The Bud Moth. 
67 
One brood only occurs in Great Britain. The moth is very 
common all over the South ol England, but becomes rarer in the 
North. 
Food Plants. 
All fruit trees are attacked by this pest, but it is especially 
cherry and apple that sutler in this country. It also occurs on the 
sloe and plum, and has been recorded from the blackbeny, whilst in 
North America it attacks the peach and quince also. 
Natural Enemies. 
Five species of Ichneumon flies prey upon the caterpillars ot this 
moth in Europe, but none have been noticed in Great Britain. In 
North America they also are preyed upon by three species of 
Ichneumons. Amongst birds we find the blue and great tits (Parus 
cceruleus and P. major) picking the larvae out of the buds and leaf 
nests. The sparrow also has been observed feeding upon them. A 
large sand-wasp, Odynerus catsldllensis, stores its nests with these 
caterpillars in North America. None of these natural enemies, 
unless it be the Paridse or Tits, do much good in keeping down this 
Bud Moth. 
Methods of Preventing the Bavages of Bud Moth Larvae. 
Now that we know that the larvae feed upon the leafage in the 
late summer we can to a large extent check the ravages of this pest 
by arsenical spraying. Larvae are always more easily destroyed 
when young, and there is not the least doubt that spraying in the 
autumn will kill them. There should also be a second washing in 
the spring when the caterpillars are to some extent exposed just 
when the buds are bursting, and this followed by a third dressing to 
kill those that escape when they are in their leaf and blossom nests. 
Hand-picking may be resorted to in gardens and nurseries and where 
single low trees are invaded, the leaf nests being easily seen and 
picked off by hand before the moths have emerged from the pupal 
stage. 
Washing with caustic alkali wash does not seem to check this 
pest, for trees so treated last winter (1902) suffered severely from 
the Bud Moth and also Pith Moth. Probably the larval cases were 
hidden under the bud-bracts and in such places that the wash does 
not reach, the larval cases also protecting the caterpillars within from 
the burning action of the wash. 
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