The Mystery of the Apple-Boring Wasp
An entomologist from Pullman descends on Lynden to investigate a bizarre fruit-eating worm that defies known science.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Mr. A. L. Melander, the entomologist of the experiment station at Pullman, was here Tuesday and Wednesday seeking information about a new apple-boring insect. This insect makes its appearance about picking time as a little green worm about one-half of an inch long which feeds on the flesh of the apple. This insect has been sent to the experiment station each year for the last four or five years, but in each case, it has come from Whatcom County. When the worms were kept in jars they developed in the spring into a little brownish wasp known as the saw-fly. The new pest is remarkable in its feeding habits, for all other saw-flies whose habits are known feed on leaves, and none are known to attack fruit. Mr. Melander is anxious to find out how prevalent the insect is and would like any of our readers who have had any experience with the insect to write to him at Pullman, Wash.
“The new pest is remarkable in its feeding habits, for all the other saw-flies whose habits are known feed on leaves, and none are known to attack fruit.”
Agricultural science in early 20th-century Lynden was a collaborative effort between farmers and state researchers. Today, the challenge of invasive species remains a constant, high-stakes concern for Whatcom County's agricultural economy.
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