THE APPLE 



63 



The Apple Curculio is a small, dull brown, hard- 

 shelled beetle, with a long snout and four peculiar 

 warts on its back. The beetles drill holes in young 

 apples, both for food and the deposition of eggs. The 

 latter are laid at the bottom of the cavity, and soon 

 hatch into grubs or larvae that feed upon the pulp of 

 the fruit. They usually penetrate to the core, where 

 they continue feeding four or five weeks, when they 

 become full grown and pupate within the cavity of the 



Apple Buds 



apple. Two or three weeks later they emerge as per- 

 fect beetles, which pass the winter under boards or 

 rubbish. The fruit attacked by this pest becomes 

 dwarfed, gnarly and ill-shapen. Apples are often 

 seriously injured by the Plum Curculio, which works 

 in a way similar to the apple curculio. Its life-history 

 is described on page 4. 



Remedies— The injuries of these two insects, as 

 well as of several others of minor importance, may be 

 prevented to a considerable extent by spraying with the 



