Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-02-25
At present the standing Of The league
PARASITE FOR COOLING
MOTH IS AT WORK,

The long horalded and much advertised
parasite for the coding moth Is at last
at work In the orchards OF California,
The first distributions were made during
the past week; eight colonies being sent
out to orchards IN different parts Of the
state, most OF them going TO localities IN
be sent out soon, distribution Of the In
sect to be made 10 all Of tho principal
apple producing sections Of the state.
MIR. George Compere, the dlscoyerer
and collector Of this parasite returned TO
San Francisco this week. after his long
absence In Europe. and the colonization
OF the parasite Is being made under his
personal supervision, ho and Mr.. Ehr-
horn having visited the various local..
ties for the purpose Of liberatlng colonies
OF the insects.
Mr.. Compcre is enthusiastic over the
possibilities Of this little insect But he
does not count on mere possibilities. In
his mind there Is not the slightest doubt
that this parasite will prove to be ef-
fective In the destruction OF the codng
moth, And from the work being done
by the insect IN the office at the Ferry
building II would appear that Mr. Com
pere has good grounds for his belief In
this office are a large number Of jars
In which the parasite IL at work on It's
enemy. and the Industry displayed by the
little creature promises much for the APP
OF the whole country. In every Jar are
u number OF pieces Of apple branches In
which Sits have been made. In these
Sits are the larvae Of the coldng moth,
and flying about In the Jars or walking
about from place 10 place on the sticks
are the parasites huslly employed III
singing the ooldlng moth to death and
laying on their bodies the eggs which
are later TO hatch out into other para
sites
This parasite. which bears the formda-
BILE name Of Ephaltes carhonarious ~
a slender little insect the female being
about q half an inch long exclusive o.
the ovipositor and It's sheath, which are
a little longer than the body OF the Ephi-
altes. This oyipositor Is very slender
ts1d II Is with this that the parasite kills
the colding moth and lays It's eggs The
process is very interesting one to
watch When the insect finds where one
Of the moths lies hidden under the wood
Il raises tho poterior part Of Its body
into the air wlthdTaws the oviposltor
from its sheath and inserts # through
the wood into the body OF the moth, often
iabbing ID In several times Then az Il
withdraws the ovposltor IL lays on the
body Of the moth an esq and Immediately
goes I'm search Of another coldng moth
where II repeats the process. How many
eggs one parasite Ia capable of laying ls
not known, but II Is probable that It lays
about MS many as does the cooling moth.
One Of the curious facts concerning the
amount Of study that has been put upon
II and the large sums expended IN re-
search concerning the insect, nobody has
vet determined the number OF eggs that
II lays, This IS merely matter of de
tail one that could easily be determined
by observation, That II has not yet been
determined does not speak well for the
carefulness OF the work sf some of the
investigators.
After being stung II takes the moth
some little time TO dle-about % minutes.
The natural heart Of its BODY Is sufficient
for the Matching out Of the egg which
takes place within "a hours after u Is
deposited The laiva OF the parasite.
which Is a little, corkscrew- shaped AMI.
nal Immediately begins to suck the
juices OF tho body NJ ita host this COM
shutting It's nourlshment II goes through
the various stages Of metamurphosls de-
welcoming finally into winged Insect Ike
lts parent.
MI. Compere states that IN Spain.
whore he obtained the parasite climatic
conditions are similar 60 those IN this
state lie SAYS thot he has even found
the insect AZ work In parts Of the country
where there was snoH, Consequently he
+ confident that II will have no trouble
In adapting itself 10 conditions m this
country II will however be probably
about year before any decided results
can be looked for as u viii take about
established M sufficient nun bcrs ~ pro-
dnce any marked effect, The success NJ
this experiment means the saving to the
country III many millions of dollars aa
tho Destruction NJ the crdllur m 0th N H.
estimated would at least double The pos
slble production Of apples California
Frul' Grower.