26 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 176 



completely covered with blue scales and the body is steel-blue with a distinct 

 orange band. 



The pest passes the winter in the larval stage. In some cases the larva 

 may be very small while in other cases it may be almost mature. In the peach 

 belt of the Ozarks the moths begin emerging from the more advanced over- 

 wintering larvae around the last of May but the heavy emergence and egg 

 laying usually comes between the middle of June and the first of August. 



CONTROL. The peach-tree borer is no exception to the rule that fruit tree 

 borers are difficult and expensive to control. Worming by hand and the use 



FIG. 29. Peach tree Borer: Crowns of peach trees showing borers and injury. (After 



Chandler) 



of repelling or protecting paints should always be supplemented by clean 

 culture and the removal of old worthless, borer-breeding peach trees and 

 snags. In the nursery do not hold over any old trees as breeding places for 

 borers and keep the young peach blocks as far as possible from old peach or 

 plum trees. Do not sell peach trees which show signs of being infested with 

 borers, unless they are fumigated. 



Badly infested trees should be wormed in the fall and again late in May 

 before the moths begin to emerge. Dig away the dirt and gum and with a 

 knife blade locate and destroy the borers without injuring the tree more than 

 necessary. After the borers are removed in late May paint or spray the trunk 



