70 



the thorax and wings. A fine grayish down covers the body, so 

 it appears Hghter than it otherwise would. As in most boring 

 beetles, the antennae, or feelers, are long and slender. It is not 

 the beetle, however, but its larva that does the mischief. This is 

 seen at the right of the beetle in figure 52, and an enlarged figure 

 of the larva2, both from Dr. Packard, in figure 53. 



This latter figure gives a very excellent idea of the structure of 

 this borer. The actual length of the worm is about three-fourths 

 of an inch. As mav be seen in the figures, its form is flattened 

 cylindrical, the back being less convex than the sides. The beetles 

 lay their eggs on the bark of the ti'ees, and as these hatch the young 

 larvse bore inward, but they do not seem to ever penetrate as 

 deeply as do the apple tree borers, or many others. They do much 

 of their burrowing in the outer sap wood. During the summer 

 they feed continually, but as cold weather approaches they become 

 dormant, in which state they remain through the wanter, again 

 arousing themselves to activity as warm weather comes on. Thus 

 they live, growing larger each season, until the spring oi the third 

 year, when they cease boring finally, and become beetles, which 

 appear usually in June. It seems quite probable that all the larvae 

 do not wait until the third year, but are transformed the second 

 spring. Trees infested by this beetle, which is only too common 

 in Vermont, if there are many of the pest present, at once begin to 

 show signs of trouble, and if the evil has gone on the bark becomes 

 dry, and can be pulled oft^ in large pieces, as it is separated from the 

 underlying wood, and if unchecked, the attack in time not only 

 weakens but destroys the tree. Early in the course of the beetles 

 their presence can be recognized by the moist spots on the bark 

 where the sap has oozed from the borings. If such places be 

 taken at once in hand, and the bark cut into with a sharp chisel, 

 the borers can be discovered, and removed with no great injury to 

 the tree. If the bark is scraped and kept as smooth as possible, which 

 in the elm, unfortunately, is not very smooth, and then washed 

 over with kerosene or carbolic emulsion early in June, or jDerhaps 

 the last of May would be as well, the female beetles would not 

 be likely to deposit their eggs upon it. Cutting out the larvje is a 

 tedious process, but when they are once lodged in the wood it is 

 about all that can be done, and a badly infested tree can only be 

 treated successfuly as it is cut down and burned, so that the beetles 

 may not spread from it to other trees. The downy and hairy 



