February, '19] CAFFREY: EUROPEAN CORN BORER 95 



Maine. Much of the sweet corn originates within the area infested 

 by the European Corn Borer. An examination of the sweet corn ex- 

 posed in the Boston wholesale market at this time revealed the fact 

 that many of the ears and the attached portion of the pedicel contained 

 larvae and pupae of the pest. Similar lots of corn had been sold to 

 retailers through this same medium and distributed to consumers over 

 a wide range of territory. Only a small per cent of the sweet corn ex- 

 posed for sale was found to be infested and of this amount only a very 

 small portion was shipped out of the infested area, but the danger 

 existing from the possibility of the species being disseminated in this 

 manner may be considered very great. 



Cornstalks as Feed for Livestock. Another method of pos- 

 sible dissemination of the species is through the transportation of in- 

 fested cornstalks. Many of the large market gardeners within the 

 infested area sell their sweet corn fodder to owners of livestock after 

 the ears have been harvested. Unless badly infested by the insect 

 this fodder serves as a green and succulent feed which is greatly relished 

 by livestock, especially dairy cows. Frequently this fodder is trans- 

 ported considerable distances by auto trucks and in several instances 

 under observation infested material of this kind was taken to localities 

 not previously infested by the insect. 



Dry Cornstalks as Packing Material. Dry cornstalks are 

 frequently used as rough packing material in the shipping of large 

 articles of a fragile nature, and in this manner infested material may 

 be carried for considerable distances. The over-wintering larvae of 

 the European Corn Borer are able to survive almost any extremes of 

 cold, heat or drought within cornstalks, and are not inconvenienced 

 by rough handhng or being confined in a small space. They remain 

 in a dormant condition within their host plant for a period of almost 

 five months, from December until the following May, thus providing 

 a long period of time during which they may be transported, with the 

 consequent danger of their widespread dissemination. 



Corn on the Cob. The larvae of the European Corn Borer tunnel 

 through the cobs of corn and frequently pass the winter in this situa- 

 tion. They are not at all inconvenienced by the drying out of corn 

 stored on the cob, either for seed or for the feeding to livestock, and 

 resume their feeding in the interior of the cob on the advent of warm 

 weather in the spring. 



Very little corn on the cob is shipped from the infested area but this 

 means of possible dissemination must be considered. 



Quarantine Measures Restricting Transportation of In- 

 fested Material. In order to prohibit the transportation of ma- 



