1132 
food of this species. This important fact 
greatly simplifies the question of its con- 
trol, for if the species had other food 
plants vineyards would be reinfested 
from outside sources despite thorough 
treatments. 
Distribution and Destructiveness 
The American grape berry moth oc- 
curs from Canada south to the Gulf and 
westward to California. It is very gen- 
erally distributed over this area, and 
wherever the grape is grown it is more 
than likely to be found. 
Description and Life History 
The grape berry moth is small, the 
wings expanding not quite one-half inch. 
The general color is purplish brown. 
Moths appear in the spring from hiber- 
nating pupae, beginning about the time 
the shoots of the grape are pushing out, 
and continuing to emerge for some weeks. 
The earlier-appearing individuals deposit 
their eggs on the blossom clusters, while 
those coming out after the blossoms are 
shed oviposit on the clusters of young 
grapes. 
The minute scale-like eggs of the first 
brood of moths are difficult to find, as at 
this time they are relatively scarce, but 
may be readily detected during summer 
as a glistening or whitish spot on the 
surface of the berries. The larvae of the 
first generation feed upon the blossoms 
and small berries, webbing them together 
more or less and producing a more or 
less ragged bunch of grapes, or the clus- 
ter may be almost entirely destroyed. 
Moths of the second and later generations 
deposit their eggs on the developing 
grape berries, and the resulting larvae 
bore into these, feeding on the pulp and 
seeds, the entrance point of the berry 
being marked by a purplish spot, which 
renders their detection quite easy. By 
this time the insects will have increased 
greatly in numbers, and the larvae will 
be attacking almost exclusively the ber- 
ries of the grape, for which reason their 
work is much more conspicuous. Second- 
brood larvae infest the grape during July 
and August, the later-appearing indi- 
viduals probably not developing to moths 
but hibernating in the pupal condition. 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
Many of the earlier-appearing insects of 
this brood appear to complete their life 
cycle, and moths develop, giving rise to 
a third generation of larvae. 
Treatment 
Poisons 
The use of arsenical poisons against 
the first brood of the grape berry moth 
was recommended by Mr. Marlatt, of the 
Bureau of Entomology, in 1895.* Since 
this time the recommendation has been 
amply justified in the experience of nu- 
merous vineyardists, who, in connection 
with the fight against the grape root 
worm, found that their early sprayings 
for this pest were also controlling the 
grape berry moth. The first treatment 
should be made just before the blossoms 
are ready to open, and the second just 
after the blossoms have fallen. A third 
treatment in a week or ten days is also 
advisable in badly infested vineyards. In 
all these treatments special care should 
be exercised to force the spray well 
through the clusters of blossoms and 
young fruit. It will be noted that the 
second and third treatments for the 
grape berry moth will coincide with the 
first and second treatments for the grape 
root worm, and the arsenicals recom- 
mended for that insect will be equally 
satisfactory for the grape berry moth. 
A, L. QUAINTANCE, 
Farmers’ Bulletin 284. 
Grape Blossom Midge 
Contarinia johnsont Sling. 
Present in the Erie and Chautauqua 
grape sections in New York. 
It is a tiny fly, almost microscopic, and 
yet seems capable of destroying a whole 
crop. They emerge from the soil about 
the time the buds of the early flowering 
grapes are ready to open. The eggs are 
laid in the opening flower bud and the 
larvae so injure the flower that no berry 
sets. Their presence is indicated by the 
swelling and reddening of the bud. By 
the last week in June the larvae have 
entered the ground, where they remain 
in pupation until the following spring. 
* Yearbook, United States Department of Ag- 
riculture, 1895, p. 404 
