The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1914-04-02
Control of the Codling Moth.


growers, we believe it timely to men.
ton that the battle for clean fruit i:
not yet won. The next pest to pre-
pare for is the codling moth, which
occurs in large numbers in every dis
trict where apples and pears are
growing and is, no doubt, the most
injurious pest with which the growers
of deciduous fruits have to contend
In this warm valley, the larvae, if left
untreated, would infest from rs to &C
per cent of the fruit, but which can be
easily and successfully controlled wher
proper methods of treatment are car
ried out. In the Emmett valley there
are two broods of worms and we
have been informed by old timers in
the business here that there have beer
a few warm seasons when a partial
third brood had appeared. In the
fall of the year when the worms leave
the fruit, they seek shelter In the
crevices of the bark, in cracks of dead
wood or in holes, ETC., where they en-
case themselves in a silken, whitlsh
cocoon, in which to spend the winter
In the spring the larvae in the cocoons
change to pupae, from which in about
five or six weeks the winged moth
energies, or about the time the apple
trees come into full bloom and 1t
is said they continue to emerge for
two or more weeks. In few days
the female moth begins to deposit
eggs and each Setting" numbers from
IS to 100 eggs, and they are placed
mostly on the foliage and fruit. In
the Emmett valley last year as near
as crude methods could determine,
these first brood eggs Matched in about
20 days, but some of our college pro
fessor friends tell US that under IA
vorable conditions of weather they
may hatch in eight days or less. The
newly Matched worms feed on the TO-
liage for a short time, but very soon
make for the nearest fruit and it is
stated by good authority that rs per
cent of the first brood worms attempt
to enter through the calyx cavity and
can only be successfully poisoned by
spraying the trees so as to place plen-
ty of the poison inside the calyx be-
fore the lobes have closed. 1t must be
remembered that these lobes close
from three to seven days after the
petals fall, depending greatly on the
weather, making it absolutely neces-
sary that the first application be made
within this time The worms may
also enter the stem end or side of
the apple, but if the fruit and foliage
are we'll sprayed about 20 days after
blooming, in addition to the first ap-
plication, practically all of the worms
will be killed. When the worms enter
the fruit they feed till they reach full
growth, which requires about three
or four weeks; leaving the fruit, the
worm crawls down to the cracks and
crevices of the tree or to some other
hiding place, where they spin cocoons,
and emerge as adult moths,
thus completing the life cycle in from
SO to 70 days, varying according to
When this second brood
of worms begin to hatch is when the
third application of poison is made.
The accepted poison for cooling moth
is arsenate of lead and last year we
used it at the rate of two pounds to
so gallons of water, and satisfactory
results were obtained. We used plen-
ty of material at IT'S pounds pressure
and drenched the trees until they
dripped We believe every apple and
pear grower in the valley should have
a thorough understanding of spraying
for codling moth, not only for your
own credit, but for the success of
fruit growing in our chosen commun-
ity; to do your best to grow big, per-
feet apples, free from worm holes
and other imperfections. To do so you
must understand the life history of
the codling moth, and know why and
when to spray. Below we give a few
points to remember:
Do not fail to begin the first spray
as soon as the blossoms are 80 per
cent off.
Stay with every tree until every
,alyx is filled with spray, examine
hem occasionally to find whether or
not you are doing this
A pressure of $50 pounds is suffi-
lent to do good work if proper nozzles
ire used.
Make a second treatment from 20
% 25 days after the first, and should
,e done with a nozzle giving a fine
mist to coat the entire surface of
ruit and foliage.
The third application is made just
,efore the second brood matches, or
bout ten weeks after the petals fall
md should be applied with very
Ugh pressure to make a fog that will
cave film of poison over the surface
# the fruit.
Three treatments properly applied
will control the cooling moth, and
'ou ought to have 9S per cent clean
pples.