The Coldin Moth.

Manawatu Herald, 18 January 1894, Page 2

The Coldin Moth.

It, unfortunately, is too true, the Codlin moth has appeared in Foxton us some apples grown by Mr Andrew Jonson were kindly handed to U9 by him for inspection, and there appeared the small hole and inside the apple the tunnel cut by the enterprising maggot to the core in search of the seed. This dainty insect, prefers the young pips in preference to any portion of the apple. The stranger is not one to treat in the Biblical fashion, the proper manner to t&ka him in is by artifice and thus lure him to destruction. Generally speaking the average colonist knows everything, or imagines he does which amounts to very much the same thing, and it is possible that what we are about to .state is thoroughly well known to all, but even risking repeating an oft told tale we draw attention to the very great harm all orchards suffer from these destructive moths. What everybody knows at times proves of very little value and so after we had the unmistakable evidence that the Codlin moth had come to stay, if we would keep him. we appealed to Mr Cowles, a Nelaonian, for assistance in obtaining f. ora that home of moths for all the particulars and speoimens he could obtain, and this, with his usual good nature he set about obtaining and owning a friend much concerned in the fruit industry, Mr Pdtri?, of Richmond, we are now in receipt of many useful exhibits, and beg to tender our ibanks to both gentlemen for the trouble they hate taken.

How the moth first arrived here we know not, as it is able to journey in so many state*. Mr Petrie was not surprised to hear of it* being here as he bad found it both at Palni«rston and Feilding. The exhibits receivod we fihall have on vi<nv in oar office for any interested to inspect. They consist of a fvw moth*, dead, and a band with grub* in it just taken from the tree As far as we can ascertain of the wily ways of these interesting creatures, who by the way are distinguished by the correct name of Carpocapsa PoinmiHlla. lay their eggs in the eye of the apple, one only in each. As *onn as the egt; is hatched the little gruh gnawa a hole in the crown of the appla and soon buries itself in the substance, having got to. th«

pips the apple falb to the ground and the grub emerges and wanders about on the ground till it finds the gtem ot a tree, up which it climb?,

and hides itsejf in some little crack

io the bark. To put a stop to thus of themselves comfortably by spinning a silken cocoon in which to become a chrysalis so as to weather the winter out, our friends in Nelson place a cunningly devised band of sacking some eight inches wide and turned up two inches, round the stems of their trees, into which, it is such a nice little parlor you know, the dear iit!l« grubs get mixed up in. The aweet tbing3 are

of a pink hue,

and at present we

have a fine assortment alive, if nut + kicking, bat ctrefuilj pr*s*rTed from ■trajrinff, as wt have no d^aire that they should be led into temptation, and as times are hard here ju*t now, it behovjs everyone to keep an eye on his "grub." When thus entrapped the end of their days is n>t difficult to predict. Mr Petrie observes that these specimens could be kept in a perforated cardboard box and allowed to hatch, but as we have some spec imi ns of the dtad moth, owinjf to hi 3 c mrteay, we have no desire to start hatching here. Ocular demonstration is worth pages of explanation and the band, the grubs and the moths are to haud to be seen. The moth is not easily to be mistaken owing to the bronze spot on the end of the wing. By scientific writers it is said to be a vary beautiful insect, about threequarters of an inch in expanse ; fora wings ashy brown, with very numerous, rather obscu c, darker, transverse streak', united into a broadish band towards t- c basp, giving them a damasked appearance. On the hind border of the fore wings is a large reddish -brown paten, spotted, and surrounded with a golden mark. The hind wings reddish-brown tinged with yellow. • We are glad to learn that Mr Jonson is doing all he can to prevent their increase, by gathering all the perforated apples he can. The apple generally first attacked are the Codlins.