REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST IQI2 63 
HICKORY BARK BORER 
Eccoptogaster quadrispinosa Say 
The destructive work of the hickory bark borer in the Hudson 
valley, begun some three years ago, has been continued the past 
season. A number of dying trees were observed in the immediate 
vicinity of New York City, while many others have been seriously 
infested during the past season. A personal examination of con- 
ditions at Tivoli showed that similar conditions prevailed in that 
section. 
Signs of infestation. The preliminary signs of injury, such as 
wilting leaves and dead twigs during July and early August, are 
exceedingly important because they indicate the presence of a 
destructive pest before matters have passed the remedial stage. 
The attack, as characterized above, simply indicates that the beetles 
are about to enter the tree and that if affected twigs are numerous, 
the pests may destroy the hickory. Examination of injured trees 
in the fall or during the winter may show particles of brown 
or white sawdust in the crevices 
of the bark, and in the case of 
some trees, a few to many circu- 
lar holes appearing as though they 
had been made by number 8 buck- 
shot. The recognition of this 
sawdust is a decided advantage, 
since the dark brown or black, 
rather stout, cylindric beetles 
about one-fifth of an inch long 
invariably start their galleries un- 
der a protecting scale of bark Fig. 8 Hickory bark beetle. 
and the sawdust mentioned above The smaller figure shows the 
is therefore the only external evi- en ee eee 
2 egg notches, the larger the gal- 
dence of injury. Such trees are : 

leries of young larvae (orig- 
more dangerous to the welfare of inal) 
adjacent living hickories than others which may be fairly peppered 
with numerous exit holes. The external evidence cited above 
should be followed up by cutting down to the sapwood. The ex- 
posure there of longitudinal galleries one to one and one-half 
inches long, about one-eighth of an inch in diameter and with 
numerous fine, transverse galleries arising therefrom and gradually 
spreading out somewhat fan-shaped, is conclusive evidence as to 
