Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-02-15
The Apple sIaggot.

III hlupbt every variety VI hpples. AZ utst u
attacked only tho early sweet varieties. DIR.
Sturtevant, of the New York experiment sta.
ton, in answer to inquiries by NJ. p. June OF
Brandon, Vt. says that the species was first
described and named by Mr.. b. d. Walsh in
the American journal Of Horticulture for
December, 1867. The larva was thus doscrb-
ed by Mr.. Walsh
at is of a greenish white color, 0. H. 0. 90
inch long, and about four and one-hRlf times
as long as wide, cylindrical behind, with tho
tail end squarely locked, tapering in front
from the middle of the body to the head
head pointed, but narrowly. excavated (emar-
giuate) in front its inferior surface with two
slender, bluntish, coal black hooks projecting
in front, where the mouth is protruded, at
the base of which there is a smaller pair con-
nected with the base of the others like the
antlers of bucks horn at the base Of the
first segment behind the head, a dorso lateral,
transverse pale brown, hattish, rough tuber-
Gle last segment below with two pale brown,
horny, rough tuberces, each composed OF
three minute thorns longtudinaly arranged
and above, with two whitish retractile ones,
each pair of tuberces trnnsversely arranged"
DR. Sturtevant adds: "1TypctH pOmOnelld,
in its perfect state, is n pretty fly, shaped
not unlike the common house fly, about one.
fifth of an inch i'll expanse OF wings. The
wings are "whitish, CLASSY, banded with
dusky somewhat in the form of the letters l
F-the placed next the base of the wings,
and its lower end uniting rather indistinctly
with the lower end of the f the base and
extreme tip of the wing being always CLASSY"
-(WAlsh.) For a figure of the fly and the
larva, and a brief, general notice of the spe-
cies, Saunders Insects Injurious to Fruits,
paOa 131 & and GOura n NAV ba rafarvad
to.
The life history is briefly thus 1t has but
one breed year, unlike the apple-worm
moth (CdrpO c0psd pOmOHeild), which has
two. The fly appears in July, and probably
in that month or in August, deposits the eggs
upon the apple near the cayx end, whore the
young fruit may have been already burrowed
by the apple worm. According to Mr.. Walsh,
but enormously, we think, the eggs are in
serted by the ovipositor of the fly in the flesh
of the apple. The presence of the larvae is
seldom noticed in September. During the
autumn they become full grown, when they
leave the fruit and enter the ground whore
within the contracted larval skin they assume
the pupal state. In this condition they re.
main during the winter and until the follow.
ing July.
The fly is a native species, and long before
it was discovered injecting apples in the east.
ern states and New York, it had been OBJ.
served in Illinois, feeding upon the native
haws or thorn apples (CTdtdegIs) and upon
crab-apples (Pyy@ specios). Thus far, only
in New England aud New York has it attack
ed the cultivated apple. The most frequent
notices of it, and most serious accounts of its
injuries. have been received from Vermont.
In New Hampshire, in few localities, they
have ruined entire orchards (Ann Rep't Dept.
Agricult for 1881, p. 1907. In the vicinity
OF East Falmouth, Mass, they have been re.
ported as very injurious (lst Rep't ms of
| H., 1868, p. 80. Mr. Walsh received Larvae
and pupiU from Connecticut from which he
reared the fly Gb, p. 30. In New York
state it has proved great pest at North
Hampstead, Long Island Mr. Trimble, of
| New Jersey, in 1857, stated that it was very
plentiful throughout the Hudson river coun
| try, but had not been observed in his state.
1t has been prevalent at the Oneida Commun
| ity, where il was mostly confined to certain
varieties of autumn apples. Prof, Oomstock,
of Ithaca, has observed it in ono of the or
chards of Cornell University, in only few
varieties, not specified. From Franklin, Del
aware county, larvU have been reported ~
living in the pulp of the apple, making
long, winding roads through it, and appear
| ing to come out through the skin, " which
were, probably this species american Ento.
mologst 1908, p. $50. In Schenectady the
fly has occasionally been captured by me up.
on fruit trees, from the Sd to the 27th OF
July.
As the insect has, during its past history,
shown decided preference for summer and
fall apples, its attack upon Spitzenbergs,
mentioned by Mr., June, is of interest as an
extension of its sphere of operations. In
Massachusetts, the crop of some Summer
Sweets had for a series of years been com
pletcly destroyed by it. From Long Island
it is stated that "only in the ripest apples and
in sweet or mellow sub.Rcid fruit are they
found by us" (Ann. Rep't Dept. Ayr. for
1881, p. 1861 They appear, however, by no
means to be confined to the early fruit, for in
Wallingford Conu., the Baldwin and some
other varieties OF winter apples were infest.
cd Gb. p. 1860. A gentleman writing from
| this place states that two weeks ago (the
letter was written shortly after Nov. 10Th, }
we oyerhsuled $50 bushels of apples that We
had gathered and placed in store for winter
use, and of that number we threw out 30
bushels, most of which had been rendered
worthless elcept for cider QiD or hogs, by
the apple-worm or the apple-maggot The
| apple-worm by this time has ceased his work
but the deprodations of the apple mappot
continue up to the present time converting
tho pulp of the apple into a mere honey
comb, and rendering another overhauinR
soon indispensable"
As to remedial measures In the event of
its being found by examination, that the in
fected fruit falls to the ground with the con.
tanned laryp, it is obvious that much may be
done by giving sheep the range of the or.
ohard to feed upon the apples, or by picking
them by hand for feeding. But from the
statement of Mr.. June, it seems probable
that the fruit which fell from the trees did
not contain larvo. This would seem TO be
supported by the fact that I recall several
years ago seeing variety Of early apple (the
kind not noted) offered for sale in the Albany
market which, while entirely fair externally,
and firm, upon cutting into them showed the
central portion burrowed after the manner
described, and semi-pulpy and still retaining
the larve, which with little doubt were those
of the 1rypeta. We greatly need additional
observations upon the time and manner OF
their leaving the fruit, and, in the earlier
kinds, entering the ground, while in the later
and stored varieties it is desirable to learn
where they go for their pupation In bar.
relied apples are they to be found in the bot
tom Of tight barrels? Until the facts are as.
certained, together with others that are need.
ed to complete its life history, we will not be
able to do much toward mitigating the evil.
The entrance into the apple of the apple.
worm producing the coddling moth) may be
TO great extent prevented by showering the
trees soon after the formation of the fruit
with Paris green or London purple, but the
the month Of July, when the Ifypeta depos
its her eggs, would be too late for applica
ton of these poisonous substances to early
fruit. II would appear that our efforts would
have to be mainly directed toward the de-
struetion of the insect in its pupal state. Il
it shall be found that the pupation, as a rule
takes place in the orchards beneath the infest
cd trees, in the ground, at the depth of al
inch or two, then we must attack II there