Nov., 1909.] The Twig Girdler. 3 



The Persimmon tree branches were girdled in the same man- 

 ner as the Honey Locust. A grove of Persimmon trees near 

 New Plymouth, Vinton County, was found in which all of the 

 trees had been attacked. Figure 9 shows the method of the 

 workman. This branch was one of the largest girdled branches 

 found. A great many of the branches were in their natural posi- 

 tion on the tree, and from the strength required to break them off 

 I judge that under ordinary circumstances they would remain 

 there a vear longer. 



On this trip to Vinton County it was observed that the 

 Hickorv and the Honey Locust and the Linden were girdled 

 and cut to about the same extent as they were in this com- 

 munity. This would indicate that the beetle is widelv distri- 

 buted in this part of the State. 



Eggs: The eggs were imbedded between the bark and 

 wood. The female makes the perforations generally under each 

 successive side-shoot, but this is by no means the rule, for eggs 

 are found imbedded in all parts of the branch. After the egg is 

 deposited, the female closes the hole with a gummy secretion. 

 The eggs are about two millimeters in length, (Fig. 1, e), of a 

 whitish color, and long oval in shape. Those under observa- 

 tion were probably laid in October and hatched about December. 



I have examined more than a thousand girdled branches, 

 and in every case a peculiar scarring of the bark both above 

 and below the notch extending about one inch in each direction 

 was observed (Fig. 11 and Fig. 12). These scars were made 

 by the female. After laying her eggs she digs with her powerful 

 mandibles, transverse shallow grooves one-sixteenth to one- 

 tenth of an inch long in the bark. There can be no doubt as to 

 her purpose in doing this. It is a precaution taken to make 

 doubly sure that the girdled branch will die, and do away with 

 any possibility of the bark growing together and healing the 

 wound. Just as far as these grooves extend up and down the 

 stem, the bark dies. It is interesting to note that in addition to 

 girdling the branch two inches of the bark is deadened. 

 Opi some specimens these transverse grooves were observed both 

 above and below the egg. This was especially true of the 

 Hickory. The grooves extended along the probable course 

 which the burrowing larva would take. This was not true for all 

 eggs laid in the same branch. Several instances were noted 

 where these grooves were made above and below the eggs which 

 were laid away from buds and branches. It is done to deaden 

 the bark and prevent growth from crushing the egg. Prof. 

 Herrick mentions this in regard to O. texana, but he does not 

 naention the grooves made both above and below the incision. 

 We conclude that the species differ in this particular. 



