Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-05

piled lflg. 81
From l.. L. Frost, of Susanville, Cal, ha;
been received the following:
send you what to me Is a curious specimen
found it on one of my apple trees. also send
some of the pupa of an insect that is very de
Structve to the curraut and goOSeberry, IN some
instances destroying the entire crop. The mis-
chief is done by a whitish worm, which grows 70
nearly three-fourths of an inch in length and
about one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter The
pupR | send are found under the bushes buried
an inch or two below the surface OF the ground.
When warm weather comes, moth dark col
Ored energies from the pupa; II Is about the SIZE
of houSe-fiy, which it somewhat resembles.
The moth either deposits its egg on the fruit, or
stings the young berry, and deposits the egg I'M
der the skin.
DEAR SIR; Your letter and specimens
at hand. The specimens found on the
apple tree is the pupa or chrysallis of the
turnus butterfly (See page 90, Injurious In
sects) The pupe you send are of a species
of diptera, or twO-winged flies, similar in
appearance and size to the apple maggot-
fly, or the pomace flies, which feed on ripe
or decaved fruits.
According to the description you give OF
the larva that destroys the gooseberries
and currants in your vicinity, it GER
tainly is not the larva of the pupe you
sent me- The larva OF these is a maggot,
not exceeding three-eighths of an inch in
length The perfect insect taken from one
of the pupa is a small fly; head, thorax and
abdomen yellowish; eyes greenish, and the
wings are probably Clouded the specimens
taken from the pupa case are immature
However, effort will be made to raise some
of them for identification.
Mr.. Saunders, of London, Canada de-
scribes small moth that in the larva state
Tor STAGE is very destructive to gooseber-
ries and currants in Canada-the Goose
berry Fruit Worm (Pcmpeiia GroSsddyie).
| have never found this species in Califor-
MIA. quote the following from Mr.. Saun-
ders' description:
When fully grown the larva measures about
three-fourths of an inch the body p thickest Mt
the middle, tapering slightly toward each ex-
tremity the head is very small, pale brown ana
ing green color, with a slight ycllowish tint, and
semitransparent Some specimens have red
dish hue When ready for Its change,
which is about the 18th or 18th of June (in Can
ada, it lowers itself to the ground, and there
spins its slken cocoon among leaves or rubbish,
and remains in this inactive state until
the following spring.
The fruit infested by this Larvae soon in
diCates their presence by becoming dis
colored; if sufficiently advanced it ripen=
prematurely, otherwise it soon becomes
dull whitish and withers. The fore wings
of the moth are pale gray with dark streaks
and bands. The hind wings
are pale and dusly. The head, antenna
body and legs are all pale gray, more silver
underneath than the upper side. When
It's wings are expanded it measures nearly
an inch across.
Remedies-Mr. Saunders recommend,
manipulating as soon as the berries begin
to show the presence of the Larvae, and care
should be taken to prevent the escape o
the Larvae busting the bushes with Stacked
lime about the time the moth appears, i:
| thought to deter the moth from laying hel
eggs on the fruit Professor Riley describe.
| this moth in his first Missouri report, anC
says that if chickens are allowed to run
among the bushes, after the fruit has gone
they will materially assist in checking thi.
pest by devouring such cl5ysaijds as art
within their reach.
n B.-Should you capture any moths
will be thankful for some specimens; alsC
please send some specimens OF the Larvae.
NJ