114 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



known to attack plum, apricot, nectarine, and even quince 

 trees. (H. Edwards.) 



The name Maroga gigantella has been adopted from 

 u Walker's list." Mr. H. Edwards, however, in a very 

 interesting paper, read recently before the Linnean Society 

 of New South Wales, calls it Cryptophasa unipunctata 

 (Don), and remarks that the insects are easily attracted 

 by a light, so that the lamp [an engraving of which is here 

 given] should be of extra value in the capture of this and 

 other nocturnal kinds of insects. 



The larvae of this Moth destroy the trees by boring, first 

 tunnelling for some distance under the bark, and then 

 gnawing their way right into the very heart of the tree 

 (see Plate XIII., Fig. 3). The sawdust-like excrescence 

 on the trees being quite sufficient indication of the presence 

 of borers in general, and this one in particular. 



The jaws of the larvae are very strongly made, which 

 enable them to gnaw with great rapidity, it being per- 

 fectly surprising to find what a large amount of damage 

 they are capable of doing during a single night. As an 

 instance of the boring power of some even small grubs, I 

 may mention the fact of the larva of a moth (the former 

 about an inch in length) in one night having bored through 

 a box in which I had had the grub confined, and nearly 

 through a thick table of old seasoned cedar, so that in 

 green wood it is hardly to be wondered at when they do 

 so much damage to trees. 



The losses caused by the depredations of this insect are 

 very serious, and if not at once attended to, the grower 

 of both cherries, peaches, and even apricots may suffer 

 more severely than they have hitherto done. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



Remove, or if possible have removed, all old and badly- 

 infested wattle trees growing in the vicinity of the 

 orchard. Give the tree when dormant a spraying or two 

 with either kerosene emulsion, tar- water, Quibell's mixture, 

 Phenyle, or any other solution which would tend to make 



