152 



INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PEAR. 



Fig. 160. 



semble somewhat a tadpole in form, and having a disagreeable 

 and sickening odor. The head is small, of a reddish color, and 

 is almost entirely concealed under the front segments. It is 

 of a dull-yellowish color beneath, with twenty 

 very short legs, one pair under each segment 

 except the fourth and the last. After the last 

 moult it loses its slimy appearance and dark 

 color, and appears in a clean yellow skin en 

 tirely free from slime ; its form is also changed, 

 being proportionately longer. In a few hours 

 after this change it leaves the tree and crawls 

 or falls to the ground, where it buries itself to 

 a depth of from one to three or four inches. 

 By repeated movements of the body the earth 

 is pressed firmly on all sides, and an oblong- 

 oval chamber is formed, which is afterwards 

 lined with a sticky, glossy substance, which 

 makes it retain its shape. Within this little 

 earthen cell the insect changes to a chrysalis, and in about a 

 fortnight finishes its transformations, breaks open the en- 

 closure, crawls to the surface of the ground, and appears in 

 the winged form. 



About the third week in July the flies are actively engaged 

 in depositing eggs for a second brood, the young slugs appear- 

 ing early in August. They reach maturity in about four 

 weeks, then retire under ground, change to chrysalids, and 

 remain in that condition until the following spring. 



Pear and cherry growers should be on the lookout for this 

 destructive pest about the middle of June, and again early in 

 August, and if the young larvae are then abundant they should 

 be promptly attended to, since if neglected they soon play sad 

 havoc with the foliage, feeding upon the upper side of the 

 leaves and consuming the tissues, leaving only the veins and 

 under skin. The foliage, deprived of its substance, withers 

 and becomes dark-colored, as if scorched by fire, and soon after- 

 wards it drops from the trees. In a badly-infested pear orchard. 



