356 
Tht RURAL NEW-YORKER 
March 5, 1021 
A Review of the Season’s Fruit Pests 
Part 1. 
A QUIET SEASON.—The season of 1020 was ;i 
comparatively quiet one so far as any con¬ 
spicuous outbreaks of insects were concerned. There 
is a decided contrast between it and the season of 
1010 , when so many different pests appeared in con¬ 
siderable numbers in many localities. In fortunately 
we know comparatively little regarding the factors 
that are favorable or unfavorable to the increase and 
abundance of insects. As a result we are almost wholly 
unable to predict, with any assurance <»f certainty 
what may happen in any given future season, yet 
Codling Moth, 21/2 Times Its Natural Size. Fig. 156 
our past experiences count for something, and enable 
us to make some pretty good guesses. Our records, 
covering all parts of New York State in some detail, 
show that the following insects were most promi¬ 
nent and injurious to orchard fruits during the sea¬ 
son of 1920: The codling moth, red bug, plum cur- 
culio, apple maggot, the rosy and green apple aphids, 
pear slug, pear psylla and pear thrips. 
THE ('ODLING MOTH.—The codling moth (Fig. 
15(5) is unqestionably the most important insect 
pest in the apple orchard. It is always with us, and 
is ‘always more or less injurious, although it will 
vary in the extent of its 
injuries with the seasons. 
During the past season its 
work was not as conspicu¬ 
ous as usual, partly be¬ 
cause April and May were 
abnormally cool, and the 
moths were somewhat re¬ 
tarded in development in 
the Spring, and thus got a 
late start, and partly be¬ 
cause the large crop of ap¬ 
ples bid the work, as it 
were, of the insect: for 
although many apples were 
wormy (Fig. 157) yet the 
proportion was compara¬ 
tively small and passed un¬ 
noticed among the much 
greater number which were 
uninjured. In addition, 
Mr. Strickland reports the 
eggs of the moth highly 
parasitized, at least in 
Western New York. Thus 
there were several factors 
that apparently worked to¬ 
gether to bold the insect in 
check during the season of A Strawberry Barrel. 
3920. It: is impossible to 
predict with any degree of surety what will happen 
next. year, but it is pretty safe to say that this com¬ 
bination of factors will not be present during the sea¬ 
son of 1921, and perhaps not again for several seasons. 
It will therefore be wise for the apple grower to plan 
for careful, thorough spraying for the codling moth 
his year. The two most important sprayings for this 
A “Wormy” Apple. Fig. 157 
insect are the “calyx spray" and the “second cod¬ 
ling moth spray.” The calyx spray (5 lbs. paste or 
2 1 /t s lbs. powdered arsenate of lead to 100 gallons of 
lime-sulphur) is given as soon as the petals have 
fallen (Fig. 159), while the second spray, using the 
same materials, is given three or four weeks later. 
The second spray should consist of a tine, misty 
application to cover foliage and fruit. 
TIIE BEDBUGS.—There are two kinds of red 
bugs found on apple trees, but apparently only one 
of them, the light redbug (Fig. 171) need give cause 
for serious worry. Tt. is an interesting fact that this 
insect has become prominent as a pest to the apple 
within the last 12 or 15 years. Previous to its 
advent as an apple pest it had lived contentedly on 
the wild crab and hawthorn where. I am sure, every 
apple grower wishes it had remained. But for some 
reason it changed its food habits, perhaps because 
it found the apple more convenient as food, and 
more to its liking (Fig. 171 I. Bedbugs were present 
in injurious numbers in many localities during the 
past season, but in this case again their injuries 
were less conspicuous as a whole because of the 
great crop of fruit. The insects found an abundance 
of food, and throve finely, so that they will un¬ 
doubtedly be in evidence next year. Experience of 
past seasons has shown that the redbug can be con¬ 
trolled most economically by spraying with nicotine 
sulphate (Black Leaf 10) at the rate of three-fourths 
of a pint to 100 gallons of lime-sulphur mixture just 
after the petals have fallen. r l he tobacco may 
simply be added to the calyx spray which is given 
at this time. The writer believes that in orchards 
where there is a heavy infestation of this insect, 
Fig. 158 (See Page 358) Sunflowers as Bean Poles. 
and where it has not been controlled in former years, 
the addition of the nicotine to. the preceding pink 
spray would be advisable. 
THE APPLE APHIDS.—There are three kinds of 
aphids commonly found on apple trees in the Spring, 
but only two of these need be ordinarily considered. 
Those are the rosy aphid and the green apple aphid. 
The rosy aphid was present and seriously injurious 
last season in a few orchards, notably in Niagara and 
Orleans counties. The rosy aphid appears early and 
clusters on the swelling buds (Fig. 101). As this 
aphid leaves the apple trees during the last part of 
June or first part of July to spend the Summer on 
the broad-leaved and the narrow-leaved plantain, it 
can best be “hit” and controlled when it is exposed 
in clusters on the opening buds. Later the insects 
become hidden and protected by the curled leaves, 
and cannot be hit. The spray applied at this time 
is know as the “delayed dormant spray,” and usually 
contains lime-sulphur for San Jose scale and blister- 
mite and should contain nicotine sulphate (Black 
Leaf 40) at the rate of three-fourths of a pint to 
100 gallons of spray solution for the rosy aphid. 
GitEEN APPLE APHID.—The green apple aphid 
is similar to the rosy aphid in its habits of hatching 
early and clustering on the opening buds, but it 
differs in thai it lives throughout the whole season 
on the apple, and in some seasons increases enor¬ 
mously in June and July, occurring in swarms on 
the trees and causing most serious injury. Because of 
this habit, the green apple aphid presents a somewhat 
different problem of control. In the first place, 
those that hatch early and cluster on the buds may 
The Time to Make the Calyx Spray. Fig. 159 
be hit and killed with the delayed dormant spray 
at the same time the rosy aphids arc destroyed, and 
this treatment will do much good. Unfortunately a 
few may escape the application. These, if the con¬ 
ditions are favorable, may gradually increase in 
number until they again become abundant and in¬ 
jurious in July. Or some of the aphids may migrate 
into the orchard from other nearby unsprayed or 
poorly treated orchards, and these, serving as a 
nucleus, will increase rapidly and cause disastrous 
results in the early Sum¬ 
mer. Either one of these 
contingencies may happen, 
and neither can be wholly 
prevented by the delayed 
dormant spray. Thus it 
becomes necessary some¬ 
times in case of the green 
apple aphid to apply what 
may be called an “emer¬ 
gency spray” in July, when 
the insect threatens serious 
injury. The mixture that 
has given perhaps the best 
satisfaction for average- 
sized trees is a combination 
of three-fourths of a pint 
of Black Leaf 40, 25 to 60 
lbs. of hydrated lime, 2 to 
4 lbs. of copper sulphate 
for scab, and 100 gallons of 
water. The addition of 
lime seems to exert a repel¬ 
lent effect and serves to 
protect the trees from sub¬ 
sequent infestations. Since 
such heavy mixtures of 
lime are rather difficult to 
Fig. 160 (Sec Page 358) force to the tops of high 
trees some growers prefer 
to use Black Leaf 10, three-fourths of a pint, soap 5 
lbs., and water 100 gallons. The spraying should 
be thorough and an abundance of the solution should 
be applied. Next week will be given a summary of 
spraying operations the past year, which will fur¬ 
nish a fairly sure guide for the coming season. 
GLENN W. MERRICK. 
Spray for the Aphis When They Cluster on Opening 
Buds. Fig. 161 
