EXTERMINATING NOXIOUS INSECTS. 



259 



A transverse section of the stem of an apple-tree 

 badly bored by the Apple-tree Borer. 



The beetle that de- Fig. 96. 



posits the eggs is a 

 wise philosopher, as 

 to selecting a con- 

 genial place for ovi- 

 positing the eggs 

 for the grubs. The 

 bark of a young ap- 

 ple-tree close to the 

 ground is exceed - 

 ingly tender at the 

 collar ; consequent- 

 ly the young larva 

 can readily cut his 

 way through the 

 bark to the wood. 

 Every tree should be examined carefully at least every 

 month, during the growing season. As a "workman is 

 known by his chips," so is the borer traced by the dust or 

 cuttings which he throws out behind him. Clear away 

 the grass and weeds from the trunk and exposed roots of 

 the tree, but do it carefully, as the cuttings or chips eject- 

 ed by the young grub will often be found standing up 

 quite erect from his entrance, being glued together in some 

 manner by the industrious borer. By scraping off the bark 

 carefully, you will find the grub in a snug little bed upon, 

 or slightly sunk into, the bark. It will be only a small job 

 to destroy every invader the first season, as they are still in 

 the bark, where birds often take out every one. Wood- 

 peckers frequently peck holes through the bark and take 

 them out. One or two months after the larvae have com- 

 menced boring, a person can see exactly where every one is 

 located, and can kill them with the point of a penknife. 

 But, after they have been boring a year or more, the true 



