Acgeria cucurbit ;e Harr — The Squash Vine Borer. 



I have not heard any complaint of injuries by this species in Illi- 

 nois, but have received letters from Kansas complaining of its depre- 

 dations and injury especially to the Hubbard squash. It is also found 

 east of us, therefore we may safely conclude that at some time it will be 

 found in Illinois to an extent sufficient to call attention to its opera- 

 tion. 



The following brief description of the wasp-like moth will be suffi- 

 cient to distinguish it from the other species. 



Front wings opaque, olive brown ; hind wings transparent with the 

 border and fringe brown; antennae dark ; the palpi or feelers at the 

 sides of the head yellowish^ with a small black tuft near the top ; the 

 thorax greenish brown : abdomen black at base, rest except the tip a 

 deep orange color, tip usually black ; the hind legs are heavily fringed 

 with long hairs which are black on the inside and orange r^d on the 

 outside. The wings, when spread, measure a little over an inch from 

 tip to tip; the body from five-eighths to three-fourths of an inch long. 



The larvae work in the stem of the squash vine just where it leaves 

 the ground. They are usually found at work in July and first part of 

 August according to latitude. When once the vine is attacked there 

 appears to be no remedy. Preventive measures are the only ones 

 of any avail in this case. Destroy all the moths which are to be 

 found and as they are day flyers they can easily be seen. 



Whenever a vine is attacked pull it up and feed it to the hogs, or 

 burn, or in some way destroy the worm that is in it. Let this be done 

 soon after the vine is attacked, or otherwise it maybe neglected until 

 the perfect insect comes forth, and then it is too late. 



Tremex Columba — Elm Tree Borer. 



This species belongs to the order Hymcnoptera, which contains wasps, 

 bees, etc., to the family Uroccridas, or "horn tails," so called on account 

 of the horn at the extremity of the larva, and the borer at the extrem- 

 ity of the female perfect insect, It is wasp-like in appearance, having 

 four thin membranous wings similar to those of a wasp, but differs 

 from the wasp in not having the body constricted at the waist. The 

 body of the female is cylindrical, about as thick as a common 

 lead pencil, and an inch and a half or more in length, exclusive of 

 the borer, which is an inch long and projects three-eighths of an inch 

 beyond the end of the body. The latter rounds upwards, like the 

 stern of a boat, and is armed with a point or short horn ; the head and 

 thorax are rust colored, varied with black ; the abdomen, or hinder 

 and longest part of the body is black, with seven ochre-yellow bands 

 across the back, all of them but the first two interrupted in the mid- 

 dle. The horned tail, and a round spot before it, impressed as if with 

 a seal, are ochre-yellow ; the antennae are rather short and blunt, rust 

 colored, with a broad black ring in the middle ; the wings expand 

 two inches and a quarter or more ; they are smoky brown and semi- 

 transparent; the legs are ochre-yellow, with blackish thighs; the 

 borer, awl or needle, is as thick as a bristle, spear pointed at the end, 



