Insects Attacking the Pecan 169 



and on the upper surface of the leaves after the foliage be- 

 comes expanded. The larva is yellowish-green, covered with 

 fine hairs, has a black head which becomes dark brown with 

 age, and Avhen fully grown is a little more than half an inch 

 long. The brownish contents of the alimentary canal show 

 plainly through the semi-transparent skin. Pupation may 

 take place in the folds of the leaves, in the buds of the trees, 

 or under the bark scales of the trunk. 



In the lower South there are five or six generations of this 

 species each year. Hibernation being in the adult stage, egg- 

 laying begins in the very early spring. Gill points out that 

 the average life cycle of this species is forty days — ^five days 

 being spent in the egg stage, twenty-five in the larval, and 

 ten days in the pupal stage.^ 



Control, 



The pecan bud-moth very seldom, if ever, does enough 

 damage in a bearing orchard to necessitate spraying, but its 

 attacks on nursery stock sometimes become serious. Its habit 

 of feeding on the bud causes branching of a young tree 

 and stunts its growth, which is very objectionable to the nur- 

 seryman since his scale of prices usually runs with the height 

 or length of his trees. When the trees are kept in a vigorous 

 rapidly growing condition, the buds unfold so rapidly that 

 the insects are able to inflict very little damage. For this 

 reason liberal applications of fertilizers, good nursery soil, 

 and efficient cultural methods are the chief essentials in pre- 

 venting serious damage of the bud-moth in a pecan nursery. 

 When the infestation is heavy, however, it is advisable to 

 spray the trees with arsenate of lead in the spring just as 



^ Farmers' Bull., 843, U. S. Dept. of Agric, p. 26. 



