THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 45 



weeks in the pupa state it becomes a beetle, with all it members and 

 parts at first soft and weak. These gradually harden and in a fort- 

 night more it cuts its way through its sawdust-like castings, and issues 

 from the tree through a perfectly smooth and round hole. Thus it is 

 in the tree a few days less than three years, and not merely two years 

 as Dr. Fitch suggests. I have come to this conclusion from having 

 frequently found, during the past summer, worms of three distinct 

 sizes in the same orchard, and Mr. D. B. Wier of Lacon, Ills., had pre- 

 viously published the fact*,while a correspondent to the Country Gen- 

 tleman of Albany, N. Y.f who says he has large experience with this 

 borer, sent to the editors specimens of all three sizes, which he calls 

 " this years, two and three year old worms." The individual from 

 which I drew my figures, and which was^ taken from a crab apple tree, 

 went into the pupa state on the 14th day of March and became a bee- 

 tle on the 15th of April ; but was doubtless forced into rapid develop- 

 ment by being kept throughout the winter in a warm room. 



Remedies. — From this brief sketch of our Round-headed borer, it 

 becomes apparent that plugging the hole to keep him in, is on a par 

 with locking the stable door to keep the horse in, after he is stolen ; 

 even supposing there were any philosophy in the plugging system, 

 which there is not. The round smooth holes are an infalliable indica- 

 tion that the borer has left, while the plugging up of any other holes 

 or cracks where the castings are seen, will not affect the intruder. 

 This insect probably has some natural enemies belonging to its own 

 great class, and some of our wood-peckers doubtless seek it out from 

 its retreat and devour it; but its enemies are certainly not sufficiently 

 under our control, and to grow healthy apple trees, we have to fight it 

 artificially. Here again prevention will be found better than cure, 

 and a stitch in time will not only save nine, but fully ninety-nine. 



Experiments have amply proved that alkaline washes are repul- 

 sive to this insect, and the female beetle will not lay her eggs on trees 

 protected by such washes. Keep the base of every tree in the or- 

 chard free from weeds and trash, and apply soap to them during the 

 month of May, and they will not likely be troubled with borers. For 

 this purpose soft soap or common bar soap can be used. The last is 

 perhaps the most convenient and the newer and softer it is, the bet- 

 ter. This borer confines himself almost entirely to the butt of the 

 tree, though very rarely it is found in the crotch. It is therefore only 

 necessary in soaping, to rub over the lower part of the trunk and the 

 crotch, but it is a very good plan to lay a chunk of the soap in the 

 principal crotch, so that it may be washed down by the rains. In case 

 these precautions have been unheeded, and the borer is already at 

 work, many of them may be killed by cutting through the bark at the 

 upper end of their burrows, and gradually pouring hot water into the 

 cuts so that it will soak through the castings and penetrate to the in- 



* Prairie Farmer, Chicago, April 20, 1867. 

 ^Country Gentleman, Sept. 12,1867. 



