The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-05-18
$25,00o,oo0 MOTH, THIS.
IT EATS 4 THIRD or THE APPLE
AND PEAR CROP YEARLY.


Although Il costs the farmers Of New
York State one-third Of their apple ami
pear crop every year said an entomolo-
gist, (which means In money AZ least q. Co.,
go, n that 10 less h one-eighth Of
what IL costs the farmers and fruit growers
| annually In the country a. large, scarcely
one farmer or fruit grower In ten ever saw
q oodlins moth. Yet the insect during It's
breeding season IL busy by tens Of thou
sands in every orchard.
The reason why the codling moth IL
seen 20 rarely is that IL alone among tho
many varieties Of moths has not the habit
Of being attracted at night by a light or
flame, and II has he faculty % eecretine
itself so completely during the day that
the most violent disturbance Of its retreat
does not cause il to take wing or NOW
from its lurking places In the orchard
trees. the rough scaly bark Of which IL 10
closely resembles that even II ono Of the
insects were resting on the exterior OF the
bark Il would defy the shsrpest Of eyss TO
detect.
a flaming torch placed at night under
every tree In an orchard would fail to draw
a single codling moth from its work OF
egg laying in the tre.s. although its cousins
Of all varieties would he fastening from
all directions to meet destruction In the
fascinating flame.
The average Law person knows nothing
about the codline moth in It's relation To the
worm he finds ~ frequently in the apple he
bites into. and. az a matter Of fact. IL u
only within recent years that professional
-ntomologiSts even have acquainted them
selves with the entire life history Of the
insect.
The codling moth ernerses from its
COCOON about ten days after the apple
blossoms have fallen from the trees In the
sprinC and the young fruit l. grown to
perhaps an inch in diameter. The cocoors
lie beneath the scaly bark Of the apple tree
trunks
The moth is about half an inch long and
has four wings. II comes from the COCOON
AZ night and at once hegins deposiiing it,
eggs. A cudling moths egg L. nearly fiat
and not larger than a small pinhead 30
small In IL that. although the moth has been
known to naturalists for nearly three CEN
turtles. IL was only our or five years ago
scribed.
surface 81 the apple, only a single egg on
All apple II one codling moth finds hat
another one has ALREADY fastened an egg on
an apple II will not leave an egg OF it, own
there. hut will -.ek unpre"tnpted fruit.
fhiu mum lhft lFbfu flkulN w one nun
dred eggs. Tbs egs matches a tiny worm
at the end Of perhaps ten days. always al
night.
The worm at once crawls to tho blossom
end 81 the apple. enters the cavity there
and tunnels down To the core. where II
feAsts and grows and fattens on the heart
Of the fruit. and at the end 81 a month
tunnels its way hack tn the surface, emery
ing a plump. pinkish caterpillar, three
quarters 81 an inch long. always coming
..s - ,tahs Ia s-ath Thu Ata.sn.. n,
all stag 81 it, existence. seems TO love
darkness better than light.
1T makes its way without delay to the
trunk Of the tree. where II wraps itself
about with its cocoon beneath q -he.ieing
scale 81 bark, and remains there In hiding
until II IN turn develops into a moth IN"
neIt season. or. II the fruit in which IL
had its home be an early variety, the sans.
season. ~ ~hich car the caterpillar under
goes a d6uble metAmorphosis.
Tin as the codling moths egg 10. there
In a nv 10 ANAL that N can deposit as many
AZ four Of its o~n eggs In a single egg IL he
moth. THIS ny's egg hatch WORMS that
and thus hosts 10 the moths ravcnous
progeny are destroyed b~forr they have
begun active life.
sOther parasitic enemies 81 the cater
pillar make away with untold numbers ~
the inserts. and vast numt~rS 81 the CO.
coons are uncovered and their contents
dev by woodprck~rs and other IN
sectivorous hirds, hut enough come 60
ina, unity To ar-es1 q bounty a. t2s. On. 90
q year on the farmers 90 the country To-
keep ihetn Ia hoard and lodging
Nothing but spraying the tres with .
solution 81 Paris gr~n during the period
when the woms are N their WAY from the
ees TO tunnel into tho apple AZ the blossom
end checks tho ravags. 81 the pest. and this
th" farmer. ~ ~ rule rc-olu'"iy persist
IN not doing
The cooling moth was first known ~
-uch IN this country In Massachusetts, In
1919. although lie worm had been working