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JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
Adults 
The adults are small; seldom more than 12 mm. long. They are in¬ 
conspicuous in color, varying from gray to brown. The basal one-third 
of the forewing is lighter in color, usually gray; the outer portion of the 
wing is darker; usually brown, with a lighter colored area along the 
costal margin. The tips of the fore-wings are beautifully ribbed longi¬ 
tudinally and beset with two or three groups of tufted scales. 
The moths are active and frequently seen flying in the orchards during 
May, June, August and September. 
Seasonal Life History 
The half-grown larvae hibernate within the dead leaves of the pre¬ 
vious season. The larva usually curls the edge of the leaf, fastening it 
with an abundance of silken threads. These leaves fall to the ground 
where the larvae pass the winter. They differ remarkably in this respect 
from the hibernation of the common bud-moth. 
Early in the spring, about the time the buds begin to swell, these 
larvae leave their hibernating places and seek the opening buds. Here 
they feed on the developing leaves, often burrowing in the petioles or 
chewing the blossom. 
They become mature towards the end of May or the first of June and 
transform to brown pupae. Within nine to eleven days the moths issue 
and a few days later the females lay eggs for a new generation. Some 
of the larvae hatching from these eggs become mature towards the first 
of August when they pupate and moths issue, laying eggs for a second 
generation. The majority of the first generation, as well as all of the 
second generation enter hibernation as partially grown larvae. It 
appears that there is normally only one complete generation during a 
year. 
Life history notes taken over a period of five years are summarized in 
the following table. Intensive work was not begun on this species until 
1922 and hence the records for previous years are not complete. 
Abundance 
This species has been found in numbers sufficient to warrant investi¬ 
gation and is by no means a chance feeder of apple. It has been found 
not during a single season but has been noticeable over a period of years 
and may have been abundant even before the writer first discovered it 
feeding on apple. As an index to its abundance the following counts 
were taken from a single unsprayed tree. 117 larvae were gathered 
