The Hickman courier., 1882-10-20
Codling Moths.

These insects, known scientifically as
Carpocdpsa poDaoRekla, appear 10 have
accompanied the cultivated apple to
every part of the known world where it
J IL grown The apple worm is the cat
( erpillar of a small grayish moth, the
| fore-wings of which are of brownish
color. crossed by numerous gray and
brown lines. with an oval dark brown
snot near the hinder angle minutely
edged with bright copper color. The
head and thoraX are gray. the hinder
wings and abdomen yellowish brown.
The moths appear in the Northern
| States about the first of June; in lower
latitudes somewhat earlier. The fe
| males drop an egg in the calyX or
! blossom end of the fruit; in about n
week it reaches the core, where it feeds
j for about a month, seldom longer
When fully grown the caterpillar is of
a pinkish or flesh color, and, if the ap-
nile be cut open, may be seen in some
one of its burrows, from which it quick
| lv escapes. If not disturbed it will
bore a hole from the center of the fruit
| TO the surface, escaping either before or
after it has fallen 10 the ground, which
/ usually happens soon after the caterpll-
lar has reached the core, becoming
what is usually called a windfall The
caterpillar after reaching the ground
erawls away into some sheltered place,
usually in the cracks OF the same tree
upon the fruit of which it has been
feeding. and there spins thin cocoon,
in which its pupa remains few weeks
or months. depending upon the season
in which they have appeared, for 1t IS
now settled that in some sections there
are two broods of this insect in a sea
son. The first or spring brood pass
through their four stages, egg, larva,
pupa and image, the latter copulate, and
the females deposit eggs on fruit late
in the season, the caterpillars
produced therefrom being Matched
in the winter varieties from
which many do not escape until the ap-
pies are barrelled and sent 10 market,
or stored away in cellars. The cocCons
or silken eases, containing the Pup9,
are often found attached to the emptied
barrels, or hidden away in fruit rooms
! or cellars. These are from the second
brood. For long time it was sup
posed that the caterpillar spent its en-
tire larva eriod in the fruit wherein
the egg was deposited. but several OBJ
servers, independently OF each other,
have detected II passing from one ap-
pie to another. One OF the most care
ful students of the habits of this insect,
Mr.. S b. Peck, of Muskegon, Mich,
writes on this point as follows:
Experiments have been made by my
self and others with the following re-
suits: The Iarv:e have repeatedly been
placed in contact with sound apples,
and soon found inside; they enter more
readily when shut from the light. Some
twenty infected apples taken from the
tree have been placed in a box with a
few sound ones, when, after an interval
of day or two, the sound ones have
been occupied by the larvae. nearly
full-oroWn larva has been shut up with
a sound apple, one and quarter inches
in diameter, and in less than twenty
four hours was found inside with the
whole core demolished showing that it
does not take a fellow long TO use up a
specimen. A larva was also discovered
in its passage from one apple 10 an
other, the two being in contact, and
several cases have occurred where a
passage between apples in contact has
evidently been made by one occupant.
. The observations and experiments
thus related have been confined to the
early part OF the season and to the first
brood of Larvae, not supposing that the
emigration continued after the fruit
was nearly ripe; but it IS now ascer-
tanned that they do emigrate after the
fruit has been gathered and stored.
! 7
a tions are not merely to crafty curiosity,
\ but they open n new and more success
Lul mode of warfare; for, if true, the
nnlickipg off the infected fruit and
0fsxps-1~es4---- Et<S--cs11zzsp'
most efficient remedy, and we may
Yhave hopes that with this and the band
] age system we must be able TO save a
portion of our crop, if not eventually
to run ont this insidiOus pest.
4 to.
above. is the one most generally used
for destroying the codling moths. 1t
consists in winding about the stem of
the tree. few feet from the ground.
some kind of soft cloth. The caterpil-
lars that have fallen from or with the
fruit as they ascend the tree in search
OF safe place in which to spin their CO.
coons find here one apparently adapted
for their own purpose. preferable even
TO the cracks in the bark of the tree.
and Immediately commence their
work. These bands can be readily ex-
amined every few days, and all cater
pillars and pupe found under them easi-
" destroyed Old rags and pieces OF
sacl1ing or ropes may be used for bands
Some prefer ropes of hay TO anything
else, because by moving them up and
down on the stem the pupae and cater
pillars can be crushed without taking
the bands from the tree.
Several traps of complicated form
| have been invented, and one at least
has been patented, but the simple band
is cheaper and more eflective.@
Another method of determination is
| by hanging under the trees wide
mouthed jars or bottles, in which
mixture of molasses, vinegar and water,
in proportion of one, two and four re-
/
pended The moth flies mostly at night,
is attracted by the light, baited by the
mixture, and finally drowned in num-
bers surprising to those who have never
tried it.
Still another plan, recommended by
Mr.. j. 5. Woodward at meeting of
the Horticultural Society of Western
New Yo,k, is to spray al the trees in
the orchard with a solution made by
dissolving tablespoonful of Paris
green in a barrel OF water. to be ap-
piled when the apples are about the
| size of cherries. or when the worm is
about to enter the apple through the
calvx. He says this is entirely efficient,
and that one sprinkling in season IS
all that is required To do it may at
first sight seem much labor, but by
using any one of several good force
pumps in market with hose and sprink-
Ter attached, it can be done readily and
speedily.
keep this great pest in check, and every
owner of an apple tree should feel it
duty to destroy all windfalls and wormy
apples of every kind rs soon as discov-
cred, not waiting even for the infested
fruit to fall from the tree; it should be
shaken of and fed to hogs or cattle. or
i