2. APPLE MAGGOT.--It is fortunate that the apple maggot, often called
the railroad worm because of its winding tunnels all through the
fruit, is not as serious a pest as the codling moth for it is much
more difficult to control with a poison. A two-winged fly appears in
early summer and deposits her eggs in a puncture of the skin of the
apple. In a few days the eggs hatch and the maggots begin to burrow
indiscriminately through the fruit. The full grown larvae are a
greenish white in color and about a quarter of an inch long. From the
fruit this insect goes to the ground where the pupal stage is passed
in the soil. The next summer the fly again emerges and lays its eggs.
Spraying is not effective against this insect as the poison cannot be
placed where it will be eaten by the maggots. The best known remedy is
to destroy the fruit which drops to the ground and for this purpose
hogs in the orchard are very effective. The distribution of this
insect in the orchard is limited and it has shown a marked preference
for summer and autumn varieties.
3. THE BUD MOTH closely resembles the codling moth in form and size,
but differs from it in color and life history. The larvae, after
hibernating through the winter, appear as little brown caterpillars
about May first or as soon as the buds begin to open, and a week or
two later begin their work of destruction. They inflict great damage
on the young leaf and fruit buds by feeding on them. When full grown
the larvae, cinnamon brown in color with a shining black head, are
about one-half inch long. They then roll themselves up in a tube made
from a leaf or parts of leaves securely fastened together with silken
threads. In this cocoon pupation, which lasts about ten days, takes
place. Early in June the moths appear. There is but one brood in the
North. These insects can be successfully combated with a poison spray
applied early before the buds open.
4. THE CIGAR CASE BEARER winters in its case attached to a twig. When
the buds begin to open in the spring it moves to them, carrying its
case with it, and begins to feed on the young and tender buds. By the
time the leaves are well open, it has fed a good deal on the tender
buds and young leaves and is ready to make a new and larger case. This
it does by cutting a leaf to suit and then rolling it up in the form
of a cigar, whence its name. In this case the larvae continue feeding
about a month, causing much injury to the leaves, although this is not
as serious as the mutilation of the young buds in the spring, before
the tree is fully leafed out.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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