AND 
October, 1889. 
11*2 
ORCHARD 
If one will examine a quantity of ripe 
thorn apples, a large percentage of them 
will be found to be* •wormy.” A still closer 
examination will reveal the fact that the 
worms are of two kinds, the large sixteen 
footed larva of the codling moth, and a 
smaller, legless, greenish-white larva with 
two black hooks at the anterior end. The 
latter is the Apple Maggot, the larva of a 
two-winged fly known entomologically as 
Trypeta pomonella. Unlike the “apple 
worm,” the larva of the codling moth, the 
apple maggot is a native insect and was first 
described in 1S67 by Mr. Walsh, who several 
years before had found it working upon the 
hawthorn in Illinois. Shortly before this a 
race of epicures was developed among the 
trypetas of New England, that, disdaining 
the food upon which their ancestors had 
thrived for ages, began to vary their hill of 
fare by adding to it many of the early va- 
rieties of apples. In many localities the 
descendants of these epicures soon came to 
rival the codling moth in the injury 
done the orchardist. In fact, wherever 
numerous, the damage done by these little 
pests is even more serious than that done 
by the “apple worm.” for while the latter 
burrows chiefly in the core of the apple and 
in the parts immediately around it. the Ap- 
ple Maggot never bores in the core but tun- 
nels through and through the pulp “so as to 
render the whole a mere mass of useless 
and disgusting corruption.” Fortunately 
the Apple Maggot is not so widely distribut- 
ed as is the apple worm and its tastes are 
more fastidious. Its attacks have been con- 
fined almost entirely to New York, the 
New England States and to restricted local- 
ities in Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois. 
In these States it causes serious damage on- 
ly to the early varieties of apples, so that on 
the whole it is far less to be dreaded, as an 
apple pest, than is the codling moth. But 
while the apple worm is without doubt 
the most important insect enemy of the 
apple, the apple maggot also begins to de- 
mand our attention from another quarter. 
The past season seems to have marked 
another era in thecivilation of the trypetas. 
We have received from Northern Michigan 
both cherries and plums, which, from the 
accounts of our correspondents describing 
the attack, ami from a close examination 
of both the larva and pupal stages of the in- 
sects received, seem to be badly infested 
with Trypeta pomonella. Whether these 
are the descendants of trypetas which had 
formerly acquired a taste for apples or 
whether certain individuals of those feeding 
upon the hawthorn have “dropped their 
plebeian tastes and adopted a more refined 
table regimen” it is unsafe to say, but from 
the fact that Trypeta pomonella has never 
been known to attack the apples of North- 
ern Michigan, and from the fact that while 
the Trypeta pomonella is abundant on the 
hawthorn everywhere in Michigan and as 
it has not attacked the cherries nor plums 
elsewhere, it seems probable that a cherry 
and plum loving race of Trypeta pomonella 
has developed or is being developed inNorth- 
ern Michigan, directly 7 from those wh : ch f. d 
upon the hawthorn. Whether this be true 
or not, the fact remains that one more enemy 
has appeared to battle with the horticultur- 
ist for the rewards of his labor. Judging 
from its work upon the apple, Trypeta po- 
monella promises, in the near future, to be 
a most serious pest to the cherry and plum 
culturist. 
Natural History. — The perfect insect 
of the Apple Maggot is a small two-winged 
fly (see Fig. 1611, after Comstock) belong- 
ing to the same order (Diptera) as the house 
fly, horse fly, mosquito, Hessian fly, etc. 
It somewhat resembles the common house 
fly in form and color, but is smaller, being 
only about, one-fourth of an inch long. It 
can also be readily distinguished from the 
house fly “by the peculiar shape of the black 
bands on the wings, (see figure) by the milk 
white spot on the caudal part of the thorax 
and by the white bands on the abdomen.” 
(Comstock.) 
The fliesappear in July and lay their eggs 
upon the fruit, choosing in most cases the 
earlier varieties. Unlike the codling moth 
which rarely lays more than one egg on the 
blow end of each apple, Trypeta pomond- 
la lays several eggs at vaiious points on the 
surface of the fruit. The maggots appear 
in the ripe fruit in September. They are 
small, footless, greenish-white larvae, about 
one-fourth of an inch long. Prof. Cook de- 
scribes them as follows: “The anal end is 
truncated while the mouth end tapers. The 
head is quite pointed. At the mouth end 
are two conspicuous black hooks which re- 
mind one of the similar grating apparatus of 
the anthomyicum maggots. These are at- 
tached to an interior framework and can 
he easily seen without a magnifier as they 
are protruded or retracted by the maggot. 
With these the pests gouge out their tun- 
nels in the pulp of the apple On each side 
within the maggot is a trachea or air tube. 
These are connected near the extremities of 
the insect with a cross air tube and termi- 
nate in spiracles which are very complex in 
structure, and visible as slight tubercles to 
the unaided eye.” 
When full grown, usually in October, the 
larva entf rs the ground and transforms into 
what is technically termed a coonstate pupa, 
i. e. the larva, unlikethe codling moth, does 
not moult its skin to enter the pupa state, 
but retains its larval skin whole and unbrok- 
*en although greatly shrunken. In this stage 
the insect remains in the ground until the 
the next July when the mature insect comes 
forth and the eye’e of life is completed. 
Remedies. — Owing to the habits of the 
apple maggot the great specifics for the cod- 
ling moth, London purple and Paris green, 
are utterly worthless when applied to this 
little pest. The maggot merely rasps the 
apple and absorbs the juice but does not eat 
in the usual sense of the word. Consequent- 
as London purple and Paris green are near- 
ly insoluble, the maggot will get none of 
the pcison although the fruit is drenched 
with it. 
The only remedy which has been found 
effective is the “hog remedy.” The infested 
apples are almost certain to ripen prema- 
turely and fall to the ground. If not they 
should be shaken off as soon as it is found 
tliattheyare affected and the hogsgivenfree 
access to the fallen fruit. Ol course other 
stock will do as well and is even preferred 
by some. Anyone who observes the eager- 
ness with which stock search for and de- 
vour the fallen fruit will soon be convinced 
of the effectiveness of this remedy for there 
is but a small chance for the maggot to en- 
ter the ground for pupation. — A. B. Cord- 
ley, Agricultural College, Mich. 
New Codli ug-.!Io»li amt Peacli-borer 
Enemies. 
Prof. E. A. Popenoe, in the Indvstrialist, 
for June 6, says Insect Life, mentions an in- 
teresting new parasite of the Codling Moth, 
which he determines as a new species of the 
genus Bethylus. Of this parasite 5 larvae 
were found in a gr:up feeding externally 
upon the dorsum of one of the abdominal 
segments of an Apple-worm taken from the 
interior of an apple. The larva? spun yel- 
low cocoons after arriving at full growth, 
and in fact their habit seems to be quite 
similar to that of Ohalcids of the genus Eu- 
plectrus. 
He also describes the manner in which 
the larvae of Trogosita obscura devour the 
pupae of the Codling Moth under tree bands. 
He also states that he bred a large num- 
ber of specimens of a honey -yellow Braconid 
from larvae to pupa? of the Peach-tree Bor- 
er. We are surprised to notice that he 
states that he has not been able to find in 
any of the entomological reports reference 
to any parasites of this insect, and we may 
call attention to the statement upon page 
255 of the Annual Report of this Depart- 
ment for 1879, that Professor Comstock dur- 
ing that year brtd 4 parasites — 2 Clialcids, 1 
Microgaster, and 1 Braconid. Prolessor 
Riley has reared from the Algeria 1 hceoyenes 
ater Cress, and Bra< on nigri/ectvs Riley MS. 
Professor Popenoe’s article is illustrated 
by figures of the Bethylus and Trogosita, 
which have been admirably drawn by Mr. 
C. L. Marlatt. 
Bkkchau'8 Pills act like magic on a weak stomach. 
