New York Agricultural Experiment Station. 347 



should not be sprayed while in blossom, for the spray may injure 

 the delicate parts of the flower, and the poison may kill the bees 

 and other insects that play an important part in fertilizing the 

 blossoms. . 



Borers. — The insects known as borers are the larvre, or grubs, of 

 beetles. The female beetle lays its eggs on the trunks of the trees, 

 where they hatch in a few days. The larva at once gnaws its way 

 into the sapwood, where it feeds on the tender wood next to the 

 bark. One species lives in the tree three years. They may do 

 great damage, especially to young trees, which are sometimes girdled 

 and killed by them. The trees should be examined at least once a 

 year, that the borers may be dug out and killed. This is done with 

 a knife, or they may be killed by inserting a piece of copper wire 

 into the hole. They should be looked for at the base of the tree or 

 just below the surface of the ground. Their presence may be 

 detected by the darker colored bark and by their castings. 



Bud Moth. — The adult insect is a small gray moth that lays its 

 eggs in the summer. The eggs soon hatch, and the larv* at once 

 form a web on the under side of the leaves where they feed. 

 According to Slingerland, they pass the winter as half grown larvse 

 in silken cases attached to the twigs. They come forth in the spring 

 as small brown caterpillars, and begin their attacks as soon as the 

 buds begin to unfold. 



The catei'pillar works its way to the centre of the bud, where it 

 feeds on the young leaves or flowers. Spray should be applied to 

 the trees when the buds begin to open,^ for when the caterpillar is 

 once inside the bud it immediately begins to form a covering by 

 tying the leaves together with a web. AVhen thus covered it is very 

 difiicult to reach it with the spray. 



Remedy. — Where an orchard is badly infested it will pay to 

 spray with Paris green as the buds begin to open, using one j^ound 

 for from one hundred and fifty to two hundred gallons of water. 

 A second treatment with Paris green should be made within a few 

 days especially if rain falls so as to wash off the first application. 

 If it is desired to treat the trees for apple scab, Bordeaux mixture 

 may be combined with the Paris green for either of the above treat- 

 ments, but only one treatment with Bordeaux mixture for apple 

 scab need be made before the blossoms open. 



1 Bulletin 50, Cornell Experiment Station : 27. 



