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OX    THE 


INJURIOUS  INSECTS 

AND    OTHER 

ANIMALS 

OBSERVED    IN    THE    MIDLAND    COUNTIES 
DURING     1904. 


BY 


WALTER     E.     COLLINGE,     M.Sc., 

LECTURER    ON    ZOOLOGY   AND    COMPARATIVE    ANATOMY    IN     THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF    BIRMINGHAM  ; 
HONORARY  SECRETARY  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  ECONOMIC  BIOLOGISTS. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


BIRMINGHAM  : 

CORNISH     BROS.,     LTD. 

1905. 

[ALL   RIGHTS   RESERVED.] 


'v  yC^.^>  n_ 


t 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


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GARTERS'  WINDSOR  MANGEL 

The  Great  Prize-taker.      The  Heaviest  Cropper.      The  Labour  Saver. 


Has  won  hundreds  of  First  Prizes  in  ©PEN  Competi 
tion,  in  many  cases  beating  over  50  Competitors. 


RECORDS  OF  CROPS  ranging  from  80  to  120  tons  are  in  our  possession. 


Illustrated  Catalogue  sent  gratis  and  post  free. 

Seedsmen  to  H.M.  the  King. 

237,238  &  97,High  Holborn,  LONDON 


'l**w 


SCOTLAND 


.NORTHUMBERLAND* 


'CUMBERLAND      /  DU/UIAM 


'WESTMORLAND] 


YORK 


/^CHESHIRE 


)ERBY 


IHAMPSHIftE 


NORFOLK 


«     )  SUFFOLK 


" 


SURREY    ]          KE  NT 


SUSSEX 


DEVON 


DORSET 


MAP    OF    ENGLAND. 

WITH  MIDLAND  COUNTIES  SHADED. 


REPORT 


ON    THE 


INJURIOUS  INSECTS 

AND    OTHER 

ANIMALS 

OBSERVED    IN    THE    MIDLAND    COUNTIES 
DURING     1904. 


BY 


WALTER     E.    COLLINGE,     M.Sc., 

LECTURER    ON    ZOOLOGY   AND    COMPARATIVE    ANATOMY    IN    THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF    BIRMINGHAM; 
HONORARY  SECRETARY  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION  OF  ECONOMIC  BIOLOGISTS. 


ILLUSTRATED. 


BIRMINGHAM  I 

CORNISH     BROS.,     LTD. 

1905. 

[ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED.] 


y 
V 


ain 


preface. 


Ix  issuing  a  second  Report  dealing  with  those  Injurious 
Insects  and  other  animals,  which  have  been  forwarded  to  me  by 
various  correspondents  in  the  Midland  counties  of  England  during 
1904,  I  am  pleased  to  learn  that'  my  efforts  on  behalf  of  agri- 
culturists f  fruit  growers,  etc.,  are  appreciated. 

My  hearty  thanks  are  here  tendered  to  the  County 
Council  of  Worcestershire  for  a  Grant  of  £10  aiding  the  publica- 
tion of  this  Report ;  and  to  the  Council  of  the  Birmingham 
Natural  History  and  Philosophical  Society,  for  a  Grant  to  assist 
my  work  in  Economic  Zoology. 

I  have  pleasure  in  acknowledging  the  kind  assistance 
given  to  me  as  regards  the  figures  illustrating  this  work  :  to 
the  Controller  of  His  Majesty's  Stationery  Office  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  I  am  indebted  for  their 
courtesy  in  supplying  me  with  electros  of  figures  I,  V,  VII 
VIII,  XVII,  XVIII,  XXII,  XXIII,  and  XXV,  all  of  which 
are  from  illustrations  which  have  appeared  in  the  Board's  leaflets, 
numbers  4,  n,  15,  16,  30,  49,  53,  and  75  ;  to  Messrs.  Blackie 
and  Son,  Limited,  of  Glasgow,  for  a  similar  favour  in  respect 
to  figures  X,  XI,  and  XIX;  and  to  the  Editor  of  the  "  Journal 
of  Horticulture,"  for  the  loan  of  figure  IV. 

For  the  photographs  of  figures  II,  XIII-XVI,  XX, 
XXIII,  XXVI,-XXIX,  I  have  to  thank  two  of  my  Voluntary 
Observers,  Messrs.  Herbert  Thompson  and  F.  H.  Brownhill. 

Finally  my  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  E.  C.  Cope  for  the 
care  he  has  expended  upon  the  frontispiece  and  figure  VI. 

WALTER  E.  COLLINGE. 


THE  UNIVERSITY, 

BIRMINGHAM, 

January,  1905. 


130712 


Content*. 


PAGE 

Introduction.           . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  i 

The  Root-knot  Eelworm.     Heterodera  radicicola.    (Illustrated.  3 

Woodlice.     Porcellio  scaber,  Linn.,  and  Oniscus  asellus.  Linn.  6 

The  Black-Currant  Gall-Mite.     Eriophyes  ribis  (Nalepa).      .  .  6 

The  Birch  Gall-Mite.     Eriophyes  rudis  (Canest.).     (Illustrated.)  8 

A  Supposed  New  Apple  Mite.     Eriophyes,  sp.     (Illustrated.).,  n 

The  Pear-Leaf  Blister  Mite.     Eriophyes  piri  (Pagenst.), Nalepa.  n 

The  Hazel-Bud  Mite.     Eriophyes  avellaena  (Nalepa).             . .  n 
Tyroglyphus,  sp.  on  Mushrooms.              . .          . .          . .          ..12 

Millipedes.     . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  12 

The  Silver-Fish  Insect.     Lepisma  saccharina,  Linn.   . .          . .  13 

The  Froth  Fly.     Tettigonia  spumaria,  Linn.     . .          . .          . .  13 

The  Apple  Sucker.     Psylla  mali,  Forster.     (Illustrated.)       . .  14 

The  Woolly  Aphis,     Schizoneura  lanigera,  Hausm.     . .          . .  16 

The  Hop  Aphis.     Phorodon  humuli,  Schrank.  . .          . .          . .  16 

The  Apple  Aphis.     Aphis  mali,  Fabr.     . .          . .          . .  16 

The  Rose  Aphis.     Siphonophora  rosae,  Reaumur.       . .          . .  16 

The  Camellia  Scale.     Aspidiotus  camelliae,  Sign.       . .          . .  17 

The  Rose  Scaled  nlacas.    pis  (Diaspis)  rosae  (Bouche).            . .  17 


IV.  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Mussel  Scale.     Mytilaspispomorum,Bouch6.  (Illustrated.)  17 

The  Colorado  Beetle.     Doryphora  decemlineata,  Say.   . .          . .  19 

The  Turnip  Flea-Beetle.     Phyllotreta  nemorum,  Linn.             . .  19 

Wireworms.              . .          . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  20 

The   Apple   Blossom   Weevil.     Anthonomus   pomorum,    Linn. 

(Illustrated.)         21 

The  Cabbage-Gall  Weevil.     Ceuthorhynchus  sulcicollis,  Gyll.  23 

The  Plum  Bark  Beetle.     Scolytus  rugulosus,  Ratze.  (Illustrated.)  24 

Cabbage  Butterflies.  Pieris  brassicae,  Linn.,  and  P.  rapae,  Linn. 

(Illustrated.)         25 

The  Currant  Clearwing  Moth.     Sesia  tipuliformis,  Linn.     (Il- 
lustrated.) ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..27 

The  Gold  Tail  Moth.     Porthesia  auriflua  (Fabr.).          .  .          . .  29 

The  Goat  Moth.     Cossus  ligniperda,  Fabr.     (Illustrated.)      . .  29 

The  Magpie  Moth.     Abraxas  grossulariata,  Steph,       ,,          ,.  32 

The  Winter  Moth.     Cheimatobia  brumata,  Linn.     (Illustrated.)  32 

The  Buff-tip  Moth.     Pygaera  bucephala,  Steph.           .  .          . .  34 

The  Cabbage  Moth.     Mamestra  brassicae,  Linn.         . .           . .  35 

The  Dot  Moth.     Mamestra  persicariae,  Linn.    .  .          . .          .  .  36 

The    Great    Yellow    Underwing    Moth.     Triphaena  pronuba 

(Linn.).     (Illustrated.)                37 

The  Silver-Y  Moth.     Plusia  gamma,  Linn.       . .          . .          .  .  38 

The  Codling  Moth.   Carpocapsa  pomonella,  Linn.  (Illustrated.)  39 

The  Lilac  Leaf  Miner.     Gracilaria  syringella,  Fabr.      . .          . .  42 

The  Pear  Midge.     Diplosis  pyrivora,  Riley.     (Illustrated.)     . .  42 

Crane  Flies.     Tipula  oleracea,  Linn.,  and  Pachyrhina  maculosa, 

Meigen.     (Illustrated.)                ..          ..          ..          •  •  49 

Larvae  of  Hovering  Flies.     Syrphidae.  . .          . .          . .          .  .  50 

The  Sheep  Nasal  Fly.     Oestrus  ovis,  Linn.        .  .          . .          . .  52 


CONTENTS.  V. 

PAGE 

The  Beet  or  Mangold  Fly.     Pegomyia  betae,  Curtis.    . .          •  •  53 
The  Carrot  Rust  Fly.     Psila  rosa  (Fabr.)          . .                     .-54 

The  Gooseberry  Sawfly.     Nematus  nbesii,  Scop.    (Illustrated.)  54 

The  Cellar  Slug.     Limax  variegatus,  Drap.       . .          . .  56 

The  Common  Field  Slug.     Agriolimax  agrestis,  Linn. . .          . .  56 

The  Garden  Slug.     Arion  hqrtensis,   Fer.         ..          ..          •  •  57 

The  Strawberry  Snail.     Hygromia  rufescens  (Pennant).         . .  57 

Carnivorous   Slugs.     Testacellidae.          . .          . .          . .          •  -  57 

General  Notes  on  Other  Injurious  Insects,  etc.             .            . .  58 

Parasitic  Diseases  of  Animals.      . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  60 

Appendix   A.             62 

Appendix  B.              . .          . .          . .          . .          .           . .          . .  63 


Xist  of  3Uu0tratfon$. 


Map  of  England, 

Fig. 

I. 

Fig. 

II. 

Fig. 

III. 

Fig. 

IV. 

Fig. 

V. 

Fig. 

VI. 

Fig. 

VII. 

Fig. 

VIII. 

Fig. 

IX. 

Fig. 

X. 

Fig. 

XI. 

Fig. 

XII. 

Fig. 

XIII. 

Fig. 

XI  V. 

Fig. 

XV. 

Fig. 

XVI. 

Fig. 

XVII. 

Fig. 

XVIII. 

Fig. 

XIX. 

Fig. 

XX. 

Fig. 

XXI. 

Fig. 

XXII. 

Fig. 

XXIII. 

Fig. 

XXIV. 

Fig. 

XXV. 

XXVI.  ) 

Figs. 

XXVII. 

XXVIII.  1 

Fig. 

XXIX. 

PAGE 

with  Midland  Counties  shaded.      Frontispiece . 

Roots  attacked  by  Root-knot  Eelworm.      . .  4 

Large  Witches  Broom  formed  by  Eriophyes 

rudis.            . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  8 

Silver  Birch  at  King's  Heath,  with  Witches 

Brooms.       . .          . .          . .          . .          . .  9 

Shoot  of  Cox's  Pomona  Apple  with  mites  in 

the  buds.     . .          . .          . .          . .  10 

The  Apple  Sucker  (Psylla  mail).       . .          . .  14 

The  Mussel  Scale  (Mytilaspis  pomonmi).     . .  18 

The    Apple    Blossom    Weevil    (Anthonomus 

pomorum).                . .          . .          . .  22 

The  Plum  Bark  Beetle  (Scolytus  rugulosus).  . .  24 

Branch  of  Plum  Tree,   showing  damage  to 

wood  by  Plum  Bark  Beetle.      . .          . .  25 

Large  White  Cabbage  Butterfly.       . .          . .  26 

Small  White  Cabbage  Butterfly 26 

The  Currant  Clearwing  Moth.             . .          . .  27 

Ash  tree  recently  attacked  by  Goat  Moth.    .  .  28 

Portion  of  Ash  tree  attacked  by  Goat  Moth .  .  29 

Lower  portion  of  the  same  tree  (enlarged).    .  .  30 

Portion  of  Ash  tree  with  larva  in  situ.            .  .  31 

The  Winter  Moth  (Cheimatobia  brumata}.     .  .  33 

The  Great  Winter  Moth  (Hibernia  defoliariu)  33 

The  Great  Yellow  Underwing  Moth.             . .  37 

Larvae  in  roots.             . .          . .          . .  37 

Larvae  of  Great  Yellow  Underwing  Moth.    . .  38 

The  Codling  Moth  (Carpocapsa  pomonella).    .  .  40 

The  Pear  Midge  (Diplosis  pyrivora}.              .  .  45 

„       „           „                           „                       ••  47 

The  Common  Crane  Fly  (Tipula  olcracca].    .  .  50 


Eggs  of  the  Gooseberry  Sawfly.         . .          •  •     55 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


REPORT 

ON    THE 

INJURIOUS     INSECTS    AND    OTHER    ANIMALS 

OBSERVED  IN  THE  MIDLAND  COUNTIES 
DURING  1904. 


"  //  is  of  course  recognised  that  no  valuable  practical  work 
can  be  carried  on  unless  based  on  sound  scientific  principles.  Hence 
the  necessity  for  maintaining  the  proper  relationship  between  care- 
ful scientific  research  and  the  practical  application  of  such  research" 

B.  T.  GALLOWAY. 

(Ann.  Kpt.  Bureau  Plant  Indus,  U.S.  Dept.  Agric.,  1902.  p.  49.) 

INTRODUCTION- 

During  the  year,  three  hundred  and  twenty-five  inquiries 
have  been  received  requesting  information  on  Upwards  of  ninety- 
three  different  animals  :  some  of  these  not  being  of  a  particularly 
injurious  nature,  no  account  of  them  is  given  in  this  report. 

Two  hundred  and  twenty-six  written  replies  have  been  sent 
out,  mostly  pertaining  to  the  identification  of  specimens  and 
remedial  treatment  recommended. 

For  kindly  examining  and  identifying  specimens  unknown 
to  me  or  for  other  information,  I  am  much  indebted  to  the 
following  workers  :  Messrs.  A.  D.  Imms,  B.Sc.,  A.  H.  Martineau, 
F.E.S.,  Robert  Newstead,  A.L.S.,  Dr.  D.  Sharp,  F.R.S.,  and  Mr. 
Fred.  V.  Theobald,  M.A. 

During  the  year  the  following  publication  has  been  issued  : 
Reports  on  Economic  Zoology.  No.  i. — Some  Recent  Investiga- 
tions on  the  Black-Currant  Gall-Mite,  Eriophyes  ribis  (Nalepa). 

When  sending  specimens  correspondents  are  requested 
not  to  place  them  loose  in  an  envelope,  but  to  enclose  them  in 
tin  or  wooden  boxes,  together,  in  the  case  of  insects  or  mites, 
with  a  portion  of  the  food  plant,  and  not  to  punch  holes  in 
the  box,  as  larvae,  small  beetles,  etc.,  often  escape  thereby. 


2  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

It  often  happens  after  a  series  of  mild  winters  and  an  ab- 
sence of  sharp  frosts  in  the  spring,  that  we  have  a  series  of 
two  or  three  years  following,  during  which  insects  and  other 
allied  animals  are  exceedingly  plentiful.  The  year  1904  seems 
to  have  been  the  first  of  such  a  series,  and  there  are  few  whose 
crops  have  not  suffered. 

Amongst  the  more  noticeable  features  of  the  year,  may  be 
mentioned  the  great  increase  and  spread  of  the  Apple  Sucker, 
Apple  Aphis,  Woolly  Aphis  (American  Blight),  Mussel  Scale, 
and  Pear  Midge. 

Early  in  the  year,  Mr.  H.  Dunkin,  of  Warwick,  reported 
the  occurrence  of  a  mite  in  apple-tree  buds  at  Knowle,  War- 
wickshire, doing  considerable  damage.  Fortunately  for  apple 
growers  it  was  cut  down  and  burnt,  and  no  fresh  attack  has 
been  noticed. 

Fruit  trees  of  almost  every  description  suffered  severely 
from  the  larvae  of  the  Magpie  Moth,  which  were  never  more 
plentiful,  while  in  Staffordshire,  Warwickshire,  and  Worcester- 
shire, the  larvae  of  the  Gooseberry  Sawfly  were  very  destructive. 
Wheat  and  Barley  have  suffered  considerably  from  the  larvae 
of  a  species  of  Crane  Fly.  Hedge-rows,  with  their  accompany- 
ing weeds  and  coarse  grass,  offer  all  that  is  required  for  en- 
couraging such  pests. 

In  some  parts  of  Shropshire,  Wireworms  have  become  a 
very  serious  pest. 

In  Herefordshire,  the  Winter  Moth  and  Plum  Bark  Beetle 
are  certainly  on  the  increase,  as  also  the  Apple  Blossom  Weevil 
in  Worcestershire. 

It  is  many  years  since  the  Hop  Aphis  did  such  damage  as 
during  1904,  and  in  spite  of  the  introduction  of  certain  foreign 
species  of  Ladybird  Beetles. 

The  occurrence  of  the  Root-knot  Eelworm  in  Staffordshire 
has  unfortunately  to  be  recorded,  but  the  prompt  steps  taken 
have,  I  believe,  stamped  it  out. 

Voluntary    Observers. 

The  agricultural  interests  of  the  Midland  Counties  are  of  a 
varied  nature,  and  each  year  great  losses  are  suffered  by  the  depre- 
dations of  insects  and  other  animals.  The  large  area  under 
observation  makes  it  quite  impossible  for  one  individual  to 
keep  in  touch  with  the  various  outbreaks,  or  to  learn  of  such 
in  time  to  warn  agriculturists  and  others  of  threatened  attacks. 

In  order  to  make  my  work  on  Economic  Zoology  of  greater 
practical  value  and  to  bring  the  same  into  closer  relations 
with  those  whom  it  primarily  concerns,  I  desire  to  enlist  the 
sympathies  and  services  of  a  few  more  voluntary  observers  in 
different  parts  of  the  Midlands,  who  would  be  willing  to  send  in 
short  weekly  reports  from  March  to  June,  and  later  less  fre- 
quently. Such  reports  would  be  of  great  value  collectively, 


THE     ROOT-KNOT     EELWORM.  3 

as  indicating  the  abundance  of  any  particular  insect  or  insects, 
the  extent  of  their  depredations,  the  plants  affected,  means 
of  distribution,  and  causes  facilitating  the  spread  of  insect  and 
other  pests. 

It  is  specially  desired  to  obtain  the  services,  observations, 
and  experiences  of  those  practically  acquainted  with  insects 
and  other  agricultural  pests. 

Each  worker  will  receive  due  credit  for  all  observations, 
etc.,  and  a  copy  of  all  future  Reports ;  further,  all  inquiries  for 
information  will  be  willingly  answered.  Appropriate  stationery 
and  stamped  and  addressed  envelopes  will  be  supplied  to  those 
selected. 

NEMATODA. 

THE  ROOT  KNOT  EELWORM. 

Heterodera  radicicola. 

The  Root-knot  Eelworm  was  first  reported  in  this  country  in 
1892  by  the  late  Miss  Ormerod,  from  Kent,  infesting  the  roots 
of  tomato  and  cucumber  plants.  At  that  time  it  was  hoped  that 
the  climatic  conditions  in  this  country  would  prove  uncongenial 
to  this  worm  as  a  pest  to  farm-crops,  and  to  within  a  couple  of 
years  ago  it  seemed  likely  that  these  hopes  would  be  realised. 
In  October,  1902,  however,  Mr.  Cecil  Warburt on (l )"  received 
from  Kent  specimens  of  swede  plants  undoubtedly  suffering 
from  root-knot  disease,  and  containing  large  numbers  of  the 
characteristic  worms." 

The  importance  of  this  discovery  is  of  the  greatest  moment 
to  agriculturists — for,  as  Mr.  Warburton  pointed  out  :  "  It 
would  appear  as  though  the  only  condition  hitherto  wanting 
were  the  chance  conveyance  of  the  worm  to  crops  grown  in  tha 
open,  and  now  that  this  has  come  about  the  consequences  may 
be  very  far-reaching.  Infested  cucumber  and  tomato  beds 
acquire  very  much  greater  importance  as  the  possible  centres 
from  which  disastrous  attacks  on  farm  crops  may  be  spread, 
and  a  disease  which  has  aroused  no  great  interest  in  this  country, 
except  amongst  market  gardeners  and  nurserymen,  becomes  a 
danger  with  which  the  farmer  will  have  to  reckon." 

I  have  quoted  Mr.  Warburton  at  length,  as  the  case  I  have 
to  record  fully  bears  out  his  view  as  to  the  method  of  conveyance 
to  outdoor  crops. 

A  Staffordshire  correspondent  invited  me  to  inspect  some 
vegetable  marrows,  which,  "  in  spite  of  every  care  and  attention, 
were  gradually  going  from  bad  to  worse." 

The  first  examination  revealed  nothing  beyond  the  fact 
that  the  leaves  were  shrivelling  and  turning  yellow,  and  generally 
the  plants  looked  very  sickly.  In  mentioning  what  he  .had 
done  to  improve  the  ground,  my  correspondent  informed  me 

i.     Journ.  Roy.  Agr.  Soc.,  1902,  vol.  63,  p.  299. 


4  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

that  the  soil  was  very  rich,  and  was  largely  from  a  tomato  house, 
the  plants  in  which  the  previous  year  had  all  died  from  some 
unknown  cause.  Mr.  Warburton's  report  at  once  came  to  my 
mind;  and  upon  taking  up  a  plant,  we  found  plenty  of  the 


FlG.    I. — ROOTS   ATTACKED   BY   ROOT-KNOT   EELWORM. 

a. — Roots  of  Cucumber,     b. — Roots  of  Tomato. 


THE     ROOT-KNOT     EELWORM.  5 

characteristic  knots  on  the  roots,  a  later  microscopic  exami- 
nation of  which  showed  that  these  contained  numerous  eelworms. 

Beyond  the  marrows,  cucumbers  were  affected  in  a  similar 
manner. 

The  measures  adopted  in  this  case  were  as  follows  : — The 
plants  were  all  taken  up,  saturated  with  paraffin,  and  burnt  on 
the  ground,  which  was  then  liberally  treated  with  gas  lime. 

In  other  countries  species  of  Heterodera  are  known  to  infest 
wheat,  barley,  beet,  cabbage,  radish,  and  turnip  crops  :  while 
there  are  few  plants  which  allied  species  will  not  attack. 

It  would  seem  that  the  knots  are  not  always  present,  for  Mr. 
\Ynrburton  mentions  in  the  case  of  the  swedes  examined  by  him, 
that  "  the  root  was  small  and  ill-formed,  but  the  most  striking 
characteristic  was  the  remarkable  out-growth  of  side  roots,  which 
presented  a  dense  mass  of  fibres.  These  were  not  knotted  or 
swollen,  but  were  found  on  microscopic  examination  to  be  crowded 
with  the  worms." 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

Heterodera  belongs  to  a  group  of  minute  worms,  which  are 
mostly  very  small,  and  usually  free-living,  being  found  in  decaying 
vegetable  matter  in  water,  or  in  living  plants.  A  familiar  example 
of  this  group  is  The  Stem  Eelworm  (7  'ylenchus  devastatrix,  Knhn). 

The  larva  by  means  of  a  needle-like  process  bores  into  the  deli- 
cate rootlets  of  the  plant,  and  after  burying  itself  in  the  tissues 
becomes  stationary.  If  a  male,  it  then  commences  to  swell,  shrink- 
ing within  its  skin,  at  the  same  time  the  rootlets  become  irregular 
in  shape  and  the  so-called  knots  form  (Fig.  I,  A  and  B). 
Ultimately  a  much  longer  worm  is  formed  within  the  old  skin, 
which  is  now  little  more  than  a  protective  sac,  the  worm  then 
pierces  the  sac  and  bores  its  way  through  the  tissues  of  the 
root  and  becomes  free. 

The  female  does  not  undergo  any  like  change  in  the  root,  but 
after  a  time  ilso  leaves  it  and  becomes  attached  to  the  surface  of 
the  root,  here  it  is  fertilised  by  the  male,  and  then  undergoes 
considerable  degeneration.  Ultimately  it  becomes  a  brood 
pouch  full  of  ova  and  larvae.  Most  of  the  ova  hatch  out  into 
larvae  within  the  body  of  the  parent,  which  then  drops  off  the 
root  and  dies.  Three  hundred  to  three  hundred  and  fifty  eggs  are 
produced  at  a  time,  and  there  are  six  or  seven  generations  in  a 
year. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Great  care  should  be  taken  in  seeing  that  all  diseased  tomato 
or  cucumber  plants  are  burnt,  and  the  soil  in  which  they  grew 
should  be  liberally  treated  with  gas  lime. 

Saturating  the  soil  three  times  at  intervals  of  a  fortnight, 
with  one  part  of  carbolic  acid  in  twenty  parts  of  water,  is  also 
said  to  be  effective. 


6  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

In  either  case  the  soil  so  treated  should  be  allowed  to  remain 
for  six  or  seven  weeks  before  being  used  again. 

CRUSTACEA 

WO  OBLIGE. 

Porcellio  scaber,  Linn.,  and  Oniscus  asellus,  Linn. 

Various  species  of  woodlice  have  proved  troublesome  in 
gardens,  conservatories,  etc.,  during  the  past  year,  but  none  more 
so  than;  these  two  species.  One  correspondent  reports  that  they 
eat  thetdeveloping  fronds  of  ferns,  another  complains  of  them 
biting  the  new  branches  of  Stonecrop  and  Selaginella.  They  are 
particularly  fond  of  such  plants  as  the  Stonecrop  (Sedium  acre),  as 
it  affords  them  shelter  and  at  the  same  time  moisture,  which 
latter  is  very  important. 

Although  in  the  popular  mind  these  animals  are  generally 
regarded  as  insects,  they  are  structurally  very  distinct  from  them, 
and  belong  to  a  Class  of  animals  —  the  Crustacea  —  which  includes 
the  crab,  crayfish,  and  shrimp. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Trapping  is  one  of  the  most  successful  measures  I  know  of, 
and  for  this  purpose  little  heaps  of  wet  grass  or  leaves,  wet  wooden 
boards  12  by  6  inches,  or  plant  pots  filled  with  wet  grass,  should 
be  left  on  the  floor  of  the  conservatory  or  potting  house  over 
night  and  examined  next  morning. 

THE  BLACK-CURRANT  GALL-MITE. 

Eriophyes  ribis  (Nalepa). 

During  the  past  year  a  Report  (0  has  been  issued  suggesting 
new  remedial  measures  for  this  insidious  pest,  from  which  the 
following  is  an  extract  :— 

Spray  fluids,  —  The  only  time  sprayfluids  can  be  used  to  any 
purpose  is  during  the  season  of  migration.  The  extensive  ex- 
periments carried  out  at  Woburn  <2)  with  petroleum,  calcium 
sulphide,  carbolic  acid,  antinonnin,  etc.,  where  30  bushels  in  a 
double  row  were  treated  once  a  month  for  each  experiment, 
proved  ineffective,  as  did  also  undiluted  methylated  spirits, 
naptha,  a  saturated  solution  of  naphthalene  in  naptha,  a  2  per 
cent.,  0.5  and  o.i  solution  of  formalin,  turpentine,  undiluted 
petroleum,  petroleum  emulsion  :  i  part  of  petroleum,  5  parts 
of  water,  and  2  of  soft  soap,,  applied  once  a  month  with  a  brush. 

I  have  made  experiments  with  various  arsenical  fluids, 
bruised  hellebore,  lime,  sulphur  and  lime,  &c.,  &c.,  and  while 
many  have  considerably  reduced  the  numbers  of  the  mites,  I 
have  to  confess  that  their  practical  value  is  very  small. 


1.  Rpts.  on  Economic  Zool.,  No.  i,  1904. 

2.  Second  Rpt.  Woburn  Exp.  Fruit  Farm,  1900,  pp.  13-20. 


THE    BLACK-CURRANT    GALL-MITE.  7 

In  1901  some  small  bushes  which  were  very  badly  infested 
were  treated  with  the  following  sprayfluid  twice  a  week  during 
the  migration  season  :  Sulphur,  2  Ibs.  ;  soft  soap,  25  Ibs.  ;  water, 
50  gallons,  made  as  follows  :  Mix  the  sulphur  to  a  gruel  with 
water,  the  soft  soap  should  be  mixed  with  5  gallons  of  boiling 
water  ;  then  add  the  two  mixtures  together  and  mix  well, 
after  which  add  slowly  sufficient  water  to  make  50  gallons. 

The  results  obtained  from  the  use  of  this  sprayfluid  are  very 
encouraging.  The  new  buds  which  came  out  in  1901,  were  very 
carefully  examined  until  nearly  the  end  of  ths  year,  and  on  only 
one  bush  were  mites  found  in  them,  and  only  very  few,  the  actual 
numbers  in  the  different  buds  examined  in  August,  1901,  were  : 
12,  3,  7,  5,  3,  3,  12,3,7,7,6,5,3,12.  In  1902  these  same  bushes 
were  under  constant  observation,  but  no  mites  were  seen  or  any 
indications  of  them.  As  these  bushes  were  growing  not  far  from 
some  infested  bushes,  they  were  sprayed  during  the  migration 
season  as  in  the  previous  year.  In  1903  they  still  remained 
free  from  mites,  and  an  examination  of  almost  every  bud  on  one 
particular  tree  at  the  beginning  of  1904,  failed  to  discover  either 
mites  or  eggs,  and  all  the  trees  were  free  of  abnormal  buds. 

I  had  hoped  to  be  able  to  repeat  these  experiments  upon  a 
larger  scale  before  completing  this  Report,  but  the  opportunity 
has  not  presented  itself  ;  I  shall,  however,  do  so  later,  in  the 
meantime  I  shall  be  very  pleased  to  learn  what  success  attends 
anyone  who  may  use  the  above  fluid. 

Natural  Enemies. — In  addition  to  those  already  mentioned 
reference  must  be  made  to  the  larva  of  the  Ladybird  beetle, 
Coccinella  septempunc'.ata,  L. 

During  1902  and  1903  I  had  a  series  of  badly  infested 
cuttings  under  observation,  and  these  were  practically  all  cured 
by  keeping  them  artificially  supplied  with  this  beetle.  The 
1902  cuttings  exhibited  very  few,  and  only  slightly,  abnormal 
buds  in  the  autumn,  while  in  1903,  they  seemed  entirely  free. 
Unfortunately  this  species  of  Ladybird  does  not  seem  par- 
ticularly fond  of  the  Black  Currant,  but  in  my  own  mind,  I  have 
little  doubt  but  that  a  species  could  be  found  which,  if  bred  in 
sufficient  numbers,  would  materially  lessen  and  keep  in  check 
this  disease,  and  possibly  might  exterminate  it. 

In  conclusion,  I  am  of  opinion  that,  in  spite  of  the  success 
which  has  so  far  attended  the  use  of  the  soap  and  sulphur  spray- 
fluid,  for  a  permanent  remedy  we  must  look  to  natural  enemies 
rather  than  artificial  ones.  There  is  no  doubt  that  much  may 
be  done  by  the  fruit-grower  himself,  by  burning  present  infested 
stock  and  replacing  it  by  guaranteed  healthy  stock.  It  must  be 
borne  in  mind  that  healthy  cuttings  are  the  exception,  they  are 
difficult  to  obtain,  and  very  conclusive  evidence  should  be 
demanded  before  purchasing.  Once  having  obtained  such,  an 
ever-wratchful  eye  should  be  kept  for  the  first  signs  of  disease, 
and  the  bushes  so  attacked  should  be  taken  up,  saturated  with 
paraffin  and  burnt  at  once. 


REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904 

Many  growers  have  taken  up  and  burnt  infested  stock  and 
planted  clean,  which,  perhaps  in  the  long  run  will  prove  the  most 
effective  and  the  least  expensive  treatment. 

Further  experiments  on  spraying  and  dusting  with  sulphur 
are  being  carried  out,  the  results  of  which  will  be  given  in  a 
future  Report. 

THE  BIRCH  GALL  MITE. 

Eriopliyes  rudis  (Canest.). 

Many  examples  of  twigs  of  the  Silver  Birch  infested  with 
this  mite  have  been  received.  The  so-called  witches  brooms  can 
be  seen  in  mafiy  plantations  which  a  year  or  two  ago  were  quite 
free  from  them.  In  one  case  two  fine  trees  had  been  practical!} 
killed  by  this  mite.  A  worse  case  than  this  I  have  not  seen. 


FIG.  II. — LARGE  WITCHES  BROOM  FORMED  BY  Eriophyes  rudis. 
From  right  to  left  the  brcom  measured  just  over  a  yard. 

My  experience  favours  the  view  that  this  species  is  not  one 
that  spreads  rapidly,  and  if  the  clumps  of  aborted  branches  are 
cut  away  and  burnt  as  soon  as  observed,  but  very  few  mites 
will  be  left  behind,  certainly  not  in  sufficient  numbers  to  do  any 
serious  damage  for  some  years. 

Dr.  Buller  informs  me  that  according  to  Sadebeck  there  are 
two  fungi  called  Exoascus  turgidus  and  E.  bctulinus  respectively, 
which  cause  witches  brooms  on  the  Birch.  Further  Dr.  W.  G. 
Smith!1)  has  examined  the  brooms  on  the  Birches  in  Scotland 


i.  Tubeuf.  Diseases  of  Plants.     English  ed.,  p.  160,  Editor's   Note.    See  also  Dr.  Fisher,  Zeitschrf. 
Pflanzenkr.      1901,  Vol.  xi.  p.  321. 


THE    BIRCH    GALL-MITE.  9 

and  states  that  he  has  "  never  failed  to  find  the  asci  of  an  Exoas- 
cus  "  on  the  leaves.  ,  It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  the 
brooms  on  the  Birch,  at  any  rate  in  certain  districts  in  Scotland, 
are  caused  by  a  fungus.  Dr.  Buller  says  that  he  has  often 
examined  the  brooms  on  the  Birches,  in  the  Midlands,  e.g.  those 
in  Sutton  Park,  Lightwoods  Park,  and  at  King's  Heath,  but  has 
never  succeeded  in  detecting  any  trace  of  an  Exoascus  on  the 
leaves.  On  the  other  hand,  whenever  he  has  examined  the 


FIG.  III.— SILVER  BIRCH  AT  KING'S  HEATH  WITH  WITCHES  BROOMS. 


buds  with  the  aid  of  the  microscope,  he  has  always  found  this 
particular  mite.  My  own  observations  fully  confirm  Dr.  Bullers, 
and  I  think  that  there  can  be  little  doubt  but  that  the-e  are  the 
sole  cause  of  the  formation  of  the  brooms  in  the  Midlands. 

Figure  II  is  taken  from  a  photograph  of  one  of  three  brooms 
on  a  Silver  Birch  in  the  garden  of  J.  B.  Finnemore,  Esq., 
Edgbaston.  For  the  photograph  of  Figure  III  I  am  indebted  to 
the  kindness  of  my  colleague  Dr.  Buller. 


REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 


FIG.  IV.— SHOOT  OF  Cox's  POMONA  APPLE  WITH  MITES  IN  THE  BUDS. 

A.  Portion  of  shoot  ;    a,  lower  part  where  sound  in  bark,  wood  and  pith  ; 
b,  bud  swollen  and  tissue  slightly  excrescenced  around  and  below  ;   c,  buds  quite 
small  and  dead-looking,  but  tissues  slightly  excrescenced  below  the    joint  ;    d, 
bud  small  and  dead,  but  tissue  around  swollen  and  slightly  shrunken  on  sur- 
face ;    e,  bud  quite  indistinct  and   slightly  swollen  ;    /,  shrunken  tissue  around 
sunken  bud  ;    g,  upper  part  of   shoot   where  evidently  pruned  to,  sound. 

B.  Portion  of  shoot  A ,  above  and  below  bud  d,  showing — h  6-  k,  bark  healthy; 
i,  wood  sound  ;     /,  pith  clear  at  upper  part  ;     /,  wood  sound  ;        m,  pith  clear  ; 
n,  small  openings  in  tissue  beneath  bark  ;  o,  vertical  section  of  bud  ;  p,  perfor- 
ations in  tissue  of  bud  and  entire  obliteration  of  central  axis  of  growing  point. 

C.  Section  through  bud  A,b  ;   q,  outer  bark  slightly  corrugated  ;  r,  inner 
bark  or  cellular  tissue  in  place  of  bud  scales  ;    s,  interior  of  bud  composed  of 
cellular  tissue  ;  /,  apertures  in  cellular  tissue  with  hairs  issuing,    x  3.      D.    Mite, 
evident  cause  of  diseased  buds,    x   200.      E.  .  Bit    of  tissue  from  gall  C  at  t  ;    it, 
rellular  tissue  ;     v,  erineum  or   hairs;     a;',  mite,    x    100.        F.     Eelworms  Jr_om 
dead,  shrunken  and  decayed  bud,  A  f  ;  x,  male  ;  y,  female  ;  z,  young,    x    100. 


A  SUPPOSED  NEW  APPLE  MITE.  I  I 

A  SUPPOSED  NEW  APPLE  MITE. 

-Eriophyes,    sp. 

Early  in  the  year  Mr.  H.  Dunkin,  of  Warwick,  had  some 
Apple  shoots  brought  to  him  from  Knowle,  Warwickshire,  in- 
fested with  a  species  of  mite  belonging  to  the  genus  Eriophyes. 
Unfortunately,  for  my  purpose,  the  tree  was  burnt  before  Mr. 
Dunkin  could  obtain  further  diseased  shoots,  so  at  present  the 
species  remains  a  matter  of  doubt. 

The  mites  seem  to  attack  the  buds  only,  the  whole  of  the 
tissues  between  them  being  normal.  The  buds  are  more  or  less 
swollen,  though  occasionally  shrunken,  and  the  developing 
leaves  small,  dead,  and  undeveloped,  in  consequence  of  which, 
no  growth  takes  place.  Mr.  Dunkin  states  that  the  upper  buds 
in  a  shoot  are  the  first  to  be  attacked. 

In  addition  to  the  mites,  in  some  buds  there  were  a  number 
of  Eelworms,  which  a  contributor  to  the  pages  of  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture  has  referred  to  the  genus  Aphelenchus. 

It  seems  clear  from  the  nature  of  the  injury  that  this  is  not 
the  work  of  Eriophyes  mail  (Nalepa),  but  until  more  specimens  are 
obtained  nothing  further  can  be  said  about  it. 

THE  PEAR-LEAF  BLISTER  MITE. 

Eriophyes  piri  (Pagenst.),  Nalepa. 

A  number  of  inquiries  have  reached  me  during  the  year  con- 
cerning the  galled  patches  formed  by  this  mite  on  the  leaves 
of  the  Pear. 

So  far  as  my  observations  go  this  mite  does  very  little  serious 
damage.  Unlike  many  species  of  this  genus,  it  spreads  very 
slowly,  often  a  single  tree  remaining  attacked  for  years  without 
it  spreading  to  others.  It  is  not  at  all  uncommon  to  find  the 
leaves  of  one  side  of  a  tree  or  even  one  or  two  branches  infected 
while  the  rest  of  the  tree  is  free. 

At  the  end  of  June,  or  early  in  July,  the  galled  leaves  should 
be  hand-picked  and  burnt,  or,  if  badly  attacked  the  branches 
should  be  cut  off  and  burnt.  During  April  and  May  the  trees 
should  be  sprayed  with  the  spray  fluid  mentioned  on  page  7. 

THE  HAZEL  BUD  MITE. 

Eriophyes  avellaena  (Nalepa). 

A  correspondent  forwarded  in  April  twigs  of  Hazel  from 
Earlswood,  Solihull,  and  Henley,  infected  with  this  mite,  in- 
quiring the  cause  of  the  distorted  buds  and  if  any  remedial  mea- 
sures were  known. 

E.  avellaena  behaves  in  a  very  similar  manner  to  E.  ribis, 
the  Black  Currant  Gall-Mite,  although  I  have  never  found  it,  in 
any  of  the  Hazel  buds  which  I  have  examined,  anything  like  as 
numerous  as  E.  ribis  in  Black  Currant  buds. 


12  REPORT     ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

Handpicking  the  abortive  buds  and  burning  them  very  often 
proves  effective.      The  sprayfluid  mentioned  under  the  Black 
Currant  Gall-Mite  was  also  recommended, 
i 

TYROGLYPHUS,  SP.   ON  MUSHROOMS. 

In  Worcestershire  a  mite  belonging  to  the  genus  Tyroglyphus 
has  proved  a  most  serious  pest,  exceedingly  destructive  and 
present  in  countless  numbers.  Not  only  were  they  found  clustered 
around  and  feeding  upon  the  mycelium  underground,  ultimately 
destroying  the  plants,  but  they  also  attacked  the  fruit  bodies.  In 
some  cases  they  were  found  thickly  clustered  on  the  gills  or  lamel- 
lae, which  were  partly  destroyed,  giving  the  mushrooms  an 
unsightly  appearance,  while  in  other  cases  the  pileus  was  riddled 
with  holes  or  excavated  on  the  dorsal  side. 

Numerous  experiments  were  made  hoping  to  find  a  remedy 
but  none  proved  effective.  Amongst  the  various  experiments 
tried  may  be  mentioned  : — 

a.  Covering  the  beds  with  flower  of  sulphur. 

b.  Fumigating  with  sulphur,  also  with  bisulphide  of  carbon. 

c.  Scattering  tobacco  dust  over  the  beds. 

d.  Dusting  with  pyrethrum  powder. 

e.  Spraying  with  paraffin. 

/.  Soaking  the  beds  with  boiling  water. 
g.  Keeping  the  beds  very  damp. 

Experiments  a,  b,  c,  and  d,  were  little,  if  any,  good.  e. 
Spraying  with. paraffin  killed  large  numbers  of  the  mites,  but  in- 
jured the  plants  also  ;  /.  Keeping  the  beds  very  damp  proved  to 
be  the  most  satisfactory  measure,  for  whilst  keeping  down  the 
number  of  mites  it  allowed  the  plants  to  make  very  fair 
progress.  Soaking  the  beds  with  boiling  water  soon  killed  the 
mites,  but  killed  the  mycelium  also. 

Finally  all  the  teds  were  drenched  with  boiling  water,  re- 
moved, and  deeply  buried.  The  place  was  then  well  swilled  and 
brushed  out,  and  for  some  weeks  chickens  were  allowed  to  have  the 
run  of  it.  It  was  then  re-stocked,  and  when  last  inspected  no 
mites  were  to  be  found. 

MYRIAPODA. 

MILLIPEDES. 

Quite  a  large  number  of  species  of  millipedes,  all  of  which  are 
more  or  less  injurious,  have  been  received  during  the  year  from 
various  correspondents. 

The  two  commonest  species  met  with  are  Polydesmus 
complanatus,  Linn.,  which  has  been  reported  attacking  Vegetable 
Marrows,  Potatoes  and  Beans,  and  Blaniulus  guttulatus,  Bosc, 
a  serious  pest  to  strawberry  growers.  The  snake  millipedes 
(lulus  terrestris,  Linn.,  /.  pulchellus,  Koch,  and  /.  niger,  Linn.) 


THE     SILVER-FISH    INSECT    AND    FROTH    FLY.  13 

have  also  been  plentiful,  and  frequently  sent  in  as  wire- 
worms.  In  •  addition  I  have  received  examples  of  lulus 
pilosus,  Newport,  Atractosoma  polydesmoides,  Leach,  and  Brachy- 
desmus  superus,  Latzel. 

In  all  cases  reported  the  specimens  have  occurred  in  gardens 
and  shrubberies,  and  not  much  difficulty  has  been  experienced 
in  materially  reducing  their  numbers.  Pieces  of  mangold  or 
potato  dipped  in  a  strong  solution  of  Paris  green  (Blunders),  and 
covered  over  night  with  a  cabbage  leaf,  proved  very  effective. 

INSECTA. 

THE     SILVER-FISH     INSECT. 

Lepisma  saccharina,  Linn. 

Specimens  of  this  primitive  insect  were  reported  as  occurring 
in  a  dwelling  house  at  Digbeth,  Birmingham,  where  they  were 
present  in  such  large  numbers  as  to  become  a  serious  pest. 
Nearly  every  proprietary  insecticide  had  been  tried,  but  with 
little  effect.  Fumigation  with  bisulphide  of  carbon  was  recom- 
mended. (See  p.  62.) 

Although  more  or  less  common  in  the  kitchens  of  most  houses, 
it  is  seldom  that  these  insects  are  so  numerous  as  to  become  a 
pest.  This  is  the  first  case  I  have  heard  of  in  this  country  where 
ordinary  measures  have  failed. 

Pyrethrum  powder  may  be  used  wherever  practicable,  to 
which  the  insects  readily  succumb. 

THE  FROTH  FLY  (CUCKOO  SPIT). 

Tetiigonia  spumaria,  Linn. 

The  larvae  of  this  fly  have  done  considerable  damage  to 
numerous  garden  plants.  It  is  many  years  since  it  was  so  plen- 
tiful as  in  the  past  year.  Amcngst  the  plants  sent  in  or  inspected, 
infected  by  this  insect  were  Sunflowers,  Roses,  Hollyhocks, 
Stocks,  Asters,  Fuchsias,  Pinks,  Wallflowers,  Pelargoniums, 
Daffodils,  Dahlias,  Canterbury  Bells,  and  Carnations. 

Sunflowers  and  Carnations  particularly,  and  Roses  in  a  few 
cases,  were  very  badly  attacked.  The  first  specimens  of  Sun- 
flowers were  received  early  in  May,  the  leaves  were  much  curled  or 
'•  cockled  "  and  generally  the  plants,  which  were  about  a  foot 
in  height,  looked  sickly.  Five  to  ten  larvae  were  found  on  diffe- 
rent leaves.  Early  in  June  plants  from  the  same  garden  were 
examined,  and  as  many  as  a  hundred  larvae  were  taken  off  a  single 
plant,  now  measuring  about  two  feet  high.  At  the  end  of  July 
these  plants  in  former  years  have  been  about  five  feet  high, 
whereas  the  majority  now  were  about  three  and  a  half  feet,  and 
many  not  more  than  eighteen  inches  high,  while  a  few  had  died 
down. 

Carnations  suffered  severely,  and  thousands  of  flower-buds 
never  fully  expanded. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


14  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS     FOR     1904. 

Roses  were  attacked  early  in  June,  and  trees  full  of  buds 
never  flowered,  or  only  here  and  there  a  bud  developed. 

The  Froth  Fly,  known  also  as  Cuckoo-Spit,  Frog-Spit,  Frog 
Hopper,  etc.,  belongs  to  that  order  of  Insects  known  as  Hemip- 
tera.  Very  erroneous  ideas  have  been  published  as  to  its  life- 
history,  and  very  ridiculous  measures  suggested  for  its  exter- 
mination. 

Experiments  were  made  with  a  number  of  sprayfluids  of 
which  the  following  gave  the  best  results  :  5  Ibs.  of  soft  soap,  5 
gallons  of  water,  and  J-  Ib.  of  tobacco,  the  whole  to  be  well  boiled 
together,  and  when  applied,  add  three  gallons  of  water  to  every 
gallon  of  the  mixture. 

THE  APPLE  SUCKER. 

Psylla  mah\  Forster. 

Numerous  inquiries  were  received  early  in  May  concerning 
this  pest,  which  during  the  past  year  has  proved  very  trouble- 
some in  the  Midland  Counties. 


to.  - 

FIG.  V. — THE  APPLE  SUCKER  (Psylla  mail}. 

i. — Larva,  natural  size.      \a. — Larva  after  third  moult,  much  magrified. 
2. — Perfect  insect,  natural  size.      2*7. — The  same,   much  magnified. 

Very  often  growers  are  not  aware  of  its  presence  in  their 
orchards,  I  find,  the  damage  being  put  down  to  the  action  of 
fungi,  etc.  In  nearly  all  the  cases  I  have  seen  the  leaves  were 
wrinkled  and  curly,  pale  in  colour,  and  had  a  white  frosty  appear- 
ance. The  blossom  buds  were  more  severely  attacked  than 
the  leaves,  and  never  fully^ expanded.  The  pupae  were  found 


THE    APPLE    SUCKER.  1.5 

to  be  most   numerous  in  the  blossom  buds  or  in  folded  leaves 
close  to  them,  and  wereiirst  noted  on  May  I4th. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

Briefly  the  life-history  is  as  follows  :  The  adult  insects  (Fig. 
V,  2)  appear  early  in  June  (first  noticed  on  June  4th,  1904),  and  are 
plentiful  all  through  the  summer.  About  the  middle  of  September 
they  commence  to  lay  their  eggs,  and  continue  until  nearly  the  end 
of  October.  The  eggs  are  somewhat  pear-shaped  with  the  small 
end  produced  into  a  fine  thread-like  process.  Though  usually 
found  in  rows,  they  may  occur  singly,  and  are  particularly  nume- 
rous in  crevices  of  the  bark,  but  may  be  found  on  the  roughened 
outer  portions,  in  fact,  generally  over  the  stem.  In  these  posi- 
tions they  remain  until  the  following  April,  when  they  hatch  out 
into  minute,  flat,  yellowish-brown  larvae  with  red  eyes.  In  about 
eight  or  nine  days  they  undergo  a  moult  and  one  or  more  bluish 
threads  are  seen  passing  out  of  the  posterior  end  of  the  body,  while 
attached  to  each  of  these  threads  is  a  small  oily-looking  globule. 
After  another  ten  or  twelve  days  a  second  moult  takes  place,  the 
larvae  now  being  of  a  yellowish-green  colour,  and  usually  covered 
with  fine,  bluish-white  threads.  The  final  moult  is  undergone 
about  eight  or  ten  days  later,  the  larvae  pupating  after  another 
seven  or  eight  days. 

The  pupae  are  variable  in  colour,  though  generally  of  a 
vivid  green,  flatish,  with  prominent  dark  eyes  and  conspicuous 
wing-buds. 

REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

When  first  noticed,  that  is  to  say,  about  the  middle  of  April, 
a  sprayfluid  consisting  of  one  pound  of  soft  soap  to  every  three 
gallons  of  water  should  at  once  be  applied. 

Wherever  the  insect  has  been  noticed  in  the  spring,  an 
autumnal  sprayfluid  should  be  used  to  kill  the  adults.  A  paraffin 
emulsion  made  as  follows,  has  proved  very  effective.  Dissolve 
two  pounds  of  soft  soap  in  one  gallon  of  boil  ing  water,  and  whilst 
boiling  add  two  gallons  of  paraffin,  and  beat  up  into  a  creamy 
liquid.  Then  pump  with  force  through  a  fine  spray  nozzle  into 
another  vessel.  To  make  a  sprayfluid  add  ten  gallons  of  water. 

For  winter  use  soda  and  potash  wash  is  recommended,  viz.  : — 

Caustic    Soda         (70%)          .  .          .  .          .  .      i  Ib. 

Carbonate   of  Potash    (80%)  .  .          .  .      i  Ib. 

Soft    Soap  .  .          .  .          \  Ib. 

Water  . .          . .          . .          . .          .  .  10  galls. 

The  autumnal  spraying  is  exceedingly  important. 
As  this  pest  is  undoubtedly  well  distributed  in  the  Midlands, 
infected  trees  should  not  be  neglected. 


1 6  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

THE  WOOLLY  APHIS  (AMERICAN  BLIGHT). 

Schizoneura  lanigera,  Hausm. 

There  is  a  marked  increase  of  this  insect  in  all  the  Midland 
Counties,  infection  being  spread,  to  a  large  extent,  by  the  apathy 
of  certain  individuals  and  their  utter  neglect  of  old  infested  trees. 
It  is  exceedingly  discouraging  to  those  who  do  endeavour  to 
keep  their  orchards  clean,  that  such  a  state  of  things  should  be 
allowable.  Often  the  presence  of  a  single,  badly  infested  tree, 
is  a  source  of  danger  and  loss  to  a  whole  district. 

THE  HOP  APHIS. 

Phorodon  humuli,  Schrank. 

Hops  in  Worcestershire  have  rarely,  if  ever,  been  attacked 
with  such  virulency  by  this  pest  as  during  1904.  On  all  hands 
growers  complain  that  this  aphid  has  occasioned  such  serious 
damage,  that  the  yield  this  year  will  be  less  than  any  years  since 
1882. 

At  the  end  of  July  various  correspondents  reported  the 
crops  in  a  wretched  condition,  and  the  severe  attacks  of  this 
pest  and  continued  washing  had  left  the  bine  in  an  exhausted 
condition. 

THE  APPLE  APHIS. 

Aphis   mali,    Fabr. 

This  insect  has  decidedly  gained  ground  during  the  past  year, 
very  largely  due  to  neglect  or  spraying  too  late  to  be  of  much 
service. 

Spraying  with  so  ft  soap  and  water  alone  is  very  serviceable, 
but  a  mixture  consisting  of  2-J-  Ibs.  of  soft  soap,  3^  gallons  of 
water,  and  3  gills  of  paraffin,  is  recommended.  The  paraffin 
should  be  added  whilst  the  soft  soap  and  water  are  still  boiling. 
Before  using  add  I2j  gallons  of  soft  water. 

THE  ROSE  APHIS. 

Siphonophora  rosae,  Reaumur. 

The  Rose  Aphis  has  proved  a  source  of  considerable  annoy- 
ance to  rose  growers  throughout  the  Midlands  during  1904. 

Early  in  the  year  a  short  report  was  sent  out,  recommending 
growers  to  give  their  plants  a  weekly  spray  with  soft-soap  and 
water,  or  where  badly  attacked,  with  soft-soap  and  quassia 
chips,  and  from  replies  received  it  is  satisfactory  to  learn,  that 
wherever  this  treatment  has  been  systematically  carried  out, 
clean  plants  have,  with  few  exceptions,  been  maintained. 

Lady-bird  larvae  and  the  adult  beetles  should  be  encouraged, 
as  well  as  the  larvae  of  the  Lacewing  Flies  (Chrysopidae)  and 
Hovering  Flies  (Syrfhidae),  all  ot  which  feed  upon  these  pests. 


THE     CAMELLIA     AND     ROSE     SCALES.  17 

THE  CAMELLIA  SCALE. 

Aspidiotus  camelliae,  Sign. 

Early  in  the  year  a  correspondent  forwarded  leaf-buds  of  the 
Camellia  with  the  following  note,  "  I  notice  that  all  the  new  buds 
are  dead  and  falling  off.  I  cannot  find  any  insect  or  grub  inside 
them  or  on  any  other  part  of  the  plant.  Can  you  inform  me 
what  is  the  cause  and  suggest  a  remedy  ?  " 

The  trees  were  inspected  and  the  buds  were  found  to  be 
attacked  by  a  scale  insect,  which  Mr.  Robert  Newstead,  the  chief 
authority  on  these  insects  in  this  country,  has  kindly  identified 
as  the  female  of  Aspidiotus  camelliae,  Sign. 

All  the  buds  were  picked  off  and  burnt,  and  the  trees  were 
well  sprayed  with  soda  and  potash  ;  no  scales  have  since  been 
observed. 

THE  ROSE  SCALE. 

Aulacaspis  (Diaspis)  rosae  (Bouche). 

Many  correspondents  complain  of  the  abundance  of  this 
pest  during  1904. 

The  following  account  of  the  life-history,  I  take  the  liberty 
of  quoting  from  Mr.  Robert  Newstead's  Monograph. 

"  Egg-laying  commences  in  August,  and  the  larvae  appear 
soon  afterwards,  but  are  most  abundant  in  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber, and  may  then  be  found  in  a  more  or  less  active  condition. 
Before  winter  sets  in,  the  male  larvae  effect  their  first  moult,  and 
a  small  portion  of  the  puparium  is  formed  ;  but  the  female 
larvae  do  not  moult  until  the  following  spring,  and  may  be  found 
throughout  the  winter  either  permanently  fixed  or  active  even 
during  severe  frosts.  In  early  spring  the  male  puparium  is 
completed  ;  subsequently  pupation  takes  place,  and  the  perfect 
males  may  be  looked  for  from  the  middle  to  the  end  of  May, 
the  time  of  appearance  varying  according  to  the  season.  *  * 
The  final  moult  of  the  female  is  effected  either  immediately 
prior  to  or  after  fecundation,  at  which  stage  the  puparium  is 
small.  *  By  the  end  of  summer  it  is  completed,  and  will 

then  be  found  to  contain  its  imprisoned  female,  together  with  her 
batch  of  pale  crimson  eggs  ;  later,  in  winter,  her  dead  shrivelled 
body  and  the  white,  effete  egg  skins,  with  an  occasional  larva." 

REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Spraying  with  paraffin  emulsion  about  the  middle  of  Septem- 
ber, three  or  four  times,  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  days,  arid 
again  in  the  spring,  is  the  most  effective  remedy  that  I  know  of. 

THE  MUSSEL  SCALE. 

Mytilaspis  pomorum,  Bouche. 

Many  inquiries  have  been  received  respecting  the  treatment  of 
this  scale,  and  some  of  the  apple  twigs  sent  in  have  been  the 
worst  I  have  seen. 


1 8 


REPORT      ON      INJURIOUS      INSECTS      FOR      1904. 


It  is  a  common  species,  occurring  all  over  the  world,  and 
exceedingly  destructive..  It  is  known  under  a  variety  of  popular 
names,  such  as  the  apple  tree  bark  louse,  oyster  shell  bark  louse, 
oyster  scale,  mussel  scale,  etc. 

The  adult  female  scale  is  about  one-eighth  ofjanjinch  in 
length,  usually  it  exhibits  a  slight  curve  and  widens  from  before 
backwards.  At  the  anterior  or  pointed  end  is  a  small  yellowish 
pellicle  with  a  scale  attached,  in  addition  there  is  a  larger 
pellicle  to  which  is  attached  the  remainder  of  the  brownish  or 
greyish-brown  scale,  marked  with  numerous  fine  transverse 
curved  lines.  Beneath  this  covering  scale  is  the  female  insect, 
which  occupies  the  anterior  portion  (Fig.  VI,  i — 3). 

The  male  scale  is  much  smaller  than  the  female  scale. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  life-cycle  is  completed  jn  a  year,  though  in  some  coun- 
tries two  generations  are  produced  each  year.  During  August 
the  female  deposits  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  oval,  whitish  eggs, 


i  3  2 

FIG.  VI. — THE  MUSSEL  SCALE  (Mytilaspis  pomorum). 

i. — Upper  surface  of  female  scale.     2. — Lower  surface  of  same.      3. — Eggs. 
All  greatly  enlarged. 

which  remain  beneath  the  protecting  scale  during  the  winter, 
hatching  out  from  May  to  early  June  into  small,  active,  six- 
legged  larvae,  which  now  proceed  to  creep  from  beneath  the 
parent  scale.  These  soon  settle  down  and  commence  sucking 
nourishment  from  the  underlying  tissues.  After  about  two  days, 
long,  white,  waxy  filaments  may  be  seen  forming  on  the  back  of 
each,  and  this,  after  a  time,  with  the  cast  skin  of  the  young, 
becomes  the  scale-like  covering.  A  second  moult  then  occurs, 
and  to  the  cast  skin  a  still  larger  scale  becomes  attached.  During 
this  period  the  larvae  have  lost  their  six  legs,  and  now  take  the 
form  of  small,  yellowish,  fleshy  grubs.  In  the  case  of  the  females 
they  remain  beneath  the  scales,  and  after  depositing  their  eggs, 
die.  Reproduction  in  most  cases  is  asexual. 


THE  MUSSEL  SCALE  AND  THE  COLORADO  BEETLE.       19 

Male  scales  are  rare,  and  the  larvae  pass  through  a  so-called 
pupal  stage,  which  ultimately  gives  place  to  a  small  insect 
possessing  wings. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Wherever  the  scale  is  noticed  the  trunks  and  main  branches 
should  be  well  washed  with  soda  and  potash  (caustic  alkali),  and 
early  in  June  sprayed  with  paraffin  emulsion,  this  should  be 
done  three  or  four  times,  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  days. 

All  young  stock  should  be  fumigated  with  hydrocyanic  acid 
gas  before  being  planted. 

THE  COLORADO  BEETLE. 

Doryphora  decemlineata,  Say. 

Early  in  July  a  report  appeared  in  the  public  press  stating  that 
living  specimens  of  this  beetle  had  been  brought  to  the  Hereford 
Museum  for  identification.  This  statement  naturally  gave  rise 
to  some  alarm  amongst  Midland  agriculturists,  and  specimens  of 
the  American  Cockroach  (Periplaneta  americana)  and  the  common 
Cockchafer  (Melolontha  vulgaris)  were  forwarded  to  me  from  the 
Birmingham  Wholesale  Fruit  Market,  under  the  impression  that 
they  were  examples  of  this  dreaded  pest. 

The  Board  of  Agriculture  were  promptly  advised  of  the 
occurrence,  and  subsequently  it  was  found  that  a  lady  from 
Rhode  Island,  New  York,  U.S.A.,  had  brought  over  five  living 
specimens  as  curiosities.  Three  died,  and  the  remaining  two  which 
were  left  at  the  Hereford  Museum,  were  promptly  killed. 

To  the  best  of  my  knowledge,  at  the  present  time,  there  is  no 
infestation  of  this  beetle  in  Europe. 

THE  TURNIP  FLEA-BEETLE. 

Phyllotreta  nemorum,  Linn. 

Probably  owing  to  the  wet  season  experienced  in  1903,  this 
beetle,  although  reported  from  all  the  Midland  counties,  did  little 
damage.  During  1904,  however,  it  has  proved  a  troublesome 
pest  to  growers  of  turnips,  cabbage,  etc. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

As  regards  mechanical  contrivances,  a  board  coated  with 
tar,  which  must  be  renewed  at  frequent  intervals,  drawn  over  the 
ground,  will  catch  large  numbers. 

Keeping  the  soil  in  as  fine  a  tilth  as  possible  will  expose  the 
beetles  to  the  rain. 

Of  the  various  insecticides  recommended  few  have  proved 
of  any  great  value. 

Spraying  the  young  plants  wittf  paraffin  has  proved  success- 
ful, and  I  have  seen  good  results  from  dusting  with  equal  parts  of 


20  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS   FOR    1904. 

sulphur  and  soot,  which  should  be  applied  in  the  early  morning 
when  the  dew  is  on  the  leaf. 

All  cruciferous  weeds,  such  "as"  Charlock,  Shepherd's  Purse, 
etc.,  should  be  destroyed,  for  on  such  the  beetles  breed  and  feed 
before  the  young  turnips  appear. 

WIREWORMS. 

One  of  the  most  insidious  pests  infesting  field  crops,  are 
the  larvae  of  certain  beetles  commonly  termed  wireworms.  The 
term  wireworm,  has,  unfortunately,  been  misapplied  to  certain 
other  animals,  the  millipedes.  The  true  wireworms  are  the 
larvae  of  certain  beetles  popularly  known  as  Click  Beetles  or 
Skip  Jacks.  They  may  readily  be  distinguished  from  the  milli- 
pedes by  the  presence  of  three  pairs  of  legs,  one  pair  to  each  of 
the  first  three  segments  behind  the  head,  in  addition  to  these 
they  have  an  anal  foot  on  the  ventral  surface  of  the  tail. 

The  eggs  are  deposited  in  the  earth  or  on  the  plant  close  to 
the  earth,  from  these  the  larvae  hatch  out  in  about  four  weeks. 
They  remain  in  the  larval  condition  three  or  more  years,  seeking 
the  deeper  layers  of  soil  during  the  winter.  When  full-fed  they 
descend  into  the  soil  and  construct  a  small  oval  cocoon,  changing 
into  the  pupae  during  July  or  August.  In  about  three  weeks  time 
the  beetles  emerge,  and  often  remain  in  the  ground  until  the 
following  spring. 

Many  complaints  have  b^en  received  of  really  serious  damage 
done  by  these  larvae.  A  Shropshire  correspondent  writes  "they  were 
never  more  numerous,  in  certain  fields  there  must  be  millions." 
In  this  particular  case  I  found  on  making  inquiries,  that  mustard 
and  rape  cake  had  been  largely  used  in  previous  years.  This 
does  considerably  more  harm  than  good.  It  no  doubt  attracts 
the  larvae,  which  feed  upon  it,  and  so  allows  the  plants  to  grow, 
but  with  a  liberal  supply  of  such  food  the  wireworms  flourish,  and 
the  condition  the  following  year  is  still  worse. 

No  effective  remedy  is  yet  known  of  treating  these  pests  on 
large  areas.  (0-  Professors  J.  H.  ComstockandM.  V.  Slingerland 
in  1891  published  the  results  of  three  years  experimentation  (2)> 
and  the  latter  re-issued  the  same  in  1896  in  a  condensed  form, 
bringing  the  information  up  to  date.  These  experiments  may 
be  considered  under  three  heads,  viz.,  i.  Protection  of  Seeds  ; 
ii.  Destruction  of  the  Larvae  ;  and  iii.  Destruction  of  Pupae  and 
Adults. 

i.  Protection  of  Seeds. — Coating  the  seed  with  Paris  green  and 
flour,  and  also  with  tar  were  tried  ;  soaking  the  seed  in  a  saturated 
salt  solution,  in  a  solution  of  copperas  (sulphate  of  iron),  in  chloride 
of  lime  and  copperas  solution,  in  kerosene  oil,  in  spirits  of  turpen- 

i  Mr.  G.  F.  Strawson  informs  me  that  he  used  "  Vaporite  "  with  complete  success  for  wireworms, 
slugs,  etc. 

2.  Cornell  Cniv.  Agric.  Exp.  Station,  Entomol.  Div.,  Bull.  No.  33,  Nov.,  1891  and  Bull.  No.  107, 
Jan.,  1896. 


WIREWORMS   AND    APPLE    BLOSSOM    WEEVIL.  21 

tine,  in  a  strong  solution  of  strychnine,  etc.,  etc.,  In  all  cases 
it  was  found  impossible  to  protect  the  seed,  and  often  the  treat- 
ment retarded  or  prevented  the  germination  of  the  seed. 

ii.  Destruction  of  the  Larvae. — Starvation  by  clean  fallow,  by 
the  growth  of  buckwheat,  mustard  and  rape  ;  by  the  use  of 
insecticides  such  as  kerosene,  pure  and  as  an  emulsion,  crude 
petroleum,  pure  and  as  an  emulsion,  and  poisoned  dough,  proved 
useless.  Bisulphide  of  carbon  in  quantities  sufficient  to  kill 
proved  too  costly.  Various  fertilisers  were  also  tried  ;  muriate 
of  potash  proved  too  expensive  and  like  salt,  chloride  of  lime 
and  gas  lime,  have  to  be  used  in  such  large  quantities  to  kill, 
that  they  would  also  be  very  destructive  to  vegetation. 

iii.  Destruction  of  Pupae  and  Adults. — Fall  ploughing,  under 
this  head  Professor  Slingerland  writes  "  experience  clearly  indi- 
cates that  if  infested  fields  are  ploughed  after  July  2Oth,  and 
thoroughly  pulverised  and  kept  stirred  up,  many  of  the  little 
earthern  cells  [cocoons]  may  be  broken  and  the  tender  pupae  or 
beetles  within  destroyed.  ...  In  connection  with  this  fall 
ploughing  and  cultivation  we  earnestly  recommend  the  method 
of  short  rotation  of  crops  to  farmers  having  land  badly  infested 
with  wireworms.  Do  not  keep  fields  in  sod  for  more  than  a  year 
or  two  at  a  time.  No  doubt  it  will  require  several,  at  least  three 
years  by  this  method,  to  render  the  soil  comparatively  free  from 
the  pests  as  only  the  pupae  and  adults  are  killed  each  fall,  while 
most  of  the  one  and  two-year  old  wireworms  will  escape  injury." 

Trapping  with  poisoned  clover  baits  destroyed  large  quan- 
tities of  the  beetles. 

One  point  not  taken  into  consideration  in  the  above  men- 
tioned experiments  is  the  effect  of  natural  enemies,  and  under 
this  head  I  cannot  too  strongly  emphasise  the  importance  of  offer- 
ing every  encouragement  to  Plovers,  Rooks,  and  Starlings  in  the 
fields.  The  ruthless  destruction  of  Plover's  eggs  during  recent 
years,  undoubtedly  has  much  to  do  with  the  great  increase  of 
wireworms.  The  remedy  lies  very  much  in  the  farmer's  own 
hands,  so  long  as  Plovers'  eggs  are  collected  and  sold  in  the 
numbers  they  are  to-day,  so  long  will  wireworms,  and  many 
other  pests  flourish. 

THE  APPLE    BLOSSOM  WEEVIL. 

Anthonomus  pomorum,  Linn. 

In  Worcestershire  this  very  destructive  beetle  has  re-appeared 
in  large  numbers,  after  a  period  of  comparatively  lean  years.  All 
who  have  any  experience  of  this  insect  know  only  too  well  of 
the  serious  damage  it  does.  I  am,  therefore,  giving  some  account 
of  its  life-history,  and  of  the  various  tried  and  suggested  reme- 
dies. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

Early  in  the  spring  the  beetles  leave  their  winter  quarters 
and  make  their  way  to  the  apple  trees.  Considerable  difference 


22  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

of  opinion  exists  as  to  how  the  females  reach  the  buds,  some 
holding  that  they  seldom  use  their  wings  and  so  must  crawl  up 
the  stem  and  branches  of  the  tree,  while  others  state  that  they 
fly  from  branch  to  branch.  However,  on  reaching  the  tree, 
and  after  being  fertilised  by  the  male,  the  female  deposits  her 
eggs  in  the  unopened  blossom  buds.  By  means  of  her  long  snout 
like  rostrum  a  hole  is  made  into  which  an  egg  is  deposited,  this 
is  pushed  down  into  the  centre  of  the  bud  by  the  rostrum,  and 
the  opening  closed  with  a  secretion.  This  is  again  and  again 
repeated  in  separate  flower  buds,  until  anything  between  twenty 
and  fifty  eggs  have  been  deposited. 

In  six  or  eight  days  the  eggs  hatch  out  into  minute,  whitish, 
legless,  maggots,  with  blackish-brown  heads,  later  they  become 
creamy-white,  with  the  skin  very  wrinkled  and  hairy  (Fig,  VII, 


FIG.  VII. — THE  APPLE  BLOSSOM  WEEVIL  (Anthonomus  pomonun). 

a  and  b. — Beetle,  natural  size  and  much  magnified,  c  and  d. — Larva,  natural  size 
and  much  magnified,  e  and  /. — Pupa,  natural  size  and  much  magnified. 
g. — Larva  in  blossom  bud. 

c  and  d).  Throughout  the  larval  period  they  lie  in  the  bud  in 
a  curved  position.  Gradually  the  blossom  bud  withers  and 
dies.  When  full-fed,  viz.,  in  from  one  to  three  weeks,  the  time 
depending  very  largely  upon  the  weather,  the  larvae  cast  their 
skins  and  change  into  pupae  (Fig.  VII,  e  and  f). 

The  pupa,  which  is  nearly  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  is  a  pale 
yellowish-brown  in  colour.  The  pupal  stage  occupies  from  a 
week  to  ten  days,  the  beetle  then  boring  its  way  through  the  bud 
lives  upon  the  tree  until  late  in  September,  when  it  hybernates 
beneath  the  bark  or  under  stones,  rubbish,  etc.,  around  the  tree. 


THE  APPLE  BLOSSOM  AND  CABBAGE-GALL  WEEVILS.  23 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Spraying  with  a  soda  and  potash  wash  early  in  February, 
will  destroy  all  lichens  and  mosses,  beneath  which  the  weevils 
hybernate. 

All  rubbish,  leaves,  long  grass,  etc.,  beneath  the  trees  should 
be  cleared  away  and  burnt. 

Spraying  the  trees  before  the  blossom  buds  burst  with  paraffin 
emulsion,  tends  to  prevent  the  insects  laying  their  eggs. 

Jarring  the  trees  so  as  to  shake  off  the  dead  blossoms  before 
the  larval  or  pupal  stages  are  over,  will  rid  the  trees  of  nearly  all 
the  pests.  An  old  rick-cloth  should  first  be  placed  beneath  the 
tree,  and  after  a  vigorous  jarring,the  blossoms  and  beetles  should 
be  swept  up,  collected  and  burnt. 

THE  CABBAGE-GALL  WEEVIL. 

Ceuthorhynchus  sulcicollis,  Gyll. 

The  larvae  and  beetles  of  this  species  have  been  very  much  in 
evidence  in  the  Evesham  district,  and  generally  throughout  South 
Worcestershire  and  Warwickshire.  But  little  attention  has 
been  paid  to  preventive  and  remedial  measures  in  these  dis- 
tricts, though  much  has  been  done  in  the  wray  of  encouraging 
the  pest,  as  a  result  this  beetle  is  undoubtedly  increasing  in 
numbers  and  spreading  itself  over  a  wider  area. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  female  deposits  her  eggs  either  on  the  roots  of  Cabbages 
and  Turnips,  or  with  her  proboscis  excavates  small  holes,  into 
each  of  which  she  places  usually  a  single  egg.  In  about  ten 
days  the  larvae  hatch  out,  as  short,  thick,  legless,  yellowish- 
white  maggots,  and  around  each  a  small  swelling  arises  knovvn  as 
a  gall.  Within  this  the  larvae  passes  the  winter,  and  when  full- 
fed  it  leaves  the  gall,  and  in  the  earth  makes  a  cocoon  consisting 
of  an  internal  gummy-like  substance,  surrounded  by  particles  of 
earth.  It  remains  in  the  pupal  stage  for  about  eight  weeks. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  this  life-cycle  takes  place  on 
such  cruciferous  plants  as  Charlock,  and  later  on  the  cabbage 
and  turnip. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Charlock  and  all  cruciferous  weeds  should  be  destroyed. 

All  infected  cabbage  stalks  should  be  burnt.  The  lackadaisical 
method  of  throwing  them  into  heaps  to  rot,  or  burying  them  in  the 
ground  (unless  deeply  buried)  is  typical  of  British  farming 
methods.  The  larvae  make  their  way  from  the  galls  into  the 
earth,  pupate,  and  later  the  beetles  appear  ready  for  the  cab- 
bage crop. 


24  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

THE  PLUM   BARK  BEETLE. 

Scolytus   rugulosus,   Ratze. 

Branches  of  plum  trees  were  forwarded  by  a  correspondent 
at  Harvington,  near  Evesham,  very  badly  attacked  by  this 
beetle.  Similar  branches  were  later  received  from  near  Evesham. 

I  have  examined  numerous  trees  infested  with  this  beetle, 
and  in  every  case  I  have  been  satisfied  that  the  tree  was  a  diseased 
or  sickly  one.  I  personally  know  of  no  case  yet  where  vigorous 
healthy  trees  have  been  attacked. 

In  Warwickshire  and  Worcestershire,  I  have  seen  it  only  on 
Plum  trees,  but  it  is  known  to  attack  apple,  pear,  cherry,  peach, 
etc.,  in  other  parts  of  the  country. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  beetles  (Fig.  VIII.  i)  make  their  appearance  towards  the 
end  of  April,  or  early  in  May,  and  the  female  commences  to  bore 
holes  in  the  bark  of  the  tree  and  so  forms  what  are  known  as  "mother 


3 

FIG.  VIII. — THE  PLUM  BARK  BEETLE  (Scolytus  rugulosus). 

i. — Beetle  magnified,  line  showing  natural  length.  2. — -Larva,  natural  size, 
and  much  magnified.  3. — Piece  of  apple  branch,  showing  holes  in  bark 
made  by  the  beetle,  and  channels  made  in  the  wood. 

galleries,"  upon  the  sides  of  which  she  deposits  her  eggs.  The 
larvae  hatch  out  in  a  few  days,  they  are  whitish,  legless  grubs 
scarcely  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in  length,  and  lie  in  a  curved  position 
(Fig.  VIII,  2).  The  head  is  yellowish  or  cream  coloured.  These  now 
commence  to  feed  on  the  inner  bark  of  the  tree,  forming  "  larval 
galleries  "  at  almost  right  angles  to  the  "  mother  galleries." 
At  the  end  of  these  secondary  channels  small  cavities  are  formed  in 
which  pupation  takes  place.  It  sometimes  happens  that  the 
larvae  eat  their  way  into  the  solid  wood,  as  shown  in  Fig.  IX. 
Early  in  July  the  beetles  hatch  out  and  bore  their  way  through 
the  bark  and  escape.  This  generation  then  reproduces  itself, 
the  larvae  remaining  in  the  tree  through  the  winter. 


THE  PLUM  BARK  BEETLE  AND  CABBAGE  BUTTERFLIES.          25 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

All  branches,  etc.,  which  are  noticed  to  be  infested  should 
be  cut  off  and  burned  early  in  June.  Old  worthless  trees  should 
be  cut  down  and  burned  in  the  middle  of  June. 


FIG.  IX. — BRANCH  OF  PLUM  TREE,  SHOWING  DAMAGE  TO  WOOD  BY  PLUM 

BARK  BEETLE. 

These  beetles  have  a  natural  enemy,  the  woodpeckers,  which 
have  been  known  to  strip  off  the  bark  and  splinter  the  surface  of 
the  wood  in  their  efforts  to  get  at  the  pupae. 

CABBAGE  BUTTERFLIES. 

Pieris  brassicae,  Linn.,  and  P.  rapae,  Linn. 

The  larvae  of  these  two  species,  popularly  known  as  the 
Large  and  Small  White  Cabbage  Butterflies,  have  proved 
very  troublesome  in  different  parts  of  Warwickshire,  Worcester- 
shire and  Staffordshire,  more  particularly  in  gardens  and  plots 
than  in  open  fields. 

As  usual  they  have  attacked  a  variety  of  plants.  The  follow- 
ing have  been  reported  :  Cabbage,  turnip,  beet,  and  cauliflower. 


26 


REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 


The  caterpillars,  chrysalids,  and  butterflies  are  so  well- 
known,  no  description  is  necessary  (Figs.  X  and  XI). 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

In  gardens  much  good  may  be  done  by  hand-picking  the 
caterpillars,  further  a  careful  search  should  be  made  for  the 
chrysalids,  these  may  be  found  under  the  copings  of  walls,  eaves, 


FIG.  X. — LARGE  WHITE  CABBAGE  BUTTERFLY. 

T. — Female  butterfly.      2. — Eggs.      3. — Larva.     4. — Pupa.      5   and  6. — Parasitic 
Ichneumon -fly  (Pteromalus  brassicae],   natural  size   and   magnified. 


: 


FIG.  XI. — SMALL  WHITE  CABBAGE  BUTTERFLY. 
i. — Female  butterfly.      2. — Larva.      3. — Pupa. 

and  palings.  In  outhouses  they  are  specially  numerous,  and 
it  is  well  to  brush  the  walls  and  give  all  such  places  a  thorough 
good  clean  out  in  the  winter. 

Two  or  three  days  rain  will  kill  thousands  of  the  cater- 
pillars, in  its  absence  a  good  drenching  of  water  with  a  garden 
hose  will  do  much  good. 


THE  CURRANT  CLEARWIXG  MOTH. 


27 


Dusting  the  plants,  in  the  evening,  with  soot,  soot  and 
sulphur,  wood-ashes,  etc.,  will  also  prove  beneficial. 

THE  CURRANT  CLEARWING  MOTH. 

Sesia  tipultformis,  Linn. 

The  larvae  of  this  moth  have  been  forwarded  in  both  currant 
and  gooseberry  stems,  and  are  responsible  for  much  damage  to 
these  plants  in  South  and  South  East  Staffordshire,  South  Derby- 
shire, North  Warwickshire,  and  East  Leicestershire. 

The  first  larvae  this  year  were  noticed  on  May  8th.  They 
are  a  pale  yellowish-white,  smooth,  shiny,  dorsal  line  slightly 


' 


a  c  b 

FIG.  XII. — THE  CURRANT  CLEARWING  MOTK. 

a. — Portion  of  injured  stem  with  moth  emerging,  b. — Portion  of  stem  damaged 

by  larva,     c. — The  moth. 

darker  ;  head,  brownish  with  a  triangular  mark  on  the  face  ; 
the  second  segment  has  a  pale  yellowish-brown  horny  plate. 
Distributed  over  the  whole  of  the  body  are  numerous  slightly 
raised  spots,  from  each  of  which  proceeds  a  short,  dark,  bristly 
hair. 

The  female  moth  lays  her  eggs  close  to  the  leaf  buds,  and  on 
hatching  out  the  larvae  commence  to  eat  their  way  into  the  internal 
portion  of  the  shoots  where  they  feed  upon  the  pith,  travelling 
downwards. 


28 


REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 


The  pupae  are  reddish-brown,  and  are  placed  head  upwards 
within  the  stem. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Whenever  the  leaves  of  a  currant  or  gooseberry  tree  com- 
mence to  wither  and  the  shoots  to  die,  for  no  apparent  reason, 
the  larvae  of  this  moth  are  in  all  probability  present,  and  if  found, 
the  tree  should  be  closely  pruned  and  all  the  cuttings  burnt. 


FIG.  XIII. — ASH  TREE  RECENTLY  ATTACKED  BY  GOAT  MOTH. 


Cuttings  should  always  be  carefully  examined  for  any  signs 
of  the  moth  before  planting. 

I  am  informed  that  if  the  trees  are  well  dusted  with  soot  and 
lime  in  equal  parts,  in  May  and  June,  the  moths  will  not  lay 
their  eggs  on  such. 

Some  trees  which  I  have  under  observation  and  upon  which 
a  number  of  experiments  have  been  made,  I  hope  to  report  upon 
in  a  later  Report. 


THE    GOLD    TAIL    AND    GOAT    MOTHS.  29 

THE  GOLD  TAIL  MOTH. 

Porthesia  aurifiua  (Fabr.). 

Examples  of  the  very  pretty  larvae  of  this  moth  were  received 
in  May  from  a  correspondent  at  Bromsgrove,  who  reported  them 
damaging  plum  trees. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  learnt  of  the  larvae  of  this  moth 
being  sufficiently  numerous  to  call  for  any  remedial  measures. 
Spraying  with  Paris  green  (BhmdelFs),  one  ounce  to  ten  gallons 


FIG.  XIV. — PORTION  OF  ASH  TREE  ATTACKED  BY  GOAT  MOTH. 

of  water,  was  recommended  and  proved  effectual.     Arsenate  of 
lead  in  the  same  proportions  had  also  a  similar  effect. 

THE  GOAT  MOTH. 

Cossus  ligniperda,   Fabr. 

The  larvae  of  this  moth  and  pieces  of  wood  from  Willow, 
Ash,  Elm,  Beech,  and  Oak  trees  have  been  received  from  various 
sources.  The  accompanying  illustrations  are  from  photographs 
taken  by  Messrs.  Thompson  &  Brownhill,  who  report  damage  to 
Ash,  Willow  and  Poplar  trees  near  Banbury. 


30  REPORT  ON  INJURIOUS  INSECTS  FOR  1904. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  eggs  of  this  moth  are  deposited  about  July  in  cracks  and 
crevices  in  the  bark  and  generally  near  to  the  ground,  in  nearly  all 
the  cases  I  have  seen,  the  eggs  have  been  between  one  foot  and 
four  feet  from  the  surface.  They  are  stated  by  certain  observers 
to  number  as  many  as  a  thousand,  though  females  kept  in  con- 
finement only  deposited  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  each. 
The  caterpillar  at  first  is  a  fleshy  pink  colour,  later  changing 
to  a  yellow-ochre  with  a  blackish  head  and  two  blackish-brown 


FIG.  XV. — LOWER  PORTION  OF  THE  SAME  TREE  (enlarged). 

markings  on  the  first  segment  ;  the  centre  of  the  back  is  a  deep 
mahogany  red.  They  remain  in  the  larval  condition  for  three 
years,  measuring  three  to  three  and  a  half  inches  in  length  when 
full  grown.  During  this  period  they  gradually  make  their  way 
from  the  bark  into  the  solid  wood,  perforating  it  in  all  directions 
with  their  tunnels.  At  times  they  leave  the  tree,  and  in  May 
are  often  found  straying  about.  Pupation  takes  place  in 
the  spring  of  the  third  year.  The  silken  cocoons  are 
covered  with  bits  of  wood  and  lie  just  within  the  entrance  of 
the  tunnels.  The  moth  emerges  about  a  month  after  pupation. 


THE  GOAT-  MOTH.  3T 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIALT MEASURES. 
On  emerging  from,  the  pupal  condition^the  moths  are  often 
seen  resting  on  the  trees,  and  during  May  the  caterpillars  are 
also  often  found  on  the  bark,  in  both  cases  they  should  be  des- 
troyed. The  pupae  maybe  hooked  out  of  the  entrances  of  the 
tunnels  in  June  or  July  with  a  piece  of  strong  wire,  bent  at  one 
end. 


FIG.  XVI. — PORTION  OF  ASH  TREE  WITH  LARVA  in  situ. 


For  preventing  the  moth  depositing  her  eggs  in  the  crevices 
of  the  bark,  Mr.  Theobald  (  )  recommends  smearing  the  trunks 
over  in  May  with  a  mixture  of  clay  and  paraffin  and  soft  soap, 
made  into  a  thick  paint  and  smeared  thickly  around  the  base,  and 
all  over  the  trunk  up  to  eight  feet.  This  mixture  is  said  to  answer 
much  better  than  the  clay  and  cow-dung  generally  used. 

For  killing  the  caterpillars,  paraffin,  paraffin  'emulsion, 
tobacco-water,  etc.,  squirted  into  the  tunnels  have  been  recom- 
mended ;  also  the  fumes  of  sulphur  and  tobacco  blown  into  the 

I.  Second  Rpt.  Econ.  Zool.  1904,  p.  83. 


32  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS     INSECTS     FOR     1904. 

tunnels.     The  most  certain  remedy,  however,  is  to  place  pieces 
of  stick  cyanide  into  the  entrances  of  the  tunnels,  plugging  them 
up  well  with  clay  and  smearing  the  trunk  over  with  clay  also. 
Timber  badly  infested  is  best  destroyed. 

THE  MAGPIE  MOTH. 

Abraxas    grossulariata,    Steph. 

In  my  report  for  1903  I  stated  that  the  caterpillars  of  this 
moth  had  not  been  particularly  injurious,  excepting  to  currant 
bushes  grown  against  walls,  but  during  1904  they  have  done 
considerable  damage.  On  currant,  gooseberry  and  plum  trees  I 
have  never  seen  them  more  numerous. 

A  correspondent  near  Bromsgrove  describes  his  plum  trees 
as  "  covered  with  them,  thousands  have  been  picked  off  and 
destroyed,  but  they  seem  more  numerous  than  ever  .  .  . 
they  are  rapidly  stripping  the  trees."  Another  correspondent 
in  Stafford  mentions  that  they  "  are  in  greater  profusion  than 
I  ever  remember  ....  from  one  small  gooseberry  bush 
I  picked  off  and  killed  over  two  thousand." 

Fortunately  the  heavy  showers  at  the  end  of  May  killed 
large  quantities,  but  many  had  pupated  before  this.  Unless 
growers  who  have  been  plagued  with  them  during  the  past  year 
have  acted  upon  the  remedial  measures  given  in  my  last  report, 
and  here  again  repeated,  the  larvae  of  "this  moth  are  likely  to 
prove  very  serious  in  the  spring  of  1905. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Early  in  the  spring  and  again  in  the  autumn  the  bushes 
should  be  sprayed  with  Paris  green  (Blundell's),  in  the  proportion 
of  one  pound  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  gallons  of  water,  and 
two  pounds  of  lime,  the  whole,  to  be  well  mixed.  This  must 
not  be  used  on  ripe  or  ripening  fruit,  it  may,  however,  be  safely 
used  four  or  five  weeks  before  the  fruit  is  gathered,  if  necessary. 

Hand-picking,  especially  in  the  case  of  wall  bushes,  should 
be  adopted  in  the  spring,  and  the  ground  around  the  bushes 
hoed  and  dressed  with  quicklime. 

Where,  in  the  autumn,  there  are  evidences  of  a  bad  attack, 
the  bushes  should  be  pruned  and  the  cuttings  burnt.  The 
ground  beneath  should  be  treated  with  quicklime  and  early  in 
the  winter  dug  in  deeply. 

THE  WINTER  MOTH. 

Cheimatobia  brumata,   Linn. 

The  eggs  and  larvae  of  his  moth  have  been  forwarded  by 
numerous  correspondents  in  the  Evesham  district,  where  it 
again  seems  to  be  on  the  increase. 

It  is  now  nearly  sixteen  years  since  it  appeared  in  any 
great  numbers,  and  it  then  did  great  damage.  The  late  Miss 


THE    WINTER   MOTH. 


33 


Ormerod,  who  acted  as  consulting  entomologist  to  the  Evesham 
Fruit  Growers'  Association,  has  given  a  detailed  account  of  the 
various  remedies  then  tried  I1)-  Since  that  date,  spraying  with 
Paris  green  and  the  systematic  use  of  grease  bands,  have  proved 
the  most  effective  remedies. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  moths  make  their  appearance  about  the  middle  or  towrards 
the  end  of  October,"  and  the  wingless  females  commence  to  creep 
up  the  trees  to  lay  their  eggs.  These  are  small  and  cylindrical 
in  shape,  at  first  a  greenish-white  colour,  but  they  soon  change 
to  orange  and  later  a  reddish-brown.  They  are  deposited  in 


FIG.   XVII. — THE  WINTER"  MOTH   (Cheimatobia  brumata). 
i. — Male     moth.     2. — So-called     wingless     female.     Natural     size. 


FIG.  XVIII. — THE  GREAT  WINTER  MOTH  (Hibernia  defoliaria). 

i. — Male     moth.     2. — So-called     wingless     female.      3. — Larva.     All 

natural  size. 

little  groups  between  the  wood  and  the  bark,  on  cut  shoots  and 
in  crevices  in  the  bark,  where  they  are  fastened  with  a  sticky 
secretion. 

Early  in  the  spring  (on  March  25th  the  first  larvae  were 
received  from  near  Evesham  this  year)  the  larvae  appear,  small 
greyish  or  greenish-grey  caterpillars  with  dark  heads.  Later 
they  change  to  a  yellowish-green  with  white  longitudinal  stripes. 
When  full-fed,  which  they  usually  become  from  about  the  middle 
to  the  end  of  May,  they  are  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
in  length,  and  they  now  let  themselves  down  from  the  trees  by 
silken  threads  and  pupate  in  the  ground  beneath.  Most  of  the 
moths  come  up  in  the  autumn,  but  some  remain  in  the  pupal 
stage  until  the  following  spring. 


i.  Manual  Inj.  Insects,  2nd  ed.,  London,"  1890,  pp.  338-360. 


UN,.        -SJTY 


OF 


34  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

The  Great  Winter  Moth  (Fig.  XVII)  has  been  received  only 
once. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

It  is  very  important  that  the  grease  bands  should  be  put 
on  the  trees  at  the  beginning  of  October,  and  kept  in  a  soft  and 
sticky  condition. 

Before  banding,  all  rough  or  loose  bark  should  be  removed. 
Then  take  strips  of  stout  paper  about  six  inches  wide  (stout 
paper  is  much  better  than  the  thin  grease-proof  paper  used 
by  provision  merchants),  and  tie  with  strong  wet  twine  an  inch 
below  the  top  of  the  band  and  an  inch  above  the  bottom,  then 
coat  with  cart  grease. 

Miss  Ormerod  (x)  mentions  a  correspondent  who  obtained 
excellent  results  from  the  use  of  cart  grease  and  soft-soap,  mixed 
to  the  required  consistency  with  train  oil  and  applied  once  a 
week.  This,  in  my  opinion,  is  more  effective  than  the  grease 
alone. 

With  reference  to  spraying,  hitherto  Paris  green  has  proved 
the  most  valuable,  but  from  experiments  made  in  America  by 
Professor  Webster  and  by  Mr.  Fred  V.  Theobald  in  this  country, 
arsenate  of  lead  has  proved  to  be  much  superior.  It  is  not 
so  easily  washed  off  by  rain,  it  has  little,  if  any,  burning  action 
on  the  leaves  and  its  killing  power  is  fully  equal  to,  if  not  greater 
than  Paris  green.  On  the  other  hand,  the  Department  of  Agri- 
culture of  Victoria,  from  experiments  made,  recommend  Paris 
green,  stating  that  it  is  more  lasting  and  less  dangerous  to  the 
foliage. 

THE  BUFF  TIP  MOTH. 

Pygaera  bucephala,  Steph. 

Correspondents  in  Leicestershire,  South  Derbyshire,  North- 
amptonshire and  Warwickshire  report  considerable  damage  to 
elm,  beech,  oak  and  hazel  trees,1  due  to  the  larvae  of  this  moth. 

It  is  a  common  species,  plentifully  distributed  throughout 
Great  Britain,  and  in  dry  seasons,  like  that  of  the  past  year,  it 
often  proves  troublesome  to  both  foliage  and  fruit  trees. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  moth  makes  its  appearance  about  the  middle  of  June, 
and  the  female  deposits  her  eggs  on  the  underside  of  the  leaves 
in  groups  varying  in  number  from  twenty  to  sixty.  Owing 
to  their  large  size  they  are  somewhat  conspicuous.  When 
looked  at  from  above  they  are  seen  to  be  rounded  and  pearly 
white,  while  towards  the  base  they  are  greenish  and  flat  beneath. 

In  ten:  or  twelve  days  they  hatch  out,  and  undergo  the  first 
moult  about  ten  days  later.  In  early  life  the  larvae  are  gre- 

i.  Op.  cit.,  p.  346. 


THE    BUFF-TIP   AND    CABBAGE   MOTHS.  35 

garious,  after  a  time  they  separate,  but  throughout  this  stage 
they  are  always  met  with  in  groups.  From  the  middle  to  the 
end  of  September  they  usually  become  full-fed  when  they  com- 
mence to  descend  the  trees,  either  by  falling  or  crawling.  They 
pupate  immediately  beneath  the  tree  usually  in  the  soil,  but 
may  often  be  found  beneath  fallen  leaves,  and  remain  in  this 
stage  until  the  following  June. 

The  pupa  is  a  deep  mahogany-brown,  smooth,  glossy, 
about  an  inch  long  and  provided  with  two  spines  at  the  apical 
or  pointed  end.  It  is  not  enclosed  in  a  cocoon. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Shaking  or  jarring  the  infested  boughs  has  been  recom- 
mended (Ormerod),  but  except  in  their  young  state  they  are 
difficult  to  dislodge.  In  September  I  found  it  almost  impos- 
sible to  move  them.  Before  jarring,  tarred  bands  of  hay  should 
be  placed  around  the  trunks  so  as  to  prevent  the  larvae  ascending 
again. 

A  good  plan  is  to  spread  a  few  spadefuls  of  gas  lime  around 
the  trees  at  the  end  of  September,  when  they  commence 
to  descend  the  trees  prior  to  pupating.  Fowls  turned  on  to 
the  land  about  this  time  will  also  destroy  both  larvae  and  pupae. 

The  large  size  and  bright  colouring  of  the  larvae  render 
them  very  conspicuous,  and  on  small  trees  hand  picking  is  very 
effective. 

For  fruit  trees,  spraying  with  arsenate  of  lead  should  be 
carried  out. 

THE  CABBAGE  MOTH. 

Mamestra  brassicae,  Linn. 

Correspondents  in  all  the  seven  Midland  counties,  have 
complained  of  the  unusual  prevalence  of  the  destructive  larvae 
of  this  moth.  In  addition  to  damaging  cabbages,  cauliflowers 
and  broccoli,  lettuce  and  dahlias  seem  to  have  suffered  some- 
what severely.  They  are  general  feeders  and  will  attack  most 
of  the  plants  in  kitchen  gardens,  and  when  plentiful,  as  in  1904, 
they  cause  considerable  loss. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  first  brood  of  moths  appear  from  early  in  May  to  the 
end  of  July,  and  the  female  lays  her  eggs  on  the  leaves  of  different 
plants,  but  preferably  cabbage.  In  about  a  week  the  larvae 
hatch  out  as  small  greenish  caterpillars  and  very  soon  change 
colour.  They  are  subject  to  great  variation  in  colour,  partly 
due  to  the  food-plant.  All  shades  of  greenish-grey  or  yellowish- 
brown  with  more  or  less  distinct  longitudinal  dorsal  stripes, 
being  met  with.  In  a  month  to  six  weeks  time  they  become  full- 
fed,  and  pupation  takes  place  either  in  the  ground  or  beneath 


36  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

stones,  clods  of  earth,  etc.  The  pupa  is  a  deep  chestnut  brown 
colour,  and  is  sometimes  found  in  an  earthern  cell.  The 
second  brood  of  moths  appear  in  August.  Most  of  the  larvae 
pupate  in  the  autumn,  but  some  may  not  do  so  until  the 
following  spring. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

On  small  areas  much  good  may  be  done  by  hand  picking 
early  in  the  year. 

Wherever  an  attack  has  been  observed,  the  ground  should 
be  well  turned  over  in  the  winter  and  poultry  turned  on  to  the 
land. 

Dusting  with  gas  lime,  which  has  been  exp>osed  to  the  air 
for  three  or  four  months,  is  often  recommended,  but  is  far  from 
satisfactory,  often  spoiling  such  plants  as  cabbages  for  culinary 
purposes.  Watering  with  liquid  farmyard  manure,  one  part 
to  three  parts  of  water  has  proved  very  beneficial . 

THE  DOT  MOTH. 

Mamestra    persicariae,    Linn. 

Some  larvae  sent  by  a  correspondent  in  Warwickshire,  that 
were  attacking  ferns,  were  those  of  the  well-known  Dot  Moth.  In 
this  case  they  had  eaten  almost  all  the  fern  leaves  and  were 
moving  to  large  beds  of  Nasturtiums.  When  present  in  large 
numbers  they  can  do  much  damage,  particularly  so  in  flower 
gardens,  vegetables  and  fruit  trees  are  also  often  attacked. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  moths  made  their  appearance  in  June  or  July.  The 
female  deposits  from  thirty  to  forty  eggs  on  the  food-plants 
during  July  and  August,  the  larvae  from  which ,  become  full-fed 
in  four  or  five  weeks  and  then  measure  about  an  inch  and  a  half 
in  length.  They  are  exceedingly  variable  in  colour,  such  being 
partly  due  to  the  food  and  partly  protective.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing  to  find  grey-coloured  larvae  on  grey  parts  of  a  plant,  brown 
ones  on  brown  parts  and  others  of  a  deep  green  colour  on  deep 
green  leaves. 

The  mature  larvae  fall  to  the  ground,  changing  to  deep 
brown  pupae  in  the  earth  beneath  the  food-plant,  where  they 
remain  until  the  following  year. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Where  they  are  not  spread  over  a  large  area  hand-picking 
soon  reduces  their  numbers.  In  vegetable  gardens  I  have  found 
that  large  numbers  may  be  destroyed  by  watering  with  a  hose 
and  a  good  force  of  water. 

In  the  autumn,  ground  known  to  be  infested  with  the  pupae 
should  be  lightly  forked,  and  ducks  or  fowls  allowed  to  run 
over. 


THE  GREAT  YELLOW  UNDERWING  MOTH. 


37 


THE  GREAT  YELLOW  UNDER  WING  MOTH. 

Trifihaena    fronuba    (Linn.). 

The  larvae  of  this  moth  have  committed  considerable  damage 
in  nursery  and  other  gardens.  One  correspondent  writes  com- 
plaining of  the  damage  done  to  Carnations  and  Pinks,  another  has 
had  large  beds  of  Canterbury  Bells  ruined,  a  third  reports  their 


FIG.  XIX. — THE  GREAT  YELLOW  UNDERWING  MOTH. 
i. — Larva.     2. — Pupa.     3. — Moth. 


FIG.   XX. — LARVAE  IN  ROOTS. 


ravages  in  the  roots  of  Aralis  alpina,  whilst  in  other  cases  Pansies, 
Lettuce,  etc.,  were  badly  attacked. 

The  female  deposits  her  eggs  in  July  and  August  at  the  roots 
of  different  plants,  the  larvae  hatching  out  in  about  fourteen 


38  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

days.  They  are  nocturnal  feeders,  and  lie  hidden  in  the  surface 
soil  or  beneath  the  roots  of  their  food-plants  during  the  day. 
Through  the  winter  months  they  seem  to  lie  dormant,  but  on  the 
return  of  spring  or  mild  weather,  they  commence  to  feed  again. 
Most  of  them  become  full-fed  towards  the  end  of  April  or  early 
in  May,  when  they  bury  themselves  and  turn  to  pupae,  the 
moths  emerging  towards  the  end  of  June  or  early  in  July. 

REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

In  gardens,  stirring  the  surface  frequently  during  the  winter 
and  spring  destroys  some  of  the  larvae,  and  exposes  others  to 


FIG.  XXI. — LARVAE  OF  GREAT  YELLOW  UNDERWING  MOTH. 

the  attack  of  birds.  Starlings  are  particularly  fond  of  them. 
Handpicking  the  larvae  is  still  more  effective.  I  have  entirely 
cleared  them  out  of  my  own  garden  in  this  way. 

Fresh  gas  lime  well  worked  into  the  land  in  the  autumn  has 
been  tried  with  some  amount  of  success. 

THE  SILVER  Y  MOTH. 

Plusia   gamma,  Linn. 

Although  this  moth  rarely  commits  any  serious  damage, 
I  am  giving  a  short  notice  of  it,  as  it  has  been  forwarded  by  so 
many  correspondents. 

On  the  European  Continent  it  has  occasionally  been  known 
to  appear  in  vast  numbers,  and  do  great  damage  to  Sugar  Beet 
crops. 


THE  SILVER- Y  AND  CODLING  MOTHS.  39 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  eggs  are  laid  on  the  underside  of  the  leaves  of  such 
plants  as  Cabbage,  Beet,  Pea,  Bean,  etc.  The  larvae  hatch 
out  in  about  fourteen  days  and  commence  feeding  upon  the 
leaves.  When  full-fed  they  are  a  delicate  green,  with  short 
almost  colourless  hairs,  and  have  six  white  wavy  lines  running 
down  the  back.  At  each  side  of  the  body  is  a  yellowish  and 
more  conspicuous  stripe,  with  an  indistinct,  broken  line  below 
it.  Pupation  takes  place  in  the  plant.  After  about  a  month 
from  hatching  the  larvae  spins  a  cocoon  in  a  leaf  or  on  the  stem, 
and  changes  to  a  deep  black-coloured  pupa.  The  moth  appears 
twelve  or  fourteen  days  later.  There  are  two  or  more  broods 
annually. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

In  gardens  and  small  plots,  handpicking  will  prove  effective. 
Fowls  greedily  devour  the  larvae. 

All  grass-grown  or  weedy  spots  in  or  near  to  gardens  should 
be  cleared,  especially  nettles  and  thistles. 

Watering  with  liquid  manure  I  found  answer  very  well, 
where  the  larvae  were  very  plentiful  on  cabbages. 

Dusting  the  plants  with  equal  parts  of  lime  and  soot  as  soon 
as  the  larvae  are  noticed  is  also  serviceable. 

THE  CODLING  MOTH. 

Carpocapsa  pomonella,  Linn. 

The  Codling  Moth  is  one  of  those  injurious  insects  which  we  in 
this  country  have  yet  scarcely  realised  the  importance  of,  partly 
from  the  fact  that  we  have  never  experienced  scourges  like  those 
known  in  America,  Canada,  Tasmania,  etc.,  and  partly  from 
our  general  apathy  as  regards  animals  injurious  to  crops. 

EARLY  HISTORY  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF. 

References  to  the  Codling  Moth  are  to  be  found  in  some  of  the 
earliest  writings  on  Agriculture,  the  literature  on  its  life-history, 
habits,  etc.,  are  voluminous,  while  the  references  to  preventive 
and  remedial  measures  are  legion. 

In  our  own  country  the  first  important  account  was  given 
by  "  Rusticus  "  in  the  Entomological  Magazine  (r)  in  1833,  and 
Westwood  (2)  gave  an  admirable  account  of  the  pest  in  1838,  but 
it  is  to  American  investigations  that  we  owe  the  most  complete 
accounts.  Amongst  such,  those  written  by  Walsh  and  Riley, 
Forbes,  Gillette,  Washburn,  and  Slingerland,  are  perhaps  the 
most  important. 

The  original  home  of  the  insect  was  doubtless  South-eastern 
Europe,  but  it  is  now  kno\vn  almost  the  whole  world  over. 


1.  Vol.  i,  pp.  144-146. 

2.  Gardiner's  Mag 


azine,  vol.  xiv,  pp.  234-239. 


40  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

The  annual  loss  from  its  ravages  is  estimated  at  from  25 
to  75  per  cent,  of  the  crop  of  Apples.  In  many  States  in  America 
the  loss  is  still  50  per  cent. 

Though  known  by  a  variety  of  names  such  as  apple  worm, 
fruit  worm,  fruit  moth,  etc.,  it  is  best  known  by  the  name  of 
Codling  moth,  given  to  it  by  Wilkes,  an  English  writer,  in  1747. 

LIFE-HISTORY  AND  HABITS. 

The  moths  appear  about  the  end  of  May,  and  the  eggs  are 
deposited  singly  upon  apples  just  after  the  petals  of  the  blossoms 
have  fallen.  The  number  varies  between  50  and  100.  In  seven 
or  eight  days  the  minute  larvae  appear,  scarcely  one  sixteenth  of  an 
inch  in  length,  and  of  a  greyish  white  colour,  with  a  glossy  black 
head.  After  creeping  over  the  young  apple  for  some  little  time, 
the  larva,  it  will  be  noticed,  in  most  cases  enters  the  apple  at  the 
blossom  end  or  calyx  cavity,  and  commences  to  tunnel  its  way 


FIG.  XXII. — THE  CODLING  MOTH  (Carpocapsa  pomonella). 

I. — Larva.     2. — Pupa.     3. — Moth.     All   natural   size.     4. — Section    of 
apple  injured  by  larva. 

to  the  core.  Usually  only  a  single  larva  enters  each  fruit,  but 
two,  three,  and  even  four  have  been  found.  According  to 
Professor  Slingerland,  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  the  young  larvae 
enter  the  fruit  at  the  calyx  end,  and  from  observation  he  is  of 
opinion  that  they  spend  several  days  feeding  around  in  the 
calyx  cavity.  In  its  progress  to  the  core  of  the  apple  the  larva 
thrusts  out  portions  of  the  pulp  and  excrement,  and  these  masses 
of  little  brown  particles  are  the  first  sign  that  it  has  commenced 
its  injurious  work.  In  about  seven  days  time  it  reaches  the 
core,  and  there  commences  to  feed  upon  the  pips  or  seeds  and 
upon  the  surrounding  pulp.  Whilst  within  the  apple,  it  is  said 
to  shed  its  skin  four  times. 


THE   CODLING    MOTH.  4! 

After  remaining  in  the  fruit  for  from  twenty  to  thirty  days, 
the  larva  becomes  full-fed  and  now  measures  nearly  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length,  having  a  brownish  head  and  pinkish 
body.  The  pips  and  pulp  around  the  core  having  already  been 
eaten,  it  commences  to  tunnel  its  way,  usually  towards  the 
opposite  or  stalk  end,  to  the  surface.  For  a  time  the  entrance 
is  closed  by  a  plug  of  excremental  matter,  etc.,  but  when  ready 
to  leave  the  fruit  this  is  pushed  away.  If  the  fruit  has  fallen  oft 
the  tree  the  larva  proceeds  to  find  a  suitable  place  for  its  cocoon. 
Many  make  their  way  to  the  trunk  of  the  tree  and  creep  into 
crevices  or  beneath  loose  bark.  Cracks  in  fences,  under  loose 
boards  or  in  old  stumps  are  also  likely  places.  When  the  larvae  are 
barreled  with  the  fruit  they  spin  their  cocoons  in  the  crevices  and 
angles  of  the  barrels,  and  are  so  distributed. 

In  the  cocoon  the  larva  remains  until  the  following  spring, 
when  it  changes  into  a  brown  pupa,  which  latter  hatches  out  in 
May. 

Normally  there  is  only  a  single  brood  in  a  season  in  this 
country,  but  two  and  even  three  are  known  in  other  countries. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Judging  from  the  extensive  experiments  which  have  been 
made,  it  seems,  very  doubtful  if  this  pest  can  be  successfully 
attacked  in  the  egg  stage. 

Spraying  with  Paris  green  seems  to  be  the  most  effective 
remedy  known.  In  1885  and  1886  Forbes  and  Goff  showed  that 
by  such  a  remedy  70  per  cent,  of  the  loss  commonly  suffered  could 
be  prevented.  Wickson's  Calif ornian  experiments  in  1887  gave 
similar  results.  As  Professor  Slingerland  very  pertinently 
states  (\)  "  Not  only  has  the  practicability  and  effectiveness  of  the 
poison  spray  been  demonstrated  ...  by  the  most  carefully- 
conducted  experiments  at  nearly  every  experiment  station  in  the 
United  States,  but  the  thousands  of  practical  fruit-growers  who 
have  thoroughly  tried  it  are  unanimous  in  their  testimony  that 
irom  50  to  even  90  per  cent,  in  some  cases,  of  the  fruit  that  would 
otherwise  be  ruined  by  the  insect  can  be  saved  at  a  comparatively 
slight  expense." 

Paris  green  (Blundeirs)  should  be  used  at  the  rate  of  one 
potmd  to  every  160  to  200  gallons  of  water,  and  two  pounds  of 
freshly  slaked  lime. 

The  trees  should  be  sprayed  as  soon  as  the  blossoms  com- 
mence to  fall,  or  within  a  week  from  that  date,  for  this  reason, 
if  a  developing  apple  be  examined  just  after  the  blossom  has 
fallen,  the  calyx  lobes  will  be  found  wide  open,  forming  a  cavity, 
a  week  later  it  will  be  found  that  the  calyx  lobes  have  commenced 
to  close  and  that  it  is  too  late  to  spray.  If  the  tree  is  sprayed 
while  the  calyx  kcavity  is  open,  the  poison  lodges  therein  and 

i.  Cornell  Univ.  Agric.  Exp.  Staticn,  Entomol.  Div.,  Bull.  142,  1898,  p.  51. 


42  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

remains  there,  then  the  calyx  lobes  close,  still  leaving  the  poison 
ready  for  the  young  larva  when  it  makes  its  way  here,  as 
previously  described,  a  week  or  so  later. 

Two  applications  are  usually  enough,  unless  rain  intervenes 
and  washes  the  poison  away,  one  just  when  the  blossoms  have 
fallen  and  again  in  a  week.  For  this  purpose  a  coarse  spray  has 
been  found  more  effective  than  a  fine  one. 

Banding  the  trees  with  old  sacks,  strips  of  felt  or  paper,  hay 
ropes,  etc.,  is  undoubtedly  useful  in  reducing  the  numbers  of 
succeeding  generations.  The  rough  bark  must  first  be  scraped 
away,  and  then  the  band  applied  early  in  the  summer.  They 
should  be  f requently  examined  and  the  larvae  found  in  the  bands 
destroyed. 

"  Windfalls  "  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the  ground, 
if  unsaleable  they  should  be  utilised  as  pig-food  or  burnt. 

All  rubbish,  stones,  dead  wood,  old  boards,  etc.,  should  be 
removed  from  beneath  or  near  the  trees. 

Barrels  in  which  apples  have  come  from  abroad  should  be 
burnt,  as  they  are  a  source  of  constant  infection.  In  the  angles 
and  cracks  larvae  or  pupae  are  to  be  found,  from  which  moths  will 
later  emerge. 

THE  LILAC  LEAF  MINER. 

Gracilaria  syringella,  Fabr. 

In  Worcestershire,  Warwickshire,  Northamptonshire  and 
Staffordshire,  various  correspondents  have  written  for  informa- 
tion about  this  destructive  moth,  and  the  means  of  preventing  the 
destruction  of  Lilac  trees  by  the  larvae. 

In  1904  the  larvae  were  first  noticed  towards  the  end  of 
May,  the  pupae  on  June  28th,  from  which  the  moths  emerged 
on  July  3rd  and  4th. 

At  the  end  of  June  two  or  three  trees  were  entirely  stripped 
of  their  leaves,  all  of  which  were  burnt,  but  the  new  leaves  were 
full  of  larvae  again  on  August  28th. 

As  yet,  I  do  not  know  of  any  effective  remedy  for  this  pest. 

THE  PEAR  MIDGE 

Diplosis  pyrivora,  Riley. 

During  the  past  ten  or  twelve  years  the  Pear  Midge  has 
slowly  but  surely  spread  itself  throughout  the  pear  orchards  of  this 
country,  and  each  succeeding  year  marks  a  distinct  increase  in  its 
numbers,  and  over  a  still  wider  area.  It  is  very  certain  that  there 
never  was  a  time  when  it  was  more  plentiful  in  the  South-Western 
and  Midland  Counties  than  to-day,  and  seeing  the  serious  loss 
this  insect  has  already  caused,  and  the  still  more  serious  loss 
which  must  accompany  its  further  increase,  I  have  been  asked  by 
certain  growers  if  I  would  publish  a  short  account  of  its  life- 
history,  together  with  the  known  and  tried  methods  of  dealing 
with  this  pest. 


THE     PEAR    MIDGE.  43 

While  disclaiming  any  originality  for  the  following  account, 
I  may  point  out  that  large  numbers  of  specimens  and  infested 
fruit  have  been  sent  to  me  from  all  parts  of  England  during  the 
last  few  years,  and  the  life-history  has  been  repeatedly  worked 
through. 

EARLY  HISTORY  AND  IMPORTANCE  OF. 

The  exact  date  of  the  introduction  of  the  Pear  Midge  into 
this  country  is  very  uncertain.  It  was  introduced  into  the  United 
States  of  America  in  1877,  or  thereabouts,  and  it  is  not  at  all 
unlikely  that  it  arrived  in  this  country  shortly  before  that  date, 
(J)  however  that  may  be,  the  last  few  years  have  seen  a  rapid 
increase  in  its  numbers,  which  have  spread  themselves  over  an 
annually  increasing  area,  and  unless  prompt  and  stringent 
remedial  measures  are  taken  to  stamp  out  or  keep  in  check 
an  insect  so  destructive,  and  whose  depredations  are  accom- 
panied by  such  considerable  loss,  we  are  threatened  in  the  very 
near  future  with  the  abandonment  almost  of  the  culture  of 
English  pears. 

During  1900,  1901,  1902,  1903  and  1904,  whole  orchards 
proved  practically  fruitless,  where  in  previous  years  heavy  crops 
had  been  gathered. 

A  correspondent  writing  from  Withington,  near  Hereford, 
states  that  it  made  its  appearance  in  his  orchards  about  1894, 
and  since  that  date  it  has  been  almost  useless  trying  to  grow 
pears  in  the  open,  scarcely  a  sound  pear  can  be  found.  It  also 
attacks  some  kinds  of  Perry  pears,  trees  which  used  to  produce  a 
ton  of  fruit  each,  now  hardly  have  a  pear  on.  Strange  to  say,  it 
does  not  seem  to  attack  the  pears  on  the  walls,  although  bush 
trees  within  a  stone's  throw  have  hardly  a  sound  fruit  on  (2). 

In  this  particular  case  there  are  200  Perry  pear  trees,  and 
the  crop  is  valued  at  from  £2  to  £5  per  ton.  The  same  corres- 
pondent has  also  about  5oo~Busrfand  Standard  trees  of  dessert 
pears,  which  should  produce  from  los.  to  155.  worth  of  fruit  each  ; 
for  some  years  there  has  practically  been  no  crop,  although  the 
trees  blossom  and  set  their  fruit  well. 

A  Worcestershire  correspondent  writes,  "  for  the  last  five 
or  six  years  our  crop  has  decreased  each  year,  last  year  (1903) 
it  was  practically  nil,  and  this  year  it  will  be  the  same.*  .  .  We 
have  nearly  two  hundred  trees.  .  .  The  midge  first  made 
its  appearance  in  our  orchards  about  seven  or  eight  years  ago, 
and  has  increased  and  spread  each  year." 

Other  correspondents  from  all  parts  of  the  Midlands  write 
similar  letters. 


1.  Meade  records  it  as  occurring  in  this  country  in  1874  (Entomologist,  1888,  vol.  xxL  p.  12)   and 
Miss  Ormerod  makes  mention  of  it  in  her  Report  for  1884. 

2.  Possibly  the  reason  that  this  wall  fruit  was    not  attacked  may  be,  that  being  more  sheltered  it 
blossomed  before  the  pear  midge  appeared  ;  other  correspondents  inform  me   that  their  wall  trees  are 
just  as  badly  attacked  as  those  in  the  open. 


44  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

Writing  in  1885,  Dr.  Riley  expressed  some  doubt  as  to 
whether  this  species  was  the  same  as  Diplosis  nigra  (Meigen), 
the  habits  of  which  are  very  similar,  and  were  first  described  by 
vSchmidberger  in  1831.  According  to  Dr.  Jos.  Mik,  nigra  is 
practically  a  lost  species.  Writing  to  Dr.  Riley  in  March,  1885, 
this  dipterologist  says,  "If  you  will  allow  me  to  advise,  you  should 
describe  your  species  from  fresh  and  dry  specimens  as  new,  and 
could  add  the  above  names  (nigra,  Meigen,  and  pyricola, 
Nordlinger.)  as  doubtful  synonyms.  I  believe  that  no  error 
would  be  committed  by  adopting  this  course."  Dr.  Riley  took 
this  course  and  described  the  insect  under  the  name  of  Diplosis 
pyrivora,  by  which  it  is  now  generally  knowrn. 

LIFE-HISTORY  AND  HABITS. 

The  fly,  which  is  nearly  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in  length, 
usually  makes  its  appearance  early  in  April,  but  the  exact  time 
varies,  according  to  locality  and  the  condition  of  the  season. 
The  eggs  are  deposited  in  both  the  unopened  flower  buds  and 
expanded  blossoms,  being  introduced  by  the  long  ovipositor 
of  the  female  midge.  In  the  former  condition  the  petals  are 
pierced  and  the  eggs  are  found  in  a  little  heap  lying  upon  the 
anthers,  but  when  an  expanded  blossom  is  attacked  the  pistil 
or  ovary  is  pierced.  Schmidberger  ([)  thus  describes  the 
process  of  depositing  the  egg  in  D.  nigra,  "  In  the  spring  of 
1832,  my  first  business  was  to  look  all  round  the  garden  for 
these  midges.  When  the  blossom  buds  of  the  pear  tree  were 
so  far  developed  that  in  the  single  blossoms  a  petal  showed 
itself  between  the  segments  of  the  calyx,  I  found  the  first  midge 
in  the  act  of  laying  its  eggs  in  the  blossom,  this  was  on  the  I2th 
of  April.  It  had  fixed  itself  almost  perpendicularly  in  the 
middle  of  a  single  blossom  and  having  pierced  the  petal  through 
with  its  long  ovipositor,  it  laid  its  egg  on  the  anther  of  the  still 
closed  blossom.  The  female  was  about  seven  and  a-half  minutes 
laying  her  egg.  When  she  had  flown  away,  I  cut  the  pierced 
bud  in  two  and  found  the  eggs  lying  in  a  heap  one  upon  another 
on  the  anthers.  They  were  white,  longish,  on  one  side  pointed 
and  transparent  and  from  ten  to  twelve  in  number.  I  after- 
wards found  several  midges  engaged  in  laying  their  eggs  as  late 
as  the  i8th  of  April,  from  which  day  they  ceased  to  appear  in 
the  garden." 

The  number  of  eggs  varies,  but  from  a  large  number  of 
fruits  examined,  thirty-eight  maybe  taken  as  the  average,  some- 
times only  ten  or  twelve  are  deposited,  while  in  other  cases  as 
many  as  fifty  are  present.  The  eggs  hatch  out  in  from  four  to 
six  days  and  the  larvae — a  series  of  tiny  yellowish-white  maggots — 
make  their  way  into  the  fruitlets,  which  after  about  a  fort- 
night commence  to^  swell  and  assume  an  irregular  distorted 

i.  In  Kollar's  Treatise  on  Insects  Injurious  to  Gardeners,  &c.    English  trans.  1850,  p.  293. 


THE    PEAR   MIDGE.  45 

appearance  (Fig.  XXIII,  I — 3),  at  the  same  time  they  grow  more 
rapidly  than  the  uninfested  fruitlets. 

The  larvae  gradually  eat  their  way  into  the  core  of  the 
fruitlet,  tunnelling  the  fleshy  pulp  in  all  directions.  If  one  of 
these  fruitlets  is  now  cut  open  it  will  be  found  to  contain  fifteen 
to  twenty  small  white  or  yellowish-white  maggots,  surrounded 
by  a  mass  of  soft  pulp  and  excremental  pellets  (Fig.  XXIII,  3).  If 
one  is  cut  open  a  little  later  it  will  be  found  that  nearly  all  the 
interior  of  the  fruit  has  been  consumed  and  that  the  larvae  are 
now  full  grown,  measuring  about  one-sixth  of  an  inch  in  length 
(4  to  4.5  millim.). 

Early  in  June  they  commence  to  leave  the  fruit.  This 
usually  takes  place  while  the  pears  are  on  the  trees,  but  in  some 
cases  they  fall  to  the  ground  and  the  larvae  then  leave  them. 
In  either  case  they  leave  the  fruit  by  some  crack  or  decayed 
portion,  preferably  during  or  immediately  after  rain,  possibly 
they  are  driven  out  by  the  rain  making  its  way  into  the  fruit. 
Messrs.  Coe,  whose  orchards  were  the  first  ones  attacked  in 


2 
I 

1 

FIG.  XXIII.— THE  PEAR  MIDGE  (Diplosis  pytiuora). 
i  and  2. — Distorted  pears  containing  larvae.     3. — Section  showing  larvae  within. 

America,  state,  in  writing  to  Dr.  Riley  (T),  "Our  men  had 
gone  over  the  orchard  once,  picking  all  that  they  could  find 
and  were  going  over  it  a  second  time  when  a  violent  rain  storm 
obliged  them  to  quit  for  an  hour  or  two.  Returning  after  the 
rain  they  observed  that  a  basket  that  had  been  left  out  in  the 
storm  with  two  or  three  quarts  of  the  worty  pears  was  alive 
with  the  larvae,  hopping  about  like  so  many  fleas.  They  had 
all  left  the  fruit  and  were  trying  to  escape  from  the  basket. 
Upon  examination,  we  found  that  the  infested  fruit  on  the 
trees  had  no  larvae.  So  the  work  was  not  so  thoroughly  done 
as  we  had  intended." 

Like  other  species  of  the  same  genus,  the  larvae  progress 
by  skipping  or  jumping,  which  movements  are  effected  by 
curving  the  posterior  part  of  the  body  downwards  until  it  reaches 
the  first  thoracic  joint,  at  the  same  time  the  anterior  end  of  the 


I.  Ann.  Rpt.  [U.S.]  Comms.  Agric.  for  1885,  Washington  1886.     Rpt.  of  the  Entomologist,  p.  284. 


46  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

body  is  curved  in  a  similar  manner.  When  the  body  is  suddenly 
straightened  the  whole  body  is  lifted  or  thrown  from  one  to 
two  inches  in  distance. 

The  larvae  which  leave  the  fruits  while  the  latter  are  still 
on  the  tree,  fall  to  the  ground  and  at  once  commence  to  burrow 
beneath  the  surface,  sometimes,  however,  they  remain  within 
the  fruit,  which  ultimately  falls  to  the  ground  and  may  so  continue 
weeks  after  the  others  have  gone  below  the  surface.  Generally 
speaking,  the  larvae  remain  about  an  inch  and  a-half  below  the 
surface,  but  the  actual  depth  depends  very  much  on  the'  nature 
of  the  soil,  sometimes  being  found  quite  two  and  a-half  inches 
deep.  Here  they  may  remain  as  naked  larvae  for  some  con- 
siderable time,  before  commencing  to  form  their  cocoons.  Many 
after  being  in  the  ground  for  a  fortnight  or  so  have  formed  small, 
thin,  tough,  silky  cocoons,  yellowish-white  in  colour  and  oval 
in  form,  which  are  more  or  less  covered  with  fine  adhering  par- 
ticles of  earth. 

Some  of  the  larvae  may  remain  for  a  further  period  in  these 
cocoons  before  changing  to  pupae. 

The  pupae,  which  are  rather  smaller  than  the  larvae,  measur- 
ing a  little  over  an  eighth  of  an  inch  in  length  (3  to  3.5  millim.), 
remain  in  the  ground  until  the  following  spring,  when  towards 
the  end  of  March  or  early  in  April ,  they  break  through  their 
cocoons  and  commence  to  work  their  way  to  the  surface  ;  after 
pushing  the  whole  of  the  body  excepting  the  posterior  end, 
well  above  the  surface,  the  skin  in  the  thoracic  region  makes 
a  longitudinal  slit,  through  which  the  adult  fly  escapes. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  ADULT  FLY. 

This  and  the  following  descriptions  of  the  larva  and  pupa 
are  taken  from  Dr.  Riley's  excellent  work  (op.  cit.),  which  is 
not  generally  accessible. 

"Male. — Average  length  2.5  millim.;  expanse  about  5.7 
millim.  General  colour  dark  grey  or  black.  Head  with  the 
eyes  deep  velvety  black  ;  face  dark  grey,  almost  black,  a  fringe 
of  long  yellowish  hairs,  which  curve  over  the  eyes,  on  the  edge 
of  the  occiput.  Antennae  26-] ointed  (2  +  24)  pedicillate-monili- 
form,  and  normally  clothed  ;  one-fifth  longer  than  the  whole  of 
the  body,  black,  with  peduncles  whitish  ;  the  two  basal  joints 
shortest  and  stoutest  ;  all  others  globular,  decreasing  slightly 
in  size  from  3  to  26,  the  peduncles  cylindrical  and  gradually 
increasing  in  length,  apical  nipple  almost  as  long  as  apical  joint. 
Palpi  faintly  dusky,  4-j ointed,  joint  4  about  as  long  as  2  and  3 
together  and  somewhat  curved.  Thorax  very  dark,  dul  grey 
or  black,  with  two  anteriorly  diverging,  rather  indistinct  grey 
stripes,  beset  with  long  yellowish  hairs  ;  an  oblique  row  of 
such  hairs  runs  from  near  the  head  and  extends  along  the  side 
of  the  thorax  to  near  the  anterior  margin  of  the  scutellum  ;  a 
semi-circle  of  similar  hairs  on  the  scutellum,  the  lateral  ones 


THE    PEAR    MIDGE. 


47 


longest  ;  wings  faintly  fuliginous,  with  slight  reflections,  covered 
sparsely  with  a  very  delicate  blackish  pubescence  ;  veins  some- 
what darker  ;  fringes  blackish  ;  halteres  pale  yellowish  ;  legs 
dusky,  with  a  more  or  less  yellowish  tinge  ;  tibial  palest,  femora 
almost  black  outside  hi  some  of  the  fully-mature  specimens, 
covered  inside  with  pale  yellow,  glistening  pubescence,  the 
hairs  along  the  inner  surface  whitish.  Abdomen  dark  grey, 
almost  black  dorsally,  where  it  is  sparsely  beset  with  minute, 
fine,  pale  hairs,  and  with  a  fringe  of  long,  fine,  pale-yellowish 
hairs  along  the  posterior  border  of  each  joint  ;  venter  more 
brownish,  inclining  to  black,  each  joint  with  a  transverse  quad- 
rate spot,  obsolete  in  the  darker  specimens,  more  closely  beset 
with  long  and  somewhat  wavy,  pale  hairs ;  genitalia  pale- 
yellowish  or  dusky,  consisting  of  a  pair  of  prominent,  2-jointed 
claspers  or  forceps,  which,  when  protruded,  are  recurved  dorsally  ; 
the  basal]  joint  swollen,  ^ellipsiodal,  with  a  few  stiff  hairs  and 


1  2 

FIG.   XXIV.— THE  PEAR  MIDGE  (Diplosis  pyrivora}. 

i. — Pear  stunted  and  malformed  by  the  larvae  within  it.  2. — Section  of  pear 
showing  larvae  within.  3. — Larva,  much  magnified.  4. — Female  fly,  much 
magnified.  Lines  show  natural  length  of  fly  and  larva. 

very  faintly  striate  transversely  ;  the  terminal  joint  consisting 
of  a  hood,  evidently  movable  and  usually  bent  inward  and 
backward  ;  just  above  these  prominent  claspers  is  the  style  or 
intromittent  organ  proper,  a  jointed  process,  reaching,  when 
at  rest,  not  quite  to  half  the  length  of  the  swollen  basal  joint 
of  claspers  and  broadening  basally  ;  a  suprapenal  piece  is 
crescent-shaped,  the  ears  of  the  crescent  reaching  about  as  far 
as  the  tip  of  the  style  and  its  base  broadening.  Still  above 
this  is  a  V-shaped  palpigerous  piece,  broad  terminally,  with 
a  well-marked  V-shaped  medial  slit,  and  with  a  simple  palpus 
and  a  stiff  hair  on  either  side.  The  whole  mechanism  plays  on 
an  elastic  and  membranous  sheath,  which  is  retractile  within  the 
anal  joint  of  the  abdomen.  Before  use  it  is  closely  folded  back 
so  as  to  be  with  difficulty  analysed. 


48  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

Female. — Average  length,  exclusive  of  ovipositor,  about 
3.4  millim.,  the  ovipositor,  when  extended,  being  longer  than 
the  rest  of  the  body  ;  expanse  about  7  millim.  Antennae  normal 
14-jointed  (2  by  12),  slightly  longer  than  the  head  and  thorax 
together,  the  two  basal  joints  as  in  male  ;  joint  3  longest,  almost 
as  long  as  4  and  5  together  ;  the  rest  of  about  equal  length,  cylin- 
drical, slightly  thickest  anteriorly,  with  rounded  tips  and  some- 
what truncated  bases  ;  the  pedicels  of  joints  4  to  7  somewhat 
shorter  than  the  others  ;  apical  nipple  shorter  than  the  apical  joint 
In  genera],  somewhat  lighter  in  colour  than  the  male  ;  the  ex- 
tended ovipositor  lighter  than  remainder  of  the  abdomen. 

DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  LARVA. 

"  Length,  4  to  4.5  millim.  Colour,  pale  yellow.  Surface 
polished  and  very  faintly  reticulated.  Breastbone  pale  brownish, 
its  apex  broadly  bilobed.  Body  (13  joints  and  subjoint)  14- 
jointed,  exclusive  of  the  head.  Antennae  2-jointed.  Anal  sub- 
joint  much  narrower  laterally  than  the  penultimate,  slightly 
concave,  the  concavity  beset  with  6  (3  each  side)  small  fleshy 
tubercles,  of  which  the  second  one  on  each  side  is  stoutest,  those 
on  the  external  angles  bearing  each  a  short  spine.  Spiracles  nor- 
mally placed  and  mounted  on  tubercles." 

DESCRIPTION    OF    PUPA. 

"  Average  length  about  3  millim.  Head,  thorax,  legs  and 
wing-cases  blackish,  abdomen  yellow.  Head  and  thorax  together 
about  as  long  as  the  two  basal  joints  of  the  abdomen.  Front  of 
head  conical,  acute,  having  each  side,  close  to  the  eye,  a  stout 
spine  and  two  fine  hairs  dorsally.  Another,  somewhat  curved 
stout  spine  arises  from  the  upper  angle  of  the  wing-cases  which 
reach  to  the  third  abdominal  joint.  Abdomen  quite  strongly 
curved,  the  sutures  rather  deep,  and  containing  dorsally  a  some- 
what semi-circular,  scale-like  piece,  covered  with  minute  retrouse 
spines  ;  tip  unarmed  and  bluntly  rounded.  Exuvium  without 
special  significance,  the  antennal  sheaths  remaining  very  much  in 
the  normal  position." 

PARASITES  AND  ENEMIES. 

Although  I  have  reared  many  broods,  I  have  never  found 
any  parasitic  species,  nor  do  I  know  of  any  natural  enemies. 

Schmidberger  (!)  records  finding  "several  gold  shining 
Hymenopterous  insects  "  which  were  parasitic  on  the  Pear 
Midge,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Diplolipis  cecidomyiae.  Dr. 
Riley  (2)  also  states  that  in  a  breeding  jar  containing  infested 
pears,  he  found  three  specimens  of  an  undetermined  species  of 

1.  In  Kollar,  p.  300. 

2.  Op.  cit.,  p.  285. 


THE    PEAR    MIDGE    AND    CRAXE    FLIES.  49 

the  genus  Platygaster,  which  had  evidently  been  parasitic  upon  the 
larvae.  Meade  (i)  also  records  that  in  those  he  bred,  two  female 
Platygastridae  made  their  appearance. 

REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Once  the  trees  in  an  orchard  are  known  to  be  infected,  there 
should  be  no  hesitation  to  strip  the  whole  of  the  fruit  and  destroy 
it  by  burning,  after  covering  with  paraffin. 

Drenching  the  ground  well  with  paraffin  emulsion  beneath 
the  trees,  early  in  April  and  again  about  the  time  th?  larvae  com- 
mence to  fall,  has  been  recommended. 

Treating  the  ground  with  kainit  has  also  been  tried  in  this 
and  other  countries,  and  it  has  often  proved  very  beneficial. 

Finally,  so  far  as  my  experience  goes,  the  most  successful 
remedy  is  to  deeply  trench  the  ground  beneath  the  trees  in  the 
winter  and  then  roll  it  early  in  the  spring.  By  this  means  the 
pupae  are  deeply  buried,  while  the  rolling  hardens  and  cakes 
the  surface,  thereby  preventing  any  few  which  may  have  been 
left  near  the  surface  from  making  their  way  through.  In  not  a 
few  cases  the  rolling  alone  has  proved  very  effective,  but  wherever 
possible  the  soil  beneath  and  around  the  trees  should  be  deeply 
turned  over  and  later  rolled. 

A  correspondent  in  June  last  forwarded  to  me  specimens 
of  pears  gathered  from  trees  growing  wild,  which  were  all  badly 
infected.  Such  trees  should,  of  course,  be  burnt. 

CRANE   FLIES. 

Tipula    oleracea,    Linn. 

The  larvae  of  this  and  other  species  of  Crane  Flies,  or  Daddy 
Longlegs,  as  they  are  popularly  termed,  often  damaga  root  crops 
to  a  serious  extent,  and  unfortunately  there  is  no  known  remedy 
for  them,  but  much  can  be  done  to  minimise  the  amount  of 
damage,  and  also  in  destroying  them. 

In  June  a  correspondent  near  Worcester  forwarded  larvae 
(Leather- Jackets)  of  this  fly  which  were  exceedingly  plentiful 
in,  and  had  practically  ruined,  a  four  acre  Feld  of  wheat. 

Quite  recently,  Mr.  Fred.  V.  Theobold  (2),  than  whom  no  one 
is  more  capable,  has  given  a  detailed  account  of  the  "  Injurious 
Tipulidae  of  Great  Britain,"  and  points  out  that  rolling  with 
a  heavy  ring-roller  is  especially  advantageous  in  the  case  of  attacks 
to  barley  or  wheat. 

As  preventive  measures,  all  rough  herbage  should  be  kept 
down  during  the  autumn,  the  flies  often  utilising  it  for  depositing 
their  eggs  on  ;  heavily  rolling  pasture  land  when  the  flies  are 
noticed,  kills  large  numbers  ;  attention  to  drainage,  Crane  Flies 

1.  Entomologist,  1888,  vol.  xxi,  p.  123. 

2.  First  Rpt.  Ecoa.  Zool.,  1903,  pp.  94-104,  figs.  i-n. 


5o  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS     INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

preferring  damp  land.  Sand,  saturated  with  paraffin  scattered 
along  hedgerows,  etc.,  will  act  as  a  deterrent  to  egg  laying.  As 
remedial  measures,  harrowing  and  rolling  kills  the  larvae  and 
exposes  them  to  the  attack  of  birds.  Rooks  and  starlings  are  espe- 
cially fond  of  them  ;  top-dressing  with  forcing  manures. 


FIG.  XXV. — THE  COMMON  CRANE  FLY  (Tlpula  oleracea). 

i. — Adult  male.     2. — Adult  female.      3. — Eggs.     4. — Larva.      5. — Pupa. 
(All  natural  size,  except  the  eggs,  which  are  slightly  magnified.) 

Pachyrhina    maculosa,    Meigen. 

The  larvae,  and  later  the  adult  flies  of  this  species,  the  Spotted 
Crane  Fly,  were  collected  by  a  correspondent,  in  his  garden,  who 
complained  of  the  damage  done  to  his  lawn  and  various  kinds  of 
garden  plants,  at  the  roots  of  which  he  found  the  larvae  at  the  end 
of  May. 

LARVAE  OF  HOVERING  FLIES. 

Syrphidae. 

Many  inquiries  have  been  made  and  specimens  received  of  the 
leech-like  larvae  of  different  species  of  Hovering  Flies.  Very 
numerous  were  the  specimens  of  Catabomba  pyrastri,  Linn.,  found 
feeding  on  the  Elm  Gall  Aphis,  and  Elm  Leaf  Aphis,  they  have 
also  been  sent  in  on  Apple  leaves  infected  with  the  Apple  Aphis. 
Still  more  numerous  have  been  the  specimens  of  Platychirus  scuta- 
tits  (Meig.),  on  Roses  infected  with  the  Rose  Aphis. 


FIGS.    XXVI.-XXVIIL— THE  COMMON   CRANE   FLY. 

Fig.  XXVI.  shows  the  flies  emerging  from  their  pupal  cases.     Fig.  XXVII. — 
The  flies  just  emerged.     Fig.  XXVIII.— The  flies  a  little  later. 


52  REPORT     ON     INJURIOUS     INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

Neither  the  flies  or  the  larvae  of  the  Syrphidne  should  be  des- 
troyed, as  being  Aphis  feeders  they  do  much  towards  keeping  these 
harmful  pests  in  check. 

THE  SHEEP  NASAL  FLY. 

Oestrus  ovis,  Linn. 

In  Worcestershire  this  fly  has  proved  very  troublesome,  a 
correspondent  at  Aston  Fields  and  another  at  Bromsgrove 
having  suffered  severely. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  flies  make  their  appearance  during  June  and  July  and 
are  extremely  active  during  the  hot  days.  On  cold  damp  days 
they  are  just  as  inactive,  and  may  be  found  on  reeds  and  fences. 
Certain  writers  have  stated  that  during  the  imago  stage  they  take 
no  food.  Osborn  (i)  states  "  It  [the  fly]  has  no  mouth  and 
cannot,  therefore,  take  any  nourishment,"  on  the  other  hand, 
Theobald  (2)  has  "  more  than  once  seen  them  settled  on  the 
flowers  of  the  rush  and  reed,  and  on  Compositae,  evidently  ab- 
sorbing the  nectar." 

The  eggs  are  usually  deposited  two  or  three  days  after  copu- 
lation. If  a  longer  period  intervenes  living  larvae  are  deposited. 
With  reference  to  the  deposition  of  eggs  or  larvae  very  divergent 
accounts  have  been  given  by  different  writers.  Mr.  Theobald, 
to  whose  account  I  have  already  referred,  states  (p.  71)  "  I  have 
been  fortunate  by  chance  to  see  two  of  these  flies  settle  on  sheep, 
and  in  the  most  lazy  way,  without  causing  any  annoyance  to  the 
future  host  of  their  progeny,  deposit  as  many  as  fifteen  eggs  around 
the  sheep's  nostrils.  One  cannot  mistake  these  curved  ova, 
and  moreover  the  eggs  were  not  quite  mature.  On  two  occasions 
I  have  seen  these  characteristic  '  nits  '  on  the  nostrils  of  sheep . 
It  is  not  right  to  say  they  always  deposit  young  viviparously.  I 
very  much  doubt  if  they  do  so  at  all  in  this  country.  At  least  we 
have  no  authentic  records  of  such  having  been  done.  On  the 
other  hand,  we  have  Riley's  statement,  and  this  must  carry 
great  weight.  That  they  only  deposit  young  is  not  right,  thev 
may  do  so  on  the  other  hand."  My  own  experience  leaves  no 
doubt  but  that  both  methods  take  place,  and  I  venture  to  offer 
the  following  explanation  that  these  two  should  obtain. 

After  copulation,  if  the  weather  continues  hot  and  dry 
one  invariably  finds  in  two  or  three  days  the  12-18  characteristic 
curved  ova  on  the  sheep's  nostrils,  but  when  the  female  is  unable 
to  deposit  her  eggs,  as  often  happens  owing  to  a  sudden  change  in 
the  weather,  development  proceeds  within  the  body  of  the  parent, 
then  on  the  return  of  sunshine,  she  deposits  5-7  larvae  on  the 
nostrils  of  the  sheep. 


1.  Insects  Affecting  Domestic  Animals,  1896,  p.  104. 

2.  Journ.  S.  E.  Agric.  Coll.  Wye,  1903,  p.  71. 


THE    SHEEP   NASAL   AND    BEET   OR   MANGOLD    FLIES  53 

On  hatching  from  the  egg,  or  on  deposition,  the  larvae  com- 
mence to  make  their  way  up  the  nasal  cavities,  using  the 
"  mouth  hooks,"  the  anal  papillae,  and  ventral  spines.  At  first 
the  larvae  are  a  dirty  white  colour  and  about  one  millimetre  in 
length,  later  they  change  to  a  lightish-brown  with  brownish  trans- 
verse bands. 

Most  of  the  larvae  remain  in  the  nasal  fossae,  but  cases  are  on 
record  of  their  having  been  found  in  the  nasal  sinus,  maxillary 
sinus,  cores  of  the  horns,  and  even  in  the  cranial  cavity.  When 
mature,  the  larvae  in  the  nasal  fossae  by  causing  violent  fits  of 
sneezing  are  got  rid  of  by  the  sheep.  Falling  to  the  ground  they 
pupate  under  clods  of  earth  or  in  the  ground,  the  flies  making 
their  appearance  in  from  25  to  35  days. 

PREVENTIVE  MEASURES. 

During  June,  July  and  August,  sheep  should  not  be  allowed 
in  meadows  known  to  be  subject  to  the  fly,  but  during  these 
months  removed  to  pastures  where  considerable  shelter  from 
the  sun  is  to  be  had.  The  flies  avoid  the  shade  always,  preferring 
the  bright,  hot  sunshine. 

The  treatment  of  the  nose  of  the  sheepjis  the  next  most 
important  point,  in  order  to  deter  the  fly  from  depositing  her 
eggs  or  larvae  there.  This  can  most  conveniently  and  inexpen- 
sively be  carried  out,  by  placing  in  the  field  wooden  boxes  with 
the  sides  and  lids  perforated  by  holes  and  containing  lumps  of 
rock  salt  ;  the  whole  of  the  boxes  to  be  externally  thickly  smeared 
with  tar.  In  their  endeavours  to  obtain  the  salt  the  sheep 
tar  their  noses. 

All  infected  sheep  should  be  placed  in  pens  and  isolated, 
in  order  that  the  larvae,  when  expelled,  may  be  killed. 

THE  BEET  OR  MANGOLD  FLY. 

Pegomyia  betae,  Curtis. 

From  all  parts  of  Staffordshire  complaints  have  been  received 
of  the  damage  done  by  the  larvae  of  this  fly.  In  many  cases  the 
growth  was  considerably  checked  and  the  yield  much  under  the 
average. 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

The  flies  appear  towards  the  end  of  March  or  early  in  April, 
and  the  female  deposits  her  eggs  late  in  May  or  early  in  June  in 
small  patches  on  the  under-side  of  the  leaves.  The  larvae  hatch 
out  in  about  a  week,  and  bore  their  way  into  the  leaf,  destroying 
the  tissues  between  the  upper  and  under  epidermis.  Very  often 
when  young  plants  are  attacked  the  leaves  quickly  take  on  a 
mottled  appearance  and  soon  wither  and  die.  The  larvae  are 
about  one-third  of  an  inch  long,  legless,  with  a  bluntly-ending 
tail  and  tapering  head,  the  latter  being  provided  with  two  black 
mouth-hooks.  In  colour  they  are  whitish,  but  often  appear 


54  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

greenish  owing  to  the  green  food  contents  of  the  intestine,  which 
are  visible  through  the  thin  skin. 

Early  in  July  the  larvae  leave  the  leaves  and  burrowing  into 
the  ground  to  a  depth  of  about  three  inches,  they  change  to  the 
brown  pupae,  the  flies  appearing  in  from  ten  to  fourteen  days. 

Two  or  even  three  broods  appear  in  the  year.  The  pupae  of 
the  last  brood  remain  in  the  soil  until  the  following  spring, 
occasionally,  however,  they  develop  and  hybernate. 

PREVENTIVE  AND  REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

Spraying  with  i  gallon  of  paraffin  and  ^-lb.  of  soft-soap, 
well  mixed  in  10  gallons  of  water,  towards  the  end  of  May,  has  in 
some  cases  proved  effective  in  preventing  the  flies  laying  their 
eggs  on  the  plants. 

Top-dressing  with  nitrate  of  soda  and  common  salt  has  also 
proved  valuable  in  forcing  on  the  plants.  The  quantities  per 
acre  are  from  i  to  i£  cwt.  of  nitrate  of  soda  and  2  to  3  cwt.  of 
salt. 

Any  fertilising  substance  which  favours  rapid  and  healthy 
growth  is  valuable. 

THE  CARROT  RUST  FLY. 

Psila  rosa  (Fabr.). 

As  a  result  of  the  determined  efforts  of  many  growers  whose 
crops  were  attacked  by  this  fly  in  1902  and  1903,  it  has  been 
considerably  reduced,  although  it  is  still  far  too  plentiful. 

Most  correspondents  emphasise  the  importance  of  thinning 
early,  before  the  plants  are  more  than  two  inches  high,  and  the 
beneficial  results  obtained  by  watering,  after  thinning,  with 
paraffin  and  water,  one  gill  of  the  former  to  one  gallon  of  the 
latter.  A  dressing  of  gas  lime,  where  tried,  has  resulted  in  excel- 
lent crops. 

THE    GOOSEBERRY  SAWFLY. 

Nematus  ribesii,   Scop. 

In  the  Pershore  district  of  Worcester,  in  North  Warwickshire 
and  in  the  South  of  Staffordshire,  this  fly  still  continues  to 
commit  serious  damage. 

* 

LIFE-HISTORY. 

Generally  speaking,  the  flies  make  their  first  appearance 
about  the  middle  of  April  (April  2oth,  1903  ;  24th,  1904),  followed 
by  two  later  broods  during  the  summer.  The  female  deposits 
her  eggs,  which  are  white  in  colour  and  glistening,  in  long  chains, 
each  one  being  deposited  separately  and  placed  in  a  slight  cut 
in  the  leaf.  They  vary  in  number,  usually  15  to  40  on  a  leaf,  but 
60  to  70  are  not  uncommon,  and  are  hatched  out  in  about  ten 
days,  this  period,  however,  depends  very  largely  on  the  climatic 


THE   GOOSEBERRY    SAWFLY.  55 

conditions  ;  thus  of  some  specimens  kept  indoors  25  developed 
in  five  days,  40  in  seven  days,  70  in  nine  days,  and  the  remainder, 
about  150,  in  ten  days.  On  hatching  out,  the  larvae  are  small, 
almost  white,  speckled  with  black  anteriorly  ;  head  black,  and 
the  first  and  last  two  segments  a  faint  orange  yellow.  There  are 
four  moults,  and  after  the  first  one  the  caterpillars  are  greener  in 
colour,  a  dull,  dirty  green,  and  the  black  spots  are  more  numerous. 
When  full-fed  the  larvae  are  about  18  millim.  long,  and  consist 
of  a  head  and  twelve  segments.  There  are  three  pairs  of  jointed 
thoracic  legs  and  seven  pairs  of  false  legs  or  pseudopods. 

Soon  after  hatching,  the  larvae  commence  to  bite  small  round 
holes  through  the  leaves,  and  as  they  grow  older  they  grow 
more  and  more  ravenous,  so  that  by  the  time  they  are  full-fed — 


FIG.  XXIX. — LEAF  OF  GOOSEBERRY  SHOWING  THE  EGGS  OF  THE  GOOSEBERRY 
SAWFLY,  LAID  ALONG  THE  LEAF  VEINS. 

towards  the  end  of  May  or  early  in  June — it  is  not  at  all  uncom- 
mon to  find  the  trees  entirely  stripped  of  their  leaves.  I  have 
even  seen  the  bark  hanging  in  long  strips. 

The  larvae,  when  full-fed,  usually  fall  to  the  ground  and 
make  their  way  into  the  earth  about  an  inch  and  a  half  below  the 
surface,  and  there  spin  dark  brownish-coloured,  oval  cocoons. 
Others  may  be  found  in  the  pupal  condition  in  cocoons  attached 
to  leaves  and  broken  twigs  which  have  fallen  to  the  ground,  and 
occasionally  the  cocoons  are  found  upon  the  bushes  themselves. 
From  these  cocoons  the  flies  appear  in  from  fourteen  to  twenty- 
one  days  (i). 

Usually  there  are  three  broods,  the  first  appearing  during 

i.  Larvae,  which  in  confinement,  pupated  on  June  zsrd,  developed  into  flies  on  July  5th. 


56  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR    1904. 

April,  the  second  during  June,  and  the  third  during  July  ;  a 
fourth  brood  has  occasionally  been  observed  in  August. 

The  larvae  of  the  last  brood  remain  in  the  cocoons  during  the 
winter,  pupating  in  the  spring. 

A  correspondent  who  has  made  some  experiments  writes 
me  that  the  larvae  are  unpalatable  to  birds,  while  frogs  and  toads 
will  reject  them  in  disgust  after  a  trial  and  refuse  to  touch  them 
again.  Another  correspondent,  however,  informs  me  that  he 
knows  of  no  greater  enemy  of  this  sawfly  than  the  Cuckoo. 

Fortunately  there  are  a  number  of  insects  parasitic  on  this 
sawfly.  Cameron  (r)  records  no  less  than  sixteen  species. 

REMEDIAL  MEASURES. 

In  addition  to  those  remedial  measures  mentioned  in  last 
year's  Report  (p.  15),  a  number  of  growers  early  in  the  year, 
tried  rolling  the  ground,  and  this  has  proved  of  considerable 
value.  Wherever  the  land  had  been  rolled,  only  very  few  of  the 
pupae  were  able  to  make  their  way  to  the  surface.  On  heavy 
soils,  such  as  in  the  Pershore  district,  this  is  a  cheap  and  often 
effectual  remedy-  Wherever  the  fly  appears,  the  soil  beneath 
the  bushes  should  be  well  turned  over,  so  as  to  bury  the  surface 
soil,  and  then  rolled. 

MOLLUSCA. 
THE  CELLAR  SLUG. 

Limax  variegatus,   Drap. 

Numerous  examples  of  this  large  slug  have  been  received, 
mostly  from  cellars  and  pantries,  but  in  a  few  cases  from  gardens. 
In  one  case  quite  a  large  number  had  migrated  from  a  cellar  into 
a  conservatory  above,  and  for  some  time  did  great  damage. 

THE  COMMON  FIELD  SLUG. 

Agriolimax  agrestis,  Linn. 

As  in  1903,  this  slug  has  proved  exceedingly  destructive. 
Early  in  the  year  it  was  reported  damaging  field  crops,  and  later 
garden  plants  such  as  Violets,  Pansies,  Carnations,  Dahlias, 
etc.,  also  Peas  and  Beans. 

Where  sand  saturated  with  paraffin  had  been  used  last  year, 
the  numbers  had  been  considerably  lessened. 

As  I  have  previously  pointed  out  (Report  for  1903,  p.  16), 
Starlings  will  clear  more  specimens  in  an  early  morning  than  any 
amount  of  hand-picking,  or  any  other  remedial  measure.  Un- 
fortunately the  Starlings,  Thrushes  and  Blackbirds  are  constantly 
being  thinned  out  by  Midland  farmers  and  fruit  growers,  owing  to 
their  depredations  on  bush  and  wall  fruit.  It  would,  I  am  sure, 
be  much  wiser  to  adopt  other  simple  methods  for  preserving  the 
fruit,  and  otherwise  to  leave  these  useful  birds  alone. 

I.  Brit.  Phytop.  Hymen.,  1884  vol.  ii,  p.  170. 


THE    GARDEN    SLUG    AND    STRAWBERRY    SNAIL.  57 

THE  GARDEN  SLUG. 

Anon  hortensis,  Fer. 

This  species  has  been  reported  as  damaging  Violets,  Pansies, 
and  other  garden  plants  to  a  considerable  extent,  especially 
where  grown  on  borders. 

Ordinary  paling  boards  were  laid  over  night  along  the  sides'of 
the  beds,  and  next  morning  turned  over  and  the  slugs  picked  off. 
For  some  days  up\vards  of  a  thousand  specimens  were  found 
each  morning,  after  a  week  or  more  there  were  only  a  few  hun- 
dred, later  the  number  became  less  and  less,  the  boards,  however, 
were  used  until  the  number  of  slugs  found  each  morning  was  too 
small  to  do  any  serious  mischief.* 

THE  STRAWBERRY  SNAIL. 

Hygromia  rufesce/is  (Pennant). 

A  correspondent  writes  from  near  Leamington,  "  I  am  plagued 
with  numerous  specimens  of  a  small  snail,  which  is  doing  consider- 
able damage  to  my  strawberries."  Upon  examination  these 
proved  to  be  the  well-known  Strawberry  Snail,  which  fortunately 
is  anything  but  common  in  the  Midland  Counties. 

After  a  shower  of  rain  the  snails  may  easily  be  picked  off  the 
plants,  or  traps  in  the  form  of  cabbage'  or  lettuce  leaves  placed 
amongst  the  strawberry  plants,  will  be  found,  if  collected  in  the 
evening  to  have  attracted  large  numbers. 

CARNIVOROUS    SLUGS. 

Many  inquiries  have  reached  me  during  the  year  requesting 
live  examples  of  any  of  the  three  species  of  Testacella  found  in  this 
country,  viz.  :  T.  haliotidea  Drap.,  T.  scutulum  Sowb.,  and 
T.  maugei  Fer.  Living  specimens  of  all  three  species  have 
been  introduced  into  greenhouses  and  nursery  gardens  with  very 
beneficial  results,  I  regret,  however,  that  my  supply  has  not  been 
equal  to  the  demand. 

These  slugs  may  easily  be  distinguished  from  others  by  the 
presence  of  an  external  shell  overlying  the  tail  region.  During 
the  day  they  remain  beneath  the  surface,  coming  forth  at  night. 
Their  food  consists  of  earthworms,  threadworms,  slugs,  snails, 
millipedes,  etc. 

Of  the  three  species  above  mentioned  T.  haliolidea  is  by  far 
the  commonest  in  the  Midland  Counties. 

Three  specimens  kept  in  confinement,  deposited  in  April,  ten, 
twelve,  and  fifteen  eggs  respectively.  The  eggs  are  oblong-oval 
in  shape,  covered  by  opaque,  creamy-white  calcareous  shells.  The 
first  young  hatched  out  in  fourteen  days,  and  others  ^appeared 
on  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  days. 

*  A  writer  in  the  U.S.A.  Exp.  Stn.  Record,  1901,  vol.  xii,  p.  1,063,  records  that  after  many  experi- 
ments with  various  insecticides,  it  was  proved  that  white  hydro-oxide  of  calcium  in  a  i  to  2  per  cent, 
solution  in  water  was  the  most  destructive  agent.  The  most  satisfactory  time  for  applying  this 
remedy  was  found  to  be  between  eight  and  nine  o'clock  p.m. 


58  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 


GENERAL  NOTES  ON  OTHER  INJURIOUS  INSECTS,  ETC. 

GALLS  ON  ELM  LEAVES. — A  correspondent  forwarded  leaves 
of  Elm  from  Whitchurch,  near  Strat  ford-on- A  von,  with  the  well- 
known  galls  of  Tetraneura  ulmi,  De  Geer,  or  the  Elm  Gall  Aphis, 
stating  "  our  young  Elms  are  attacked  rather  badly,  at  least  half 
the  leaves  are  affected." 

Young  trees  should  be  gone  over  carefully  before  the  galls 
open,  and  picked  off  and  burnt.  Spraying  with  paraffin  emulsion 
in  the  spring  and  as  soon  as  the  winged  forms  appear,  is  the  only 
other  remedy  I  know  of. 


GALLS  ON  LIME  TREES. — From  Whitchurch  the  correspond- 
dent  referred  to  above,  forwarded  twigs  of  Lime  with  galls  not 
unlike  those  on  the  Elm  leaves,  but  in  this  case  they  were  on  the 
leaf  stalks.  The  insect  forming  these  is,  however,  very  different 
to  that  which  produces  galls  on  the  Elm  leaves.  It  is  a  Dipterous 
fly  known  as  Cecidomyia  tiliae,  Schrk. 


RED  "  SPIDER  "  ON  GOOSEBERRY  BUSHES. — In  March  a 
correspondent  at  Evesham  reported  that  this  mite  (Tctranychus 
telarius,  Linn.),  was  proving  troublesome  on  Gooseberry  bushes. 
Spraying  with  a  fairly  strong  solution  of  soft-soap  was  recom- 
mended. 


THE  ELM  LEAF  APHIS. — Leaves  of  Ulmus  campestris  were 
received,  filled  with  the  winged  viviparous  females  of  Schizoneura 
ulmi,  Linn.  The  presence  of  this  insect  may  generally  be 
determined  by  the  curling  of  the  leaves  from  above  downwards  so 
as  to  form  a  roll  of  a  sickly  yellowish-green  colour.  Spraying 
with  paraffin  emulsion  in  the  spring  and  again  when  the  winged 
forms  appear,  is  the  best  remedy  I  know  of.  After  the  fall  of 
the  leaves  the  bark  should  be  well  sprayed  with  soda  and  potash 
to  destroy  the  eggs. 


WILLOW  LEAF  GALL  SAWFLY. — The  galls  of  Nematus  galli- 
cola  (Westwood),  have  been  received  from  numerous  corres- 
pondents throughout  the  Midlands.  An  examination  of  a  large 
number  of  leaves  gave  an  average  of  eight  galls  per  leaf,  the 
minimum  being  one  and  the  maximum  twenty- two.  Cameron  (t) 
states  that  the  greatest  number  observed  by  him  on  a  leaf 
as  thirteen.  He  also  states  that  the  galls  ''  are  always  placed  on 
the  edges  of  the  leaf,"  but  from  observation  I  find  this  is  not  invari- 

i.  Brit.  Phytop.  Hymen.,  1885,  vol.  ii,  p.  203. 


GENERAL    NOTES    ON    OTHER   INJURIOUS    INSECTS,    ETC.  59 

ably  the  case.  I  have  seen  numerous  specimens  with  three  or  four 
galls  crowded  into  the  mid-rib  of  the  leaf,  and  not  always  pro- 
jecting on  both  sides  of  the  leaf.  The  galls  very  often  are  more 
numerous  on  the  leaves  of  the  lower  branches. 


LARVAE  OF  THE  CLOUDED  DRAB  MOTH  IN  ROSE  BUDS. — In 
July  I  received  a  series  of  very  fine  Rose  Buds  from  a  Warwick- 
shire correspondent,  who  complained  that  they  were  all  falling  oif 
the  trees  before  opening.  Upon  examination,  there  was  found  in 
the  centre  of  each  flower-bud  a  larva  of  Taeniocampa  instabilis. 
The  larva  of  this  moth  is  common  on  the  poplar  ;  but  I  do  not 
know  of  it  ever  having  been  found  attacking  roses  before.  In 
this  case,  however,  I  learnt  later  that  the  roses  were  growing 
close  to  a  row  of  poplars,  and  many  larvae  were  found  on  these 
also.  Spraying  the  poplars  with  Paris  green  (Blundeirs),  i  oz. 
to  10  gallons  of  water,  soon  killed  the  larvae. 


WEEVILS  DAMAGING  ORCHIDS. — Two  specimens  of  the  Clay- 
coloured  Weevil  (Otiorhynchus  picipes,  Fabr.)  were  forwarded 
by  a  correspondent  in  April,  who  complained  that  they  were 
doing  considerable  damage  to  orchids  in  his  conservatory,  and 
requested  information  respecting  this  species  and  the  best  pre- 
ventive measures  to  be  adopted. 

0.  picipes  is  one  of  the  commonest  Weevils  in  this  country, 
and  where  present  in  large  numbers  often  does  much  damage, 
especially  to  raspberry  plants  and  wall  fruits,  etc.  ;  and  is 
difficult  to  get  rid  of.  In  conservatories  the  following  plan  acts 
well  : — Place  a  well-tarred  wooden  tray  on  the  ground  after 
dark,  and  while  one  person  holds  the  plant  over  the  tray  another 
provided  with  a  lantern  should  smartly  tap  the  stem,  and  the 
beetles  will  fall  on  to  the  tray.  This  operation  carried  out  for  a 
few  nights  will  materially  lessen  the  number  of  beetles.  The 
plants  should  also  be  transferred  to  fresh  soil  some  time  between 
September  and  March.  When  this  is  being  carried  out  the 
roots  should  be  carefully  examined  for  the  larvae  ;  the  old  soil 
should  also  be  examined. 


THE  PLUM  APHIS. — From  Leamington  a  correspondent 
forwarded  plum  leaves  covered  with  the  Plum  Aphis  (Hyalopterus 
pruni  (Fabr.).  This  is  a  difficult  aphid  to  get  rid  of  ;  in  this 
case,  however,  repeated  spraying  with  a  strong  solution  of  soft 
soap  proved  successful. 


THE  FURNITURE  BEETLE  (Anobium  domesticum,  Foure.). — A 
number  of  inquiries  have  been  received  with  reference  to  this 
destructive  Beetle.  Wicker  dress  baskets  and  wicker  chairs 


60  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

have  in  some  cases  been  completely  ruined.     Small  articles  such 
as  these  are  best  fumigated,  if  the  damage  has  not  gone  too  far. 


THE  LARDER  OR  BACON  BEETLE  (Dermestes  lardarius,  Linn.). 
— A  large  firm  of  provision  merchants  reported  the  larvae  of  this 
Beetle  attacking  hams.  In  another  case  they  were  found  on 
skins  in  a  furrier's  stockroom.  In  both  cases  fumigating  with 
bisulphide  of  carbon  was  recommended. 


WEEVILS  DAMAGING  LAUREL  TREES.  —  Dead  or  dying 
branches  of  Laurel  were  forwarded  by  a  correspondent  with  an 
inquiry  as  to  the  cause.  Specimens  of  a  small  Beetle  (Rhino simus 
planirostris,  F.)  were  found  mining  the  bark  and  wood  ; 
also  examples  of  a  Beetle  larva.  Cutting  away  the  dead 
branches  and  burning  them  is  likely  to  prove  the  most  effective. 


MAGGOTS  IN  MUSHROOMS. — Numerous  cases,  particularly 
from  the  Bromsgrove  district  of  Worcestershire,  have  been 
reported  of  Mushrooms  as  infested  with  the  small  white  larvae 
of  a  Dipterous  fly. 

The  first  specimens  were  received  on  October  2nd,  and 
were  gathered  in  the  open  fields  ;  between  the  lamellae  of  these 
were  numerous,  tiny,  pearly-white  maggots  ;  while  on  the  edge 
of  certain  lamellae,  and  close  to  the  pileus,  were  groups  of  eggs. 
From  four  specimens,  none  of  which  measured  more  than  two 
inches  across  the  pileus,  over  two  hundred  larvae  were  obtained. 

Attempts  to  breed  out  the  larvae  proved  unsuccessful. 

Not  only  has  the  pest  committed  great  damage,  but  it  has 
prejudiced  many  people  against  eating  mushrooms. 


THE  SPRUCE  FIR  SCALE  (Physokermes  abietis,  Geoff.). — In 
many  parts  of  Worcestershire  and  Warwickshire  this  scale  is 
abundant  and  spreading. 


PARASITIC    DISEASES    OF    ANIMALS. 

Amongst  the  various  parasitic  diseases  of  animals  reported 
during  the  year  the  following  may  be  mentioned  :-— 


GAPES  IN  FOWLS. — This  disease,  due  to  the  presence  of 
Round-worms  (Syngamus  trachealis,  Siebold)  in  the  wind-pipe 
and  air  passages  of  the  Lungs,  has  been  fairly  common,  attacking 
old  birds  as  well  as  young. 


PARASITIC   DISEASES   OF  ANIMALS.  6 1 

Diseased  birds  should  be  isolated,  and  any  which  may  die 
should  be  burnt.  Drinking  vessels  should  be  scalded  with 
boiling  water.  Camphor  and  chalk  blown  into  a  fumigating 
box,  in  which  several  birds  are  placed,  will  loosen  the  worms, 
and  these  will  be  got  rid  of  during  the  violent  fits  of  coughing 
brought  on  by  the  camphor  and  chalk.  The  old  remedy  of 
giving  each  bird  a  small  piece  of  camphor  about  the  size  of  a  pea 
is  usually  effective. 


SCALY  LEG  ix  FOWLS. — A  few  cases  of  this  troublesome 
disease  have  been  reported.  The  Mite  (Sar copies  mutans,  Rob.) 
to  which  the  disease  is  due ,  lives  beneath  the  epidermal  scales 
of  the  'egs  and  feet.  Irritation  is  set  up,  and  the  scales  become 
raised  owing  to  the  formation  of  accumulations  of  a  chalk-like 
excretion  ;  later  this  takes  the  form  of  rough  lime  or  chalk-like 
crusts,  beneath  which  may  be  found  the  mites — larvae,  nymphae, 
ripe  females,  and  a  few  males.  Arthrites  often  appears.  If  the 
diseased  birds  are  not  attended  to  their  general  health  becomes 
affected,  they  cease  to  lay,  the  appetite  fails,  other  diseases 
appear,  and  the  fowls  die. 

Affected  birds  should  be  isolated.  The  chalky  lumps  should 
be  removed  in  so  far  as  possible  without  causing  the  legs  or  feet 
to  bleed.  They  may  be  softened  with  tepid  water  first.  Then 
bathe  the  legs  and  feet  in  warm  water,  dry  with  a  piece  of  cotton 
lint  or  rag,  which  should  be  burnt  after  once  using,  and  rub  in 
an  ointment  consisting  of  equal  parts  of  flower  of  sulphur  and 
vaseline.  After  three  or  four  days  the  legs  and  feet  should  be 
well  washed  with  soft-soap  and  warm  water. 


THE  PIG  LOUSE  (Haematopinus  urius,  Nitzsch). — From 
Knowle,  Warwickshire,  a  correspondent  forwards  examples  of 
this  parasite  ;  also  pieces  of  the  pig's  skin  showing  the  small 
red  papules. 

This  species  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  family,  full  grown 
specimens  measuring  over  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length. 
Denny  (i)  states  that  it  is  rare  in  England,  but  common  in 
Ireland. 

The  pest  is  not  difficult  to  get  rid  of  ;  two  or  three  dressings 
of  creolin,  10  to  15  per  cent,  in  water,  will  soon  effect  a  cure. 


i.  Monog.  Anop.  Brit.,  1842,  p.  35. 


62  REPORT    ON    INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

APPENDIX    A. 

INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  USING  HYDROCYANIC  ACID  GAS. 

This,  the  most  powerful  and  dangerous  poison  used  in  com- 
bating insect  pests,  should  on  no  account  be  used  by  uninstructed 
or  careless  people. 

The  materials  required  are  a  2  Ib.  pot  jam-jar,  in  which  place 
7  ozs.  of  water,  to  which  add  4  ozs.  of  sulphuric  acid  ;  and,  as 
directed  below,  2  ozs.  of  98  per  cent,  cyanide  of  potassium  for 
every  1,000  cubic  feet  of  space. 

First  make  the  room  to  be  fumigated  as  air-tight  as  possible, 
leaving  one  window  to  open  from  the  outside.  Then  wrap  up 
the  pieces  of  cyanide  in  blotting-paper.  Having  placed  in  the 
jam-jar  the  water  and  acid,  place  the  jar  just  within  the  room 
to  be  fumigated,  draw  the  door  nearly  to,  and  with  the  arm  reach 
in  and  drop  the  wrapped-up  cyanide  into  the  jar,  and  close  the 
door  immediately.  Strips  of  paper  well  sized  should  then  at 
once  be  placed  over  the  crevices. 

The  room  should  remain  closed  for  from  two  to  three  hours  ; 
then  open  the  window  from  the  outside,  and  leave  until  thoroughly 
well  ventilated.  Remember  the  fumes  and  the  cyanide  are 
deadly  poison.  Care  should  be  taken  that  no  one  remains 
outside  the  door  of  the  room  as  in  a  passage,  as  some  of  the 
fumes  might  escape. 

In  conservatories,  greenhouses,  &c.,  proceed  as  follows  : — 
Add  the  4  ozs.  of  sulphuric  acid  to  the  7  ozs.  of  water  in  a  jar  ; 
then  take  the  cyanide,  which  should  be  wrapped  up  in  blotting 
paper,  and  by  means  of  a  stick  or  piece  of  string  drop  it  into  the 
water  from  the  outside  of  the  greenhouse.  The  window  or  door 
should  then  be  shut,  and  the  house  should  remain  closed  for 
three-quarters  of  an  hour  at  least,  after  which  time  they  can  be 
opened  to  ventilate,  but  it  should  be  remembered  that  it  is  unsafe 
to  enter  the  house  until  an  hour  or  more  after  the  windows  and 
doors  have  been  opened.  The  best  results  have  been  obtained 
at  a  temperature  of  50°  F.,  about  one  hour  after  sunset,  when  the 
foliage  is  dry.  (i) 

INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  USING  BISULPHIDE  OF  CARBON. 

The  fumes  of  this  chemical,  in  addition  to  being  deadly 
poison  to  all  animal  life  are  also  highly  inflammable.  No  light, 
such  for  instance,  as  a  lighted  cigar  or  pipe  should  be  brought 
near  it,  nor  should  it  be  used  where  there  are  electric  wires. 

i  Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  G.  F.  Strawson  informs  me  that  he  has  obtained  better  results  by 
pouring  the  diluted  acid  upon  the  cyanide  of  potassium,  using  no  blotting  paper.  He  has  also 
devised  and  successfully  used  in  conservatories  &c.,  a  series  of  fans,  consisting  of  boards  suspended 
by  two  cords  with  a  string  at  each  side.  The  strings  to  the  right  and  left  are  worked  through  a  hole 
in  the  doors,  or  other  woodwork. 


APPENDIX.  63 

For  fumigating  stores  it  is  best  used  in  a  large  air-tight  tin, 
into  which  the  goods  are  placed,  and  then  pour  the  bi-sulphide 
into  a  saucer  placed  upon  the  goods  in  the  proportion  of  one 
pound  (i  Ib.)  to  every  thousand  (1,000)  cubic  feet  of  space.  The 
liquid  should  be  poured  out  quickly  in  order  not  to  inhale  the 
fumes,  there  is  no  danger  in  inhaling  a  small  quantity,  and  the 
bin  closed  and  kept  shut  for  at  least  five  hours,  after  which  time 
it  should  be  well  ventilated  as  also  the  fumigated  goods. 


APPENDIX    B. 

For  the  benefit  of  those  possessing  no  special  knowledge  of 
Entomology,  it  may  be  well  to  point  out,  that  with  a  few  excep- 
tions, all  insects  are  hatched  from  eggs.  From  the  eggs  the 
larvae  or  caterpillars  hatch  out,  and  alter  a  time  these  change 
into  pupae  or  chrysalides,  each  ultimately  developing  into  an 
imago. 

The  Eggs. — These  are  exceedingly  variable  in  shape,  size, 
and  colour.  They  may  be  laid  singly  or  in  groups.  Sometimes 
they  are  protected  by  a  gummy  secretion,  whilst  others  are  fast- 
ened by  a  short  thread.  The  food  of  the  young  in  nearly  all  cases 
determines  the  place  where  the  eggs  are  deposited,  such  for 
instance  as  on  leaves,  close  to  or  in  roots,  in  blossom  buds, 
beneath  the  bark  of  trees,  on  cattle,  meat  or  decaying  animal  or 
vegetable  matter.  The  number  of  eggs  laid  by  a  single  insect 
may  be  very  few  or  many  thousands,  fifty  to  a  hundred,  however, 
may  be  taken  as  an  average.  The  period  of  hatching,  generally 
speaking,  is  not  of  long  duration,  though  there  are  cases  where  they 
remain  unhatched  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 

The  Larva. — In  a  few  cases  this  is  produced  alive,  but  usually 
it  is  hatched  from  an  egg.  The  larvae  of  Butterflies,  Moths,  and 
Sawflies  are  commonly  spoken  of  as  caterpillars,  those  of  Beetles 
as  grubs,  while  those  of  Flies  are  known  as  maggots. 

If  a  larva  possesses  legs,  the  first  three  segments  behind  the 
head  each  carry  a  pair,  which  are  jointed  and  known  as  thoracic 
or  true  legs.  Legs  may  also  be  present  on  the  posterior  seg- 
ments, but  these  are  never  jointed  ;  they  are  known  as  pseudo- 
pods  or  prolegs. 

It  is  often  very  difficult  to  say  exactly  to  what  particular 
order  a  larva  belongs,  but  speaking  in  general  terms  we  may  say 
that  the  larvae  of  Butterflies  and  Moths  exhibit  the  following 
characters  :  a  well-defined  head  provided  with  biting  jaws,  a 
pair  of  jointed  limbs  on  each  of  the  first  three  segments  behind 
the  head,  a  pair  of  pseudopods  on  the  sixth,  seventh,  eighth  and 
ninth  segments,  and  sometimes  a  pair  of  larger  anal  feet  on  the 
twelfth  segment,  making  a  total  of  sixteen.  The"Looper" 
caterpillars  have  pseudopods  on  the  ninth  and  twelfth  segments 


64  REPORT    ON     INJURIOUS    INSECTS    FOR     1904. 

only,  making  a  total  of  ten.     The  caterpillars  of  a  few  moths  are 
footless. 

The  larvae  of  Beetles  possess  a  well-defined  head  and  biting 
jaws,  and  a  pair  of  jointed  legs  on  the  first  three  segments  behind 
the  head  (Rose  Chafer)  or  legs  are  entirely  absent  (Garden  Weevil). 

The  larvae  of  Flies  (Diptera)  are  generally  legless  and  usually 
the  head  is  merged  into  the  thorax,  some,  however,  possess 
pseudopods  and  a  head. 

*  Those  of  the  Hymenoptera  (e.g.,  sawflies,  wood  wasps,  etc.) 
have  six,  eighteen  or  twenty-two  appendages,  and  in  sawfly 
larvae  the  second  abdominal  segment  always  has  a  pair  of  pseudo- 
pods,  in  some  cases  (wood  wasps)  the  limbs  are  vestigial,  while 
in  other  cases  they  are  absent. 

The  larval  stage  is  usually  the  one  in  which  the  insect  does 
the  greatest  amount  of  damage  ;  they  feed  voraciously,  the  daily 
consumption  of  food  often  exceeding  many  times  the  weight 
of  the  larva.  With  a  plentiful  supply  of  food  they  rapidly 
increase  in  size,  and  as  the  chitinous  skin  is  only  capable  of  a 
limited  expansion  it  ultimately  splits,  and  the  larva  comes  out 
with  a  new,  and  sometimes  differently-coloured  skin.  This 
process  known  as  moulting  usually  takes  place  five  times,  but  the 
number  is  variable  2,  3,  4,  5,  7,  10,  n,  12,  and  even  10,  25  and 
30  moults  are  known  in  different  insects.  The  larva  is  now  said 
to  be  full-fed  and  it  changes  to  a  pupa  or  chrysalis. 

The  duration  of  the  larval  period  is  subject  to  much  variation, 
sometimes  it  is  only  a  few  days,  while  in  other  cases  it  may  last 
for  months  or  even  years. 

The  Pupa. — The  full-fed  larva  generally  either  buries  itself 
in  the  ground  (Rose  Chafer)  forming  a  cell  of  earthy  particles, 
or  spins  a  silky  cocoon  (Codling  Moth)  in  which  it  changes  to  the 
pupal  condition.  After  a  time  the  pupal  case  containing  the 
insect  cracks  or  splits,  and  the  perfect  insect  or  imago  creeps  out. 

The  Imago. — This  is  the  fully-formed  insect  and  may  be 
described  as  an  animal  consisting  of  thirteen  segments,  breathing 
by  tracheal  tubes,  with  a  single  pair  of  feelers,  and  having  the 
body  divided  up  into  three  distinct  regions,  head,  thorax,  and 
abdomen,  the  three  segments  of  the  thorax  each  carrying  a  pair 
of  jointed  legs. 

On  reaching  the  imago  stage,  the  pairing  of  the  sexes  is  soon 
effected,  the  female  then  lays  her  eggs  and  shortly  afterwards  dies, 
the  generation  or  life-cycle  being  thus  completed.  In  some  cases 
the  perfect  insect  only  lives  a  few  hours  or  days,  but  in  others  they 
hybernate  during  the  winter,  and  lay  their  eggs  in  the  following 
spring. 

Before  the  depredations  of  any  particular  species  of  insect 
can  be  effectively  dealt  with,  it  is  important  that  all  the  stages 
and  variations  of  the  life-cycle  should  be  clearly  and  thoroughly 
understood. 

\  8  R  A 

OFTHK 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


APPENDIX.  65 

CLASSIFICATION. 

Insects  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  of  animals  living  upon 
the  land,  and  many  different  views  have  been,  and  are,  held  as  to 
their  classification,  we  may,  however,  recognise  fourteen  Orders, 
viz.  : — 

Order    i.     COLLEMBOLA. — Springtails.     (Isotoma    palustris). 

Order  ii.     THYSAXURA. — Bristletails.         (The      Silver-fish, 

Lepisma  saccharina. 

Order  iii.     ORTHOPTERA. — Cockroaches,      Earwigs,       Leaf- 
insects,  Grasshoppers,  and  Crickets. 

Order  iv.     PLATYPTERA. — Biting-lice,   Termites,     Book-lice, 

and  Stone-flies. 

Order  v.      THYSAXOPTERA. — Thrips. 

Order  vi.     HEMIPTERA. — Bugs,    Lice,     Cicads,    Green-flies 

and    Scale    insects. 

Order  vii.     PLECTOPTERA. — Mayflies. 
Order  viii.    ODOXATA. — Dragonflies. 

Order  ix.      NEUROPTERA. — Lacewing-flies,  Golden-eye  flies, 

and  Scorpion-flies. 

Order  x.  COLEOPTERA. — Beetles. 

Order  xi.  TRICHOPTERA. — Caddis-flies. 

Order  xii.  LEPIDOPTERA. — Butterflies  and  Moths. 

Order  xiii.  DIPTERA. — Flies  and  Fleas. 

Order  xiv.    HYMEXOPTERA. — Sawflies,  Gallflies,  Ichneumon- 
flies,   Ants,  Wasps,  and   Bees 


A  supposed  new  apple  mite,   1 1 

Abraxas  grossulariata,  32, 

Agriolimav  agrestis,  56 

Anobium  domesticum,  59 

Anthonomus  pomorum,  21 

Aphelenchus,  in  apple  buds,  n 

Aphides,  on  apple  trees,  16  ;  on  elm 
trees,  58  ;  on  plum  trees,  59  ;  on 
rose  trees,  16  ;  larvae  of  Chvysopi- 
dae  feeding  on,  16  ;  larvae  of 
Hovering  flies  feeding  on,  16,  50 

Aphis  mali,  16 

Apple  Aphis,  16 

Apple  Blossom  Weevil,  21  ;  life- 
history,  21  ;  preventive  and 
remedial  measures,  23 

Apple  Mite,  1 1 

Apple  Scale,  17 

Apple  SucKer,  14  ;  life-history,  15; 
remedial  measures,  i  5 

Aralis  alpina,  damaged  by  larvae  of 
the  Gieat  Yellow  Un:lerwing 
Moth,  37 

Avion  hortensis,  57 

Ash,  larvae  of  Goat  Moth  damag- 
ing, 29 

Aspidiotus  camelliae,  17 

Asters,  Froth  Fly  on,  13 

Atractosoma  polydesmoides,   13 

Atilacaspis  (Diaspis)  rosae,  17 


B 


Bacon  Beetle,  60 

Barley,  damaged  by  larvae  of  Crane 
Flies,  49 

Bsans  attacked  by  Millipsdes,  12 

Beech  attacked  by  larvae  of  Buff  Tip 
Moth,  31  ;  Goat  Moth,  29 

Beet  Fly,  53  ;  life-histoiy,  53  ;  pre- 
ventive and  remedial  measures,  54 

Birch  Gall-Mite,  8 

Bisulphide  of  Carbon,  Instructions  for 
using,  62 

Black-Currant  Gall-Mite,  6  ;  new 
remedial  measures,  6 

Dlaniulus  guttulatus,  1 2 

Prachydesmus  superus,  i  3 

Broccoli,  attacked  by  larvae  of  Cab- 
bage Moth,  35 

Bud  Mites  i.i  Black-CuxTant,  6 

Buff-tip  Moth,  34  ;  life-history,  34  ; 
preventive  and  remedial  measures, 
35 


Buller,    Dr.    A.    H.    R.,    on     Witches 
Brooms,  9 


Cabbage  Butterflies,  25 

Cabbage  Gall  Weevil,  23 

Cabbage  Moth,  35  ;  life-history, 
35  ;  preventive  and  remedial 
measures,  36 

Camellia  Scale,  17 

Cameron,  Peter,  citeri,  56,   58 

Canterbury  Bills,  Froth  Fly  on,  13 

Carnations,  Froth  Fly  on,  13;  larvae 
of  Gt.  Yellow  Underwing  Moth,  37 

Carpocapsa  pomonella,  39 

Carrot  Rust  Fly,  54 

Catabomba  pyrastri,  50 

Cauliflowers,  attacked  by  caterpil- 
lars, 25,  35 

Cecidomyiatiliae,  58 

Cellar  Slug,   56 

Ceuthorhynchus  sulcicollis,  23 

Cheimatobia  brumata,  32 

Chtysophidae,  Larvae  of  .  .  feeding 
on  aphides,  50 

Clouded  Drab  Moth.  Larvae  of  .  . 
in  Rose  buds,  59 

Codling  Moth,  39  ;  early  histoiy  and 
importance  of,  39  ;  life-history 
and  habits,  40  ;  preventive  and 
remedial  measures,  41 

Ciocinclla  septempunctata,  7 

Colorado  Beetle/ 19 

Comstock,  Prof.  J.  H.  cited,  20 

Cossus  Ugniperda,   29 

Crane  Flies,  49 

Cuckoo,  56 

Cuckoo-Spit,  13 

Cucumbe's,  attacked  by  Root-Knot 
Eelworm,  3 

Currant  Clear  wing  Moth,  27  ;  preven- 
tive and  remedial  measures,  28 


Daddy-Long  Legs,  49 

Daffodils,  Froth  Flv  on,  13 

Dahlias,  Froth  Fly  on,  13  ;  larvae 
of  Cabbage  Moth,  35 

Dennestes  iardarius,  60 

Diplosis  pyrivora,   42 

Doryphora  decsmlincata,  19 

Dot  Moth,  36  ;  life-history,  36  ;  pre- 
ventive and  remedial  measures,  36 


INDEX. 


67 


Dunkin,  H.  citedj  1 1 

i 

E 

Eelworms,  3,  1 1 

Elm,  attacked  by  larvae   of   Buff-Tip 

Moth,  34  ;    Goat  Moth,  29 
Elm  Gall  Aphis,  58 
Elm  Leaf  Aphis,  58 
Eriophyes,  sp.  on  Apple  trees,  1 1 
Eriophyes  avellaena,   1 1 
Eriophyes  piri,  1 1 
Eriophyes  ribis,  6 
Eriophyes  rudis,    8 
Exoascus,  Species   of       .       .     causing 

witches  brooms,  8 


Ferns   damaged    by    larvae     of    Dot 

Moth,  36  ;  Woodlice,  6 
Fowls.     Diseases  of,  60 
Froth  Fly,  1 3 
Fruit    pests,    6,  n,   12,  14,  16,  17,  21, 

24,  27,  29,  32,  36,  39,  42,    54,    58, 

-;9 

Fuchsias,  Froth  Fly  on,  1 3 

Fumigating  with  bisulphide  of  car- 
bon, 62 

Fumigating  with  hydrocyanic  acid 
gas,  62 

Furniture  Beetle,    59 


Galls  on  Birch,  8  ;  Black  Currant, 
6  ;  Cabbage,  23  ;  Elm,  58  ; 
Hazel,  ii  ;  Lime,  58  ;  Pear, 
ii  ;  Willow,  58 

Gapes  in  Fowls,  60 

Garden  Slug,  57 

Gracilaria  syringella,  42 

Goat  Moth,  29  ;  life-history,  30  ; 
preventive  and  remedial  meas- 
ures, 31 

Gold  Tail  Moth,  Larvae  of  .  .  on 
Plum  trees,  29 

Gooseberry  Sawfly,  54 ;  life-history, 
54 ;  preventive  and  remedial 
measures,  56 

Great  Yellow  Under  wing  Moth,  37 ; 
life-history,  37 ;  remedial  meas- 
ures, 38 


H 


Haematopinus  urius,  61 

Hazel.     Larvae  of  Buff-tip  Moth    on, 

34  ;    Mites  on,  1 1 
Hazel  Bud  Mite,  1 1 
Hibernia  defoliaria,  33 
Hollyhocks,  Froth  Fly  on,  1 3 


Hop  Aphis,  1 6 

Household  pests,  13,  56,  59,  60 

Hovering  Flies,  50 

Hy  alopter  us  pruni,  59 

Hydrocyanic  Acid  Gas.     Instructions 

for  using,  62 
Hygromia  rufescens,  57 


Introduction,  i 
lulus  niger,  12 
lulus  pilosus,  T  3 
lulus  pulchellus,  12 
lulus  terrestris,    12 


Lacewing  Flies,  16,  65 

Ladybird  larvae,  7 

Laurel  attacked  by  Weevils,  6c 

Leather-jacket  Grubs,  49 

Lepisma  saccharina,  13 

Lettuce,  attacked  by  larvae  of  Cabbage 

Moth,  35  ;    Gt.  "Yellow  Underwing 

Moth,  37 

Lilac  Leaf  Miner  Moth,  42 
Limax  variegatus,  56 
Lime,  Galls  on,  58 

M 

Magpie  Moth,  32  ;  preventive  and 
remedial  measures,  32 

Mamestra  brassicae,  35 

Mamestra  persicariae,  36 

Mangold  Fly,  53  ;  life-history,  53  ; 
preventive  and  remedial  mea- 
sures, 54 

Meade,  R.H.  cited,  49 

Millipedes,  12 

Mites  on  apple,  1 1  ;  birch,  8  ;  black- 
currant, 6;  gooseberry,  58;  hazel, 
1 1  ;  mushrooms,  1 2  ;  pear,  1 1 

Mushrooms,  maggots  on,  60 ;  mites 
destroying,  12 

Mussel  Scale,  1 7  ;  life-history,  1 8  ; 
preventive  and  remedial  mea- 
sures, 19 

Mytilaspis  pomorum,  17 


N 


Nematus  gallicola,  58 

Nematus  ribesii,  54 

Newstead,  Robert,  cited,  17  ;  quoted,  17 


Oak,    damaged    by   larvae  of    Buff-tip 
Moth,  34  ;    Goat  Moth,  29 


68 


I-NDEX. 


Oestrus  oins,  52 

Oniscus  asellus,  6 

Orchids,  damaged  by  Weevils,  59 

Ormerocl,  Miss,  cited,  33 

Osborn,  Prof.  H,  quoted,  52 

Otiorhynchus  picipes,  59 


Pachyrhina  maculosa,  50 

Pansies  attacked  by  larvae  of  Gt. 
Yellow  Underwing  Moth,  37 

Parasitic  diseases  of  Animals,  60 

Pear  attacked  by  Mites,  n  ;  Pear 
Midge,  42 

Pear-Leaf  Blister  Mite,  1 1 

Pear  Midge,  42  ;  description  of  adult 
fly,  46  ;  description  of  larva,  48  ; 
description  of  pupa,  48  ;  im- 
portance and  early  history  of,  43 ; 
life-history  and  habits,  44  ;  para- 
sites and  enemies,  48  ;  remedial 
measures,  49 

Pelargoniums,  Froth  Fly  on,  13 

Pegomyia  betae,  53 

Phorodon  humuli,   16 

Phyllotreta  nemorum,  19 

Physokermes  abietis,  60 

Pieris  brassicae,  26 

Pieris  rapae,  26 

Pig  Louse,  61 

Pinks,  Froth  Fly  on,  13  ;  larvae  of 
Great  Yellow  Underwing  Moth,  37 

Platychirus  scutatus,  50 

Plovers  as  destroyers  of  wireworms,  21 

Plum  trees  attacked  by  Aphides,  59  ; 
Beetles,  24  ;  larvae  of  Gold  Tail 
Moth,  29  ;  Magpie  Moth,  32 

Plum  Aphis,  59 

Plum  Bark  Beetle,  24 ;  life-history, 
24  ;  preventive  and  remedial 
measures,  25 

Plusia  gamma,  38 

Polydesmus  complanatus,  1 2 

Poplar  attacked  by  larvae  of  Goat 
Moth,  29 

Porcellio  scaber,  6 

Porthesia  auriflua,  29 

Potatoes  attacked  by  Millipedes,  12 

Psila  rosa,  54 

Psylla  mali,  14 

Pygaera  bucephala,  34 


Red  "  Spider  "  on  Gooseberry  bushes, 

.  58 

Rhinosimus  planirostris,  60 
Riley,  Dr.,  quoted,  45,  46 
Rooks  as  destroyers  of  crane  flies,  50  ; 

wireworms,  21 
Rose  Aphis,  16 
Rose  Scale,    17 


Roses  attacked  by  Aphides,  16  ;  Froth 
Fly,  1 3  ;  larvae  of  Clouded  Drab 
Moth,  59  ;  Scale,  17 

s 

Sadebeck,  Dr.,  cited,  8 

Sarcoptes  mwtans,  61 

Sawfly  on  Gooseberry  bushes,  54 ; 
Willow  trees,  58 

Scale  Insects.  Camellia,  17;  Mussel,  17 

Scaly  Leg  in  Fowls,  61 

Schizoneura  lanigera,   16 

Schizoneura  ulmi,  58 

Schmidberger,  J.,  quoted,  44 

Scolytus  rugulosus,  24 

Selaginella  attacked  by  Woodlice,  6 

Sesia  tipuliiormis,  27 

Sheep  Nasal  Fly,  52  ;  life-history,  52; 
preventive  measures,  53 

Silver  Fish  Insect,  1 3 

Silver-Y  Moth,  38  ;  life-history,  39  ; 
preventive  and  remedial  mea- 
sures, 39 

Siphonophora  rosae,  16 

Slingerland,  Prof.  M.  V.  cited,  20,  41 

Slugs,  56  ;  Carnivorous,  57  ;  Cellar  slug, 
56  ;  Common  field  slug,  56 ;  Gar- 
den slug,  57  ;  remedial  mea- 
sures, 57 

Smith,  Dr.  W.  G.  cited,  8 

Snail,  Strawberry,  57 

Snake  Millipedes,    12 

Soap  and  sulphur  sprayfluid,   7 

Spotted  Crane  Fly,   50 

Sprayfluids,  7,  14,  15,   1 6,  32,  34,  41,  57 

Spruce  Fir  Scale,  60 

Starlings  as  destroyers  of  crane  flies, 
50;  slugs,  56;  wireworms,  21 

Stocks,  Froth  Fly  on,  13 

Stonecrop,  attacked  by  Woodlice,  6 

Strawberry  Snail,  57 

Strawson,  G.  F.  cited,  20,  62 

Sunflowers  attacked  by  Froth  Fly,    13 

Syngamus  trachealis,  60 

Syrphidae,  Larvae  of  .  .  feeding  on 
aphides,  50 


Taeniocampa  instabilis,  59 

Testacellidae,  57 

Testacella  haltotidea,  57 

Testacella  maugei,  57 

Testacella  scutulum,  57 

Tettigonia  spumaria,  13 

Tetraneura  ulmi,  5  8 

Tetranychus  telarius,   58 

Theobald,  Fred.  V.  cited,  31,  44,49; 
quoted,  52 

Tipula  oleracea,  49 

Trapping  for  Woodlice,  6  ;  Milli- 
pedes, 13 


INDEX. 


Triphaena   pronuba,    37 

Turnips  attacked  by  flea-beetles,  19  ; 
larvae  of  cabbage  butterflies,  25 

Turnip  Flea-Beetle,  19  ;  preventive 
and  remedial  measures,  19 

Tyroglyphus,  sp.  attacking  mush- 
rooms, 12 


Vegetable  Marrows  attacked  by  Root- 
knot  eel  worm,  3;  Millipedes,  12 
Violets,  57 
Voluntary  Observers,  2 


w 

Wallflowers,  Froth  Fly  on,  13 


Washes  for  Fruit  Trees,  7,  14,    15,    16, 

32,  34,  41,  57 
Webster,  Prof,  cited,  34 
Weevils,  Apple  Blossom,  21  ;   Cabbage, 

23    ;       Clay-Coloured,      59   ;       in 

Laurel,  60 

Wheat.    Leather  Jackets  damaging,  49 
Willow.     Goat     Moth     attacking,  29 ; 

Leaf  Gall  Sawfly,  58 
Winter    Moth,     52  ;      life-history,  33  ; 

preventive     and     remedial    mea- 
sures,  34 

Winter  Moth.     The  Great,   34 
Wireworms.    Destruction  of  the  Adults, 

21;  destruction  of  the   larvae,  21  ; 

destruction    of    the     pupae,    21  ; 

protection  of  seeds  against,  20 
Witches  Brooms,  8 
Woodlice   attacking    ferns,   6 ;    Selag- 

inella,  6  ;    stonecrop,  6 
Woolly  Aphis,   16 


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secticide  thp      an  be  used. 

Tn  the  rlr  :.Ms  article  cannot  be    carelessly    handled    without 

loss  and,  :  ^>  its    poisonous    nature,    without    some    danger. 

We  therefo;  "n.  the  damp  state,  and  packed  in  glass  jars, 

as  this  pack  nomical,  and  very  convenient. 

We  quote  for  our  Pure  Quality,  finely  ground,  in  the  Paste  or 
Damp  state,  packed  in  Glass  Jars  of  4  Ib.  and  7  Ib.  each:  — 

For  Orders  of  not  less  than  4  Ib.     ...     1  6  per  Ib.j 

Do.  over  4  Ib.  up  to  14  Ib.      ...      1/3      ,,       I  Jars  free. 

Do.          above  14  Ib.  ...     I/-       „      j 

•  In  the  Dry  Powder,  packed  in  1   Ib.   Paper  Parcels  : — 

For  Orders  of  not  less  than  4  Ib.     ...     16  per  Ib.) 

Do.         over  4  lb-  up  to  14  Ib.  1/3     ,.        Pape^arcel 

Do  above  14  lb.  ...     I/-     „      } 

Terms,  carriage  paid,  cash  with  order. 
Manufactured    only    by 

BLUNDELL,  SPENCE  &  Co.  Ltd., 


and     9,     Upper    Thames     Street,     London. 


ESTABLISHED    i8n. 

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