bore into them, 

 usually killing the shoot or, by tunnel- 

 ing along one side, causing it to bend 

 over. Where many shoots are attacked 

 the trees are deformed and stunted. 

 Red pine, mugho pine, and Scotch pine 

 have been most severely damaged, 

 although other pines may be attacked, 

 with the exception of white pine. 

 Young trees up to 20 feet in height suffer 

 the most injury. The full-grown cater- 

 pillars are a little over half an inch long 

 and somewhat brownish. They trans- 

 form to brown pupae in their burrows 

 in midspring. The moths emerge and 

 lay eggs late in June and early in July 

 in New England. 



Treatment. — Cut off and destroy all 

 infested shoots in May, before the 

 moths emerge. Most of the young 

 caterpillars can be killed by spraying 

 about the first of July in New England 

 and possibly a little earlier farther 

 south, when the new needles on red pine 

 are half as long as the old needles. 

 Use 6 level tablespoonfuls of lead 

 arsenate or 8 of derris powder (contain- 

 ing 4 percent of rotenone) to 1 gallon of 

 water, and stir in 1 tablespoonful of raw 

 linseed oil, fish oil, or powdered skim 

 milk as a sticker. For larger quantities, 

 use 1 pound of either insecticide and 4 

 ounces (8 tablespoonfuls) of oil or 2 

 ounces of the skim milk in 12)4 gallons 

 of water. Apply so as to cover espe- 

 cially the bases of the new needles. 



Figure 116. — Pine buds opened to show 

 work of the European pine shoot 

 moth. 



