﻿OP THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 79 



In Chicago, since the great fire of 1871, a large business has been 

 done in transplanting from the woods immense shade trees, some of 

 them over a foot through. The Flat-headed Borer is playing havoc 

 with many of them, and in despair some of my friends have been at 

 the trouble and expense of wrapping the entire trunk and the larger 

 branches in wire gauze, through which the beetle cannot penetrate. 

 This gauze, if so hung that no part of it touched the bark, would 

 undoubtedly prove a perfect protection ; but as it is tacked on, it does 

 not necessarily prevent the female beetle from consigning her eggs 

 to the bark, however much it may prevent the insects already in the 

 tree from issuing; while the cell growth of a single year is very apt 

 to burst it in many places. 



But whatever preventive measures be taken, trees should be care- 

 fully examined late in the Fall. At this season, or even in the Winter 

 time, the young borers which have just commenced work, are easily 

 detected and destroyed by a knife before they have done much harm. 

 Trees presenting those conditions which I have already stated to be 

 attractive to the insect should be especially watched, and any tree 

 that is suddenly checked in growth should be attended to, as it will 

 probably be found to contain the borer, though the outward signs of 

 its presence may not at first be so manifest. There is a very general 

 impression, also, among orchardists, that this insect is more injurious 

 on low lands than on high lands, and orchards on low land should be 

 more particularly watched. 



The presence of the young borer is usually indicated by a discol- 

 ored spot, a cracking of the bark, or the presence of saw-dust like 

 excrement. It will pay to look over the trees even before Fall, for as 

 •early as the latter part of June, in the latitude of St. Louis, the newly 

 hatched worm may sometimes be found just entering, when its pres- 

 ence is frequently indicated by an exuding drop of moisture on the 

 bark, and when it may be destroyed by cleanly cutting out a small slice 

 «f bark. Indeed, I would earnestly commend the following advice of 

 Mr. A. A. Briggs, of LeRoy, Barton county, who, after informing me 

 that he has taken out as many as a hundred borers from one small tree, 

 says : 



It is best for those having trees subject to attacks, to look over them every week 

 5f possible, or everj' two weeks at least, Jrom the first of June to Fall, for exudation of 

 sap from the bark, whicli is a sure indication of their presence. Carelessness in this 

 respect the past season has cost me more than 300 trees, all young. 



It is useless to spend time in trying to reach such borers as have 

 already penetrated into the solid wood. They are with difficulty 

 attained, and have already accomplished their principal damage. 



