Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2012
Field studies in southwestern Quebec showed that feeding scars of the plum curculio Conotrachelus nenuphar (Hbst.), were made by overwintered and summer adults and occurred throughout the growing season. Egg-laying scars were made by overwintered adults only and occurred from the time of apple set to early August. The latter category included deep entries, which were made by the developing larvae in the fruit. In the McIntosh and Lawfam varieties feeding scars were found in 37.4 and 35.0 per cent respectively, averaging 36 per cent for the combined varieties, and egg-laying scars in 62.6 and 65.0 per cent, averaging 63.8 The extent of the two types of damage in the field appeared to be the reverse of those observed in the insectary, where feeding scars for the combined varieties averaged 63.2 per cent and egg-laying scars 36.8 per cent. In the insectary, 41.1 and 22.1 per cent of the feeding scars were respectively contributed by overwintered and summer adults. It was not possible to estimate these fractions in the field.