APPLE-BLOSSOM WEEVIL. 
13 
the weather is very warm; but thorough observation as to what is the 
prevailing habit, and whether it depends on state of weather, is needed 
relatively to whether sticky banding, on first appearance of the weevils, 
is worth the cost or not. 
The following notes show the presence of the infestation in different 
parts of the country, with one estimate of proportion of blossoms in¬ 
jured, and some suggestions of very practicable method of destruction 
of the weevils before maturity, thus lessening amount of future attack. 
On the 2nd of June, Mr. John Watkins (fruit-grower near Here¬ 
ford) wrote me:—“ I send a small box containing Apple blossoms, 
which are infested with a small white maggot or grub. I have been 
giving a good deal of attention to fruit-tree pests, but this is the first 
season I have noticed these. On pulling off the brown withered 
blossom you will mostly find one, in some stage or other, in the centre. 
Some of the trees have a large proportion of the blossoms affected.” 
The box contained about fifty destroyed Apple-blossom buds, with the 
brown withered petals, instead of being expanded, forming a covering 
to the calyx and ruined centre of the flower, in which lay, in many 
cases, the A. pomorum , now in chrysalis state, and clearly showing the 
very long proboscis and dark eyes. 
On June 4th, I had a note sent by Mr. Alex. Fairweather, from 
Wormshill, near Sittingbourne, Kent, mentioning that on examining 
the Apple bloom on the previous day he had found caterpillars quite 
enclosed in the dead blossom, lying at the bottom of the stamens, and 
in different stages of development (with lateral limbs like incipient 
wings). This attack also was obviously (from the details given) caused 
by the maggots of the Apple-blossom Weevil. 
On the 6th of June, Mr. Staples sent me specimens of the Apple- 
blossom Weevil, with the remark that the small maggots so destructive 
to Apple blossom, “ the prevention of which is now engaging so much 
public attention,” were then turning to the little beetle of which he 
sent samples. 
On the 16th of June, Mr. Hiam, of Astwood Bank, near Redditch, 
alluding to some Apple Weevil he had sent me a few days before, 
observed :—“ These have been very destructive in the grub stage, eat¬ 
ing all the inside out of Apple and Pear blooms, and causing them to 
fall off. I do not think I should exaggerate if I said they destroyed 
25 per cent, of my blooms.” 
As a means of lessening amount of future attack, I suggested 
shaking down the blighted buds which contained the weevil in its grub 
or chrysalis state and destroying them. Mr. Hiam replied, “ I have 
tried the plan you mention, and find it answers very well for what few 
affected bloom buds there are left on the trees, but have no doubt it 
would have been much more successful in catching the bulk of the 
