Sawflies

insects of the family of true sawflies, order Hymenoptera, pests in berry fruit cultures. The most harmful are the pear slug sawfly and the plum leaf sawfly, which are found on all continents; in the USSR they cause crop losses nearly everywhere. The pear slug sawfly (Caliroa limacina) is 4-5 mm in length and is black in color. In the USSR it chiefly harms the sour cherry, sweet cherry, plum, black-thorn, pear, and quince. There are one, two, or three generations annually. The larvae eat the flesh of leaves, leaving untouched the veins and the underside of the epidermis. The plum leaf sawfly (Cladius pallipes) damages many plant cultures, especially the sour cherry, sweet cherry, blackthorn, mountain ash, pear, raspberry, and strawberry. There are two, three, or four generations a year. The larvae eat round holes in the leaves between the veins. When they multiply at a great rate, they can strip plants bare. Countermeasures include treating the plants with insecticide and fall ploughing and spading of the soil in trunk circles.