THE ( VMM ON INSKCT KXKMIKS OF TIIK PLUM 1189 



The Ij(>,wr I^'nch-t i-cc llorer 



The larvae of the peach-tree 

 borer, Sesia pictipes Grote and 

 Robinson, burrow just beneath 

 the bark of the trunk and limbs 

 of various fruit trees, chief of 

 which are peach, plum, and cherry. 

 During the summer the larvae that 



FIG. 392. ADULT LESSER PEACH- have passed the winter, mature 

 TREE BORER ,, . ,, ., 



and transform into fragile, clear- 



winged moths. The attacks occur most frequently on old trees 

 with rough bark, especially near wounds, and are marked by an 

 exudation of gum from the affected parts. 



( 'ontrol. The attacks may be considerably lessened by keeping 

 the trees in good condition, free of loose bark, and so far as pos- 

 sible, safe from mechanical injury. In case of severe infestation, 

 the larvae may be dug out and the wounds treated with a protective 

 wash. Repellent washes seem to have proved of little value. 



The American Plum Borer 



The presence of this pest, Enzophera semifuneralis Walker, is 

 evidenced by the accumulation of frass which the larvae throw from 

 their burrows beneath the bark. The bark above the burrows is 

 usually killed, and sometimes the tree is entirely girdled. The 

 winter is passed by the pupae in small, white, silken cocoons under 

 flakes of loose bark or in the frass at the entrance to the burrows. 

 The adult is a small, grayish, inconspicuous moth. 



Control. If the trees are kept in good condition, as recom- 

 mended for the two preceding species, this insect should not prove 

 to l>e a serious pest. Scraping away the rough bark during the 

 winter will kill many of the pupae. The larvae may be dug out by 

 hand, in case infestation becomes heavy. 



