200 



THE NUT CULTURIST. 



This burrow is a little larger than the diameter of her 

 body, and along on both sides she deposits her eggs, to 

 the number of ten to thirty, placing about an equal 

 number on each side. When these eggs hatch, the young 

 larvae begin to feed on the soft material by which they 

 are surrounded, making minute burrows at first, and at 

 nearly right angles with the parent one ; but as they 

 increase in size they are forced to diverge, those above 

 the center working upward, and those below downward, 

 as shown in Fig. 72. These burrows enlarge as the 



grubs increase in size, as 

 shown, most of them 

 reaching their full devel- 

 opment by the time cold 

 weather sets in, but 

 some do not cease feed- 

 ing until spring, then 

 pass to the pupal stage, 

 and later to the perfect 

 or beetle form, and from 

 the extreme end of these 

 burrows they bore a hole 

 straight out to the sur- 

 face, and are then ready 

 to begin the cycle of life 

 again, either on the tree 

 from which they have 

 emerged, or others near by. Some fifteen years ago I 

 noticed that the leaves of some of the old hickory trees 

 on my place were turning yellow prematurely, and upon 

 examination I found the bark perforated with minute 

 holes not larger than small bird shot, indicating the 

 presence of the bark borer under consideration. Seven 

 of the very largest and, presumably, the oldest, appeared 

 to be affected, and these were immediately cut down and 

 stripped of their bark, exposing the little grubs to the 



FIG. 72. BURROWS OF HICKORY 

 SCOLYTUS. 



