INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE PEAR. 



ATTACKING THE TEUNK. 



No. 65. — The Pear-tree Borer. 



JEgeria pyri (Harris). 



This is a whitish larva resembling that of the peach-tree 

 borer, but much smaller, which feeds chiefly upon the inner 

 layers of tiie bark of the pear-tree. Its presence may be 

 detected from its habit of throwing out castings resembling 

 fine sawdust, which are readily seen upon the bark of the 

 tree. Before the larva changes to a chrysalis it eats a passage 

 through the bark, leaving only the thinnest possible covering 

 unbroken. Retiring towards the interior, it changes to a 

 chrysalis, and late in the summer the chrysalis wriggles itself 

 forward, and, pushing against the paper-like covering which 

 conceals its place of retreat, ruptures it, and, projecting itself 

 from the orifice, the moth soon bursts its prison-house and 

 escapes, leaving nothing but the empty skin behind it. 



The moth (Fig. 146) is somewhat like a small wasp, of 



a purplish or bluish-black color, with three golden-yellow 



stripes on its abdomen ; the edges of the collar, 



FiQ. 146. the shoulder-covers, and the fan-shaped brush on 



the tail are of the same golden-yellow hue. The 



wings, which, when expanded, measure more than 



half an inch across, are clear and glass-like, with 



their veins and fringes purplish black, and across 



the tips of the fore wings is a broad dark band with a coppery 



lustre. The under side is pale yellow. 



Remedies. — The trees should be examined in the spring, 



and if evidences of the presence of these larvae are found, 



they should be searched for and destroyed. As a preventive 



measure, paint the trees with the mixture of soft-soap and 



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