846 
Literature 
Farmers’ Bulletin No. 221. 
Wisconsin Experiment Station Bulletin 
No. 219. 
CRANBERRY PESTS 
Comparatively little new work on cran- 
berry insects seems to have been done 
since that of Professor J. B. Smith, of the 
New Jersey station, the chief results of 
which were published by the department 
of agriculture in 1903. Malde, of the Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin, has done some work 
along the same line. Professor Smith is 
the main authority for notes on cranberry 
pests embodied in this work. 
Blackhead Cranberry Worm 
Hudemis vacciniana Pack. 
This is perhaps the best known and 
most uniformly injurious of all cranberry 
insects and is locally known as the “vine 
worm” in Massachusetts and as the “‘fire- 
worm” in New Jersey. As a larva (worm) 
it is a deep, rather velvety, green, slender 
little caterpillar, not over half an inch 
long when full grown, and with a shining 
black head and neck. The adult is a small 
moth or “miller” with narrow, dusty- 
brown Wings that measure less than half 
an inch when expanded and seem much 
smaller because they are so slight. 
The moths first appear on the bogs in 
early June, continuing until nearly the 
end of the month, and again late in July, 
continuing into August, when they dis- 
appear for the season. During the day 
little is seen of them. In the early even- 
ing and until the darkness sets in fully 
they are on the wing and hover a short 
distance above the plants. 
Before the end of August, they have 
left, scattered everywhere on the under- 
sides of the leaves, their minute yellow 
eges. There they remain throughout the 
winter, whether the bog be dry or flowed, 
and the little caterpillars hatch from them 
in spring. For a day or two the worms 
nibble on the under surface of the old 
leaves or may even burrow into them and 
then make their way to the tip of an up- 
right, where they spin together the edges 
of the new leaves. 
In about three weeks from the date of 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
hatching, the caterpillar is full grown, 
lines the inside of its shelter more fully 
and closely with fine silk, and changes to 
a stubby little yellowish-brown pupa. In 
a week the transformation is completed 
and the moth appears about the first of 
July. The bog at the beginning of July 
shows very plainly the effects of the in- 
sect’s attack in brown tips that are every- 
where noticeable; and every brown tip at 
this time means a barren upright. 
The second brood which soon appears is 
more destructive than the first for the 
reason that they extend their operations 
farther and the fruit is coming on at that 
time. They damage the fruit all out of 
proportion to the food consumed by nib- 
bling here and there on fruits and foliage 
until the entire bog may have a burnt- 
over appearance. Hence the term “fire 
worm,” as applied to this species. 
There is another brood by the middle 
of July but the great damage has been 
done by the second brood. 
Yellowhead Cranberry Worm 
Teras minuta Rob. 
This insect is much more abundant in 
New Jersey than it is in Massachusetts, 
and in some localities in the latter state 
it does not seem to occur as a cranberry 
feeder at all. It is quite as plentiful on 
Long Island as it is in New Jersey, and 
wherever it occurs is apt to be even more 
injurious than the preceding species. 
Life History 
The life histories of these two species 
differ in that, in the case of the yellow- 
head, the moths hibernate during the win- 
ter, come out and lay their eggs during 
April and May and disappear. The larvae 
appear a week or ten days later and in 
feeding spin the leaves together as in the 
case of the preceding species. The first 
brood of moths appear in late May or 
early June. They are bright orange red, 
while the earlier brood is slate gray. The 
second lot of eggs hatch in late June, and, 
early in July, when the cranberries are 
in full bloom, the larvae are half grown 
and doing their greatest damage. They 
pupate about July 15. The pupa is dis- 
tinguished by a nob on its head. The next 
brood is not so injurious. 
