578 INSECT PESTS OF FARM, GARDEN AND ORCHARD 



Control. Control of the peach tree borer has long been a 

 problem which has baffled the entomologist and the fruit grower. 

 It seems now to be well on the way to solution, largely through 

 the medium of a new insecticide called Paradichlorbenzene. This 

 name indicates the chemical composition of the substance and is 

 generally used for want of one more convenient. The name 

 "Benzene crystals "would seem to be convenient and sufficiently 

 accurate. 



The material is applied in the fall as soon as possible after all 

 the eggs of the borers have hatched or in -the spring after the. 

 soil has warmed up so that the temperature three or four inches 

 beneath the surface is about 60 F. The method of application 

 is to smooth the earth about the trunk of the tree, scraping away 



FIQ. 509. The peach borer larva, natural size and enlarged. (After 

 Slingerland.) 



all stones and rubbish, then distribute about an ounce of the 

 crystals in an even narrow ring about two inches from the trunk. 

 Several shovels of earth which should be free from rubbish and 

 stones should then be packed over the crystals so they are buried 

 to a depth of from three to six inches. Care is necessary to pre- 

 vent the first soil from disarranging the crystals in the ring. It 

 is advised to remove the crystals after about three weeks al- 

 though the necessity of this in all cases is uncertain. 



This treatment is recommended for trees at least five years 

 old. If used for younger trees there is an element of danger, 



