The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1924-09-02
CONTROL OF PECAN
LEAF CASE BEARER
INFORMATION GIVEN GROW
Frs BY COASTAL PLAINS
EXPERIMENT STATION.
Bv Otis Woodard, Horticulturist.

Bv Otis Woodland, Horticulturist
The pecan leaf case bearer has be-
come so generally distributed through
out the pecan belt in South Georgia
and its ravages so great on young
buds and tender growth OF pecans in
spring that every grower should avail
himself of the protection that may be
realized from spraying to control this
pest.
Habits and Life History.
To most effectively control the Leaf
case bearer something OF its lie his
tory and habits should be known. On
" one generation of the case-bearer
develops during the course OF a year
There are four different stages OF de-
velopment however. in this one gen
Grafton: Egg, larva, pupa and adult
and since the larva stage IS the only
stage in which it feeds 1t IS very EVIL
dent that control measures will not be
effective unless applied at this time.
Pecan growers will recall the tact
that the ravages Of the Leaf case bear
er are decidedly more obvious III spring
than in fall. in fact the larvae are
small and feed very sparingly before
going into Information but emerge IN
the spring with a ravenous appetite,
and as a result large trees are often
learned that eggs are deposited by
buds also being destroyed,
From careful study OF the lite his
tory Of this insect entomoligists have
leraned that eggs are deposited by
moths on the under side OF the leaves
and that the eggs hatch IN to y days
The Matching period extends from
about the middle OF May until the
latter part OF July or the first few
DAYS in August. When the young
larvae emerge from the egg-sheIls
thew commence to feed on the portion
Of the leaflets Immediately adjacent
to the place where egg laying occurr-
ed.
From the time OF Matching until the
latter part OF September the larvae
feed sparingly upon the foliage and 1t
Is during this season that spraying can
be most effectively done. If postponed
until spring control measures have
proven unsatisfactory.
Method OF Control.
1t has been shown conclusively that
the pecan leaf case bearer can be con.
troled by spraying with arsenate OF
lead during the late summer. he toll
lowing formula has been found most
effective:
l pound OF powdered arsenate OF
lead or 2 pounds OF paste; 5 pounds
of slaked stone lime or 4 pounds OF
hydrated lime; 50 gallons OF water.
Spraying should be done during the
latter half OF August or the first halt
of September. Only one application,
properly made, will be required to
control this pest in pecan orchards.
Spraying should not be delayed too
long in the fall, as observations have
shown that some larvae seek hlberna-
ton quarters the latter part OF Sep
TENDER and. of course, cannot be
reached after entering their winter
eases. 1t should be borne in mind that
only the larvae that feed on poisoned
foliage will be killed. Therefore grow
ers should realize the Importance OF
spraying at the proper time and APP
plying the poison to all parts OF the
foliage, especially the under side up
on which the larvae are feeding.
Spray Outfit.
Power outfits are preferable in
spraying pecans, although when not
available the barrel spray pump may
be substituted by using hose OF suit
ficient length to permit the spray gun
TO be carried up into the tree.