29 



as rapidly as possible beneath the bark of the tree, where it at 

 once begins feeding. It is at this point we look for a reason foi 

 the deposition of the eggs near the surface of the ground. We 

 find it in the fact that the jaws of the young larvae are too 

 weak to pierce the tough and hardened bark above, but just 

 beneath the surface of the ground they find entrance an easy 

 matter. 



Underneath the bark the larvae feed through the sum-, 

 raer, and in the extreme south off and on all winter. At the 

 opening of the burrow there usually occurs a more or less copi- 

 ous exudation of gum, which is usually mixed with the drop- 

 pings of the larva and with borings from the hole. This ex- 

 ternal evidence of the presence of the new worm is first 

 observable about the middle of the summer. The larva fre- 

 quently works well down into the main roots. 



The next spring regular feeding is resumed, and continued 

 until full growth is reached. In the far North this occurs in 

 July or later. In the South the first larvcC mature very much 

 earlier, and continue "coming on'' throughout the summer. 

 Here at Auburn larvae of all sizes may be found in the trees 

 at almost any time during the summer, thus rendering it very 

 difficult to outline any well-defined brood. 



As soon as full growth is attained, the larva forms about 

 itself a protecting cell wall or cocoon of silk (see Fig. 1) and 

 refuse, and within this changes to a pupa. In the pupal stage 

 the larva loses largely its power to move, and takes on char- 

 acters which somewhat roughly outline the future moth. It 

 remains in this stage usually but a very few days, soon shed- 

 ding its pupal skin and appearing as the moth we have al- 

 ready described, thus completing its life cycle. 



It is very evident that with such an extended term of life 

 allotted it, a great deal of injury is possible with even a sin- 

 gle larva. The chances of life are indeed small for trees in- 

 fested as, for instance, those of a very badly neglected orchard 

 in Alabama examined by Prof. Earle, some of which had as 

 many as fifteen and sixteen worms each. 



