The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1916-07-13
Big CROP WORMS
FEARED THIS YEAR
Few Cooling Moth Succumbe.'
to the Cold of last
Winter

The season of 1915 was generally
considered a worn year." Because OF
a concurrence of several factors more
apples than usual were wormy at
harvest and correspondingly more
worms than usual went into winter
quarters. Ordinarily the winter NOR
tality of the codling moth is exces-
lsive, as is obviously apparent when
we consider how few apples become
wormy early in the season year af-
ter year. The past winter, however,
did not manifest the alternate freez-
ing and thawing which is most fatal
to the codling moth. In many locali-
ties a snow blanket held over into
spring to protect the worms in the
ground. Accordingly the codling
moth has been Transforming in num-
bers and in the warmer valleys the
first brood of worms is showing up to
a startling extent.
First brood worms should be des-
troycd by every means possible, de-
clares DR.. A. L. Melander, entomolo-
gist of the Washington Experiment
station. A codling moth produces
forty some eggs and as in many dis
tricts partial third generation ex-
lists which is at least as numerous as
the second generation, every worm
destroyed early in the season carries
with it the destruction of dozens of
others. .".
Owing to the habit of the majority
of codling worms to enter the fruit
thru the calyx cavity the Importance
of proper calyx spraying Immediately
after blossoming cannot be overstat-
ed. This spraying is effective for the
last worm of the season as well as the
first, but does not help much in des-
troying the minority of worms which
seek to enter apples thru the sides.
The relatively few worms which have
this habit must be reached by series
of cover sprayings, but because of the
peculiar instinct of the newly Matched
worms cover sprayings arc never 100
per cent effective. When worm bites
into the apple skin it rejects, without
swallowing, the tough epidermis. On
ly accidentally then does it swallow
any poison for it's mouth becomes
pretty well cleaned by the rejected
spittings. Owing to this habit many
worms can work thru even the most
complete of cover coatings. 1t seems,
furthermore, practically impossible
to coat every portion Of every apple,
so that many worms gain free en-
trance into the fruit. 1t is such es-
Gaping worms which cause destruc-
ton by multiplying into second and
third generation.
A cover spraying is considered CT
fective for three or four weeks. If
the first cover spraying was timed too
early so that after three weeks many
worms are still entering the fruit
another application should be given,
but if it was properly timed it is un-
necessary to repeat this spraying. The
exact strength of the spray is not so
important as the time and the meth
cd of application. Five pounds of paste
arsenate of lead to two hundred gal
Ions will answer as well as double
that quantity. The cover sprayings
may be supplemented by banding, in
which case the bands should be clean
ed every two weeks. But by all means
thin for wormy fruit, and destroy the
picked-of fruit. If the potentialities
of neglected frst-brood worms were
realized the rancher could we'll af-
ford to give premium for wormy
fruit when thinning.
Except for a few abnormal preco-
cious worms the onset of the first
brood of worms this year dated June 5
at Kennewick, June 10 at North Yak
ina and June Is at Wenatchee. For
one month following these dates the
first brood Of worms is Matching, after
which lull of couple of weeks can
be expected before the beginning Of
the second brood. Preceding this lull
it is useless to spray. The date for
the second brood spraying can be cas-
lily determined by trapping the ear
lest first brood worms as they emerge
from the fruit, as for example by
strip of burlap tied around the tree
trunks. Allow two weeks for the CO.
coon stage and two weeks more for
the eggs to be produced and Matched
and the date for the summer spray
ing is known. Summer spraying
should be repeated at intervals of one
month to provide for stretching Of the
fruit and rubbing off of the spray.
NOTICE TO DELINQUENTS