REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST 105 



half in extent of wings; the male moth has both wings clear and is 

 distinctly smaller than the female. These moths appear in late June or 

 early July and lay their eggs upon the bark of the tree, usually near the 

 ground, but in some cases in the crotches. The egg is exceedingly small 

 and- of a yellowish brown color. Immediatly upon its hatching, which 

 soon takes place, the tiny larva actively crawls about and soon burrows 

 into the bark by entering through a crack. It mines down to the sap- 

 wood at or sometimes below the level of the outside soil in young trees, 

 or about the base of the limbs in older trees, growing during the 

 summer and early fall and meanwhile enlarging its burrows and causing 

 the characteristic exudations of sap mixed with wood dust and dirt. 

 When winter arrives the larva ceases feeding and remains dormant 

 through the cold weather, resuming its burrowing and feeding the next 

 spring and completing its growth at that time. The full growth is reached 

 toward the middle of June. When full grown the larva is about an 

 inch long, yellowish-white with the head and segment just behind it 

 brown. It then pupates, and, in course of three weeks or thereabouts, 

 gives forth the adult moth already described. 



The peach-tree borer is an exceedingly hard insect to successfully 

 combat. Among the most successful preventives are the various means 

 employed to prevent the moths laying their eggs about the bases of the 

 young trees. Some mound up earth to the height of a foot or so about 

 the bases of the trees early in June and keep it thus for the next three 

 months, this method being particularly adafpted to the protection of 

 nursery stock. On other trees it is often possible to employ somewhat 

 more elaborate and efficient protections such as tightly wrapping the 

 base of the tree with heavy roofing or sheathing paper and seeing that 

 this extends foir an inch or two below the level of the soil, or any other 

 method which will prevent the larva gaining access to the base of the 

 tree. Another preventive is the application of poisoned limy coats to 

 the lower trunk of the tree to prevent the laying of eggs and the entrance 

 of the larva. A wash made of two quarts of strong soap and an ounce 

 or two of Paris green with a little carbolic acid added, and these mixed in 

 a bucket full of water with enough lime to make a paste, has proved 

 satisfactory for this purpose. The small amount of poison included will 

 not injure the trees, but no more than above mentioned should be used 

 and this only with lime. Mixtures containing more arsenic will inevit- 

 ably injure peach trees. Other substances which have proved success- 

 ful as preventives of injury by this insect under certain conditions of 

 environment, under different conditions have proved ineffective or injured 

 the trees, so need not be further mentioned here. 



After the larvae have located under the bark of the trees, ordinarily 

 the best means of destroying them is by simply digging them out with a 

 sharp knife, which is, in the end, the most effective treatment at this 

 stage. After some experience this digging out can be done very rapidly 

 and without serious injury to the tree. It can be done to best advantage 

 during the early spring when the borers are most easily located and are 



