28 



THE PRACTICAL ENTOMOLOGIST. 



nerally more disposed to exude gum than the Peach-tree, 

 yet Plum-trees attacked by this borer exude no gum at 

 all from the spot where it has taken up its abode. 



Various modes have been adopted, for getting rid of this 

 troublesome pest after the tree has already been attacked, 

 and Tarious other modes for preventing a lodgment 

 therein. These we will take up in order, as, when un- 

 derstandingly applied, they are all more or less effectual. 

 Remedy Isl. The corn-cob and the knife. In the autumn 

 the larvae are most of them quite small and have not yet 

 burrowed under the bark; and they may then be readily 

 destroyed by removing the earth from the collar of the 

 tree and rubbing the bark vigorously with a corn-cob or 

 other such substance. In the spring they are hid under 

 the bark, but even then the knife will reach them. 



Remedy 2nd. The hot-water cure. The larvee may be de- 

 stroyed at any time of the year by pouring boiling water 

 on the part attacked by them. This kills the larvae, but 

 doesnotinany wise injure the trees. It might be thought 

 that Apple-tree borers could be attacked in the same way, 

 but unfortunately they usually lie too deep under the 

 bark for the heat to reach them. 



Remedy 3cd. The hoc cure. Bank up your trees a foot 

 high or so in June, i. e. before the Moth appears that lays 

 the eggs that produce the borers. Then in the autumn, 

 before the frosts set in, level down the bank, and you ex- 

 pose the young larvae, which have not yet burrowed 

 under the bark, to the full benefit of the early frosts, and 

 especially to the attacks of birds, which at that time of the 

 year are hard put to it for food. It answers nearly the 

 same purpose to leave the earth on its natural level 

 through the summer, and in the autumn to uncover the 

 collar of the tree and the largo roots springing therefrom. 

 The principle in both eases is the same. The latter me- 

 thod, according to Solon Robinson, is the one now gene- 

 rally adopted in the Vineland settlement in New Jersey. 

 (N. r. Sem. Trib. Nov. 24, 1S6J.) 



Preventivelst. Surround the buttof the tree with a strip 

 of roofing paper a foot wide, having first removed the 

 earth from the collar; secure the paper above with strings 

 and below by returning the earth upon it, taking care 

 that at least two inches of the paper is under ground. 

 This will not prevent any eggs or young larvae that are 

 already there from developing, but it prevents the moth 

 from laying fresh eggs in her favorite spot. A corres- 

 pondent of the PnACTicAL Entomologist complains, that 

 she tried this method and found it useless. The reason, 

 no doubt, is that there were eggs or very young larvse 

 already on her trees, when she surrounded thera with 

 paper. 



In Mungo Park's Travels in Africa there is a story of a 

 certain African tribe, who went out to hunt the Lion 

 after a new patent method recently invented by some 

 ebony genius. They made a great open-work cage, some- 

 thing like a lady's hoops, only much larger and stronger 

 and closed in at top, and a dozen men bearing it on their 

 shoulders went boldly forth into the thicket where the 

 Lion lay. The theory was excellent. As soon as- they 

 saw the Lion, they were to drop the great Cage over them- 

 eelves, and then stab him with their spears as he was 

 vainly endeavoring to force his way in among them. Un- 

 fortunately, however, in practice they missed the right 

 time; for they dropped the Cage a little too late, and the 

 shaggy monster slijiped in under it and devoured them 

 ail at his leisure. Just so with the fair correspondent of 

 the PuACTicAL Entomolooist. Instead of shutting her 

 eueiuy out, she was a little too slow in her operations, and 



shut him in. In both cases the theory was unexceptiona- 

 ble, and the only fault v;as in the practical application of iU 



Preventive 2nd. Remove the earth as before and sur- 

 round the butt of the tree with a bundle of straw, to the 

 thickness of two inches, binding it around with twine 

 and returning the earth on the butts of the straw. To 

 this method the same remarks apply as to the first. No- 

 body but a practiced entomologist, whose eyes distinguish 

 an insect no bigger than a pin's head as readily as a 

 farmer sees a goose or a turkey, should try either of these 

 methods except in the spring of the year, when the larva 

 are large and easily betrayed by the exuding gum. 



Preventive Zrd. Place a heap of tobacco stems round the 

 butt of the tree in June. The smell of the tobacco is so 

 offensive to the mother-moth, that she always refuses to 

 lay her eggs on trees thus protected. Some practical men 

 also recommend placing half a pint of salt in a bag in the 

 crotch of the tree, or smearing gas tar copiously round 

 the butt; but both these substances, when applied iu too 

 large doses, are destructive to vegetable life, whereas soap 

 and tobacco are almost universally offensive to insects, 

 and yet absolutely innocuous even in the largest doses to 

 plants. I may add here that I tried some time ago the 

 " soap-cure," which is so effectual against the two apple- 

 tree borers, on three different peach-trees in my garden, 

 but that it appeared to do no good whatever, as in the 

 following spring they were alive with borers. Why 

 soap should be offensive to a beetle and iu no wise offen- 

 sive to a moth, is one of those mysteries, which can only 

 be explained when we can tell, why sheep will eat gree- 

 dily scores of diflerent weeds that cows will not touch; 

 or why some men are very fond of cheese and othera 

 sicken at the very smell of it. 



The locust borer. [C/ytus robinicc, Forster, 'Walsh.) 

 The annexed figure represents the male sex of the locust 

 borer; the female scarcely differs except in the antonnro 

 Fig. 5. (Of horns) being a little shorter. At first 

 sight it might be supposed that this Beetle 

 belongs to the same species as that repre- 

 sented iu Fig. fi, which is the male of the 

 "Painted Borer" of the Hickory. But a 

 closer inspection will show that this last 

 differs in having much longer and stouter 

 Colora-black and ■'^gs '*"<' ™"<='^ longer and stouter antenniB, 

 yellow. and in having its body tapered behind to 

 a blunt point.* And not only do the two insects differ in 

 these respects, but they differ in the trees which they 

 inhabit, and in the time of year at which the perfect bee- 

 tles come forth out of those trees— the Locust-borer ap- 

 pearing in September and the Hiokory-borer in June. 

 ■What is very remarkable, although the males are always 

 without exception distinguishable by the characters men- 

 tioned above, the females are not distinguishable at alL 

 Indeed, until I published on the subject,t it had always 

 been supposed by authors, that there was no difference 

 whatever between the locust-feeding beetle and the hick- 

 ory-feeding beetle, and that the same female laid her 

 eggs indiscriminately either upon the locust or the hick- 

 ory. Those who desire fuller details on this subject are 

 referred to the two passages in my Papers which have 

 just been quoted in a note. 



»The figure does not show the difference in the length 

 of the legs, as plainly as it ought to do, owing to the lore- 

 shorleniiig of Ihe thighs. _ _ 



tP;-oo. Bo!<ton Soc. A'a*. History, 18C4, pp. 201.-,, and 

 Proc. Ent. Hoc. Philad. U. np. 420-2. 



