Show gallfly helps help in ink making tile the gallfly an insect which infests oak trees has a distinct advantage for mankind for it brings about the formation of so called oak apples or nut galls as they are sometimes called which are used in making ink and tannin the insect pierces the leaves and stems of oak leaves an egg and a poisonous flu fluid id around the wound in the plant the oak apple grows rapidly until it attains a size comparable to an apple the egg does not hatch until it Is full size having flavins hatched tile the insects remains within the apple until 1 I 1 maturity gradually eating its way to the open air where it emerges as a full fledged gallfly gall gaii fly itself washington star |