BORERS 



BORERS. 



of September.- If the trunks of the common 

 locust-tree are examined at this time, a still 

 greater number of these beetles will be found 

 upon them, and most often paired. This Ca- 

 pricorn-beetle has the form of the beautiful 

 maple Clytus. It is velvet-black, and orna- 

 mented with transverse yellow bands. The 

 legs are rusty red, and the length of the insect 

 is from about half an inch to three quarters 

 of an inch. " In the month of September," 

 says Dr. Harris, " these beetles gather on the 

 locust trees, where they may be seen glittering 

 in the sunbeams with their gorgeous livery 

 of black velvet and gold, coursing up and 

 down the trunks in pursuit of their mates, or 

 to drive away their rivals, and stopping every 

 now and then to salute those they meet with a 

 rapid bowing of the shoulders, accompanied 

 by a creaking sound, indicative of recognition 

 or defiance. Having paired, the fejnale, at- 

 tended by her partner, creeps over the bark, 

 searching the crevices with her antennae, and 

 dropping therein her snow-white eggs, in clus- 

 ters of seven or eight together, and at intervals 

 of five or six minutes, till her whole stock is 

 safely stored. The eggs are soon hatched, and 

 the grubs immediately burrow into the bark, 

 devouring the soft inner substance that suffices 

 for their nourishment till the approach of win- 

 ter, during which they remain at rest in a tor- 

 pid state. In the spring they bore through the 

 sap-wood, more or less deeply into the trunk, 

 the general course of their winding and irregu- 

 lar passages being in an up ward direction from 

 the place of their entrance. For a time they 

 cast their chips out of their holes as fast as 

 they -are made, but after a while the passage 

 becomes clogged, and the burrow more or less 

 filled with the coarse and fibrous fragments of 

 wood, to get rid of which the grubs are often 

 obliged to open new holes through the bark. 

 The seat of their operations is known by the 

 oozing of the sap and the dropping of the saw- 

 dust from the holes. The bark around the part 

 attacked begins to swell, and in a few years 

 the trunks and limbs will become disfigured 

 and weakened by large porous tumours, caused 

 by the efforts of the trees to repair the injuries 

 they have suffered. According to the observa- 

 tions of General H. A. S. Dearborn, who has 

 given an excellent account (Mass. Agric. Rtpos. 

 and Journ. vol. vi. p. 272), of this insect, the 



frubs attain their full size by the twentieth of 

 uly, soon become pupae, and are changed to 

 beetles and leave the trees early in September. 

 Thus the existence of this species is limited to 

 one year. 



" Whitewashing, and covering the trunks 

 of the trees with grafting composition, may 

 prevent the female from depositing her eggs 

 upon them; but this practice cannot be carried 

 to any great extent in plantations or large nur- 

 series of the trees. Perhaps it will be useful 

 to head down young trees to the ground, with j 

 the view of destroying the grubs contained in 

 them, as well as to promote a more vigorous ' 

 growth. Much evil might be prevented by 

 employing children to collect the beetles while 

 in the act of providing for the continuation of 

 their kind. A common black bottle, contain- 

 ing a little water, would be a suitable vessel 

 206 



to receive the beetles as fast as they were ga- 

 thered, and should be emptied into the fire in 

 order to destroy the insects. The gathering 

 should be begun as soon as the beetles first 

 appear, and should be continued as long as 

 any are found on the trees, and furthermore, 

 should be made a general business for several 

 years in succession. I have no doubt, should 

 this be done, that, by devoting one hour every 

 day to this object, we may, in the course of a 

 few years, rid ourselves of this destructive 

 insect." 



In noticing the locust-borer, Mr. Colernan 

 states, that Allen C. Metcalf, of Lennox, Mas 

 sachusetts, washed his locust trees with spirits 

 of turpentine, and in that way, as he believes, 

 compelled the borer to leave them, after they 

 had made severe ravages. The trees were 

 examined by Mr. Coleman, who found them 

 much perforated, but without any signs indi- 

 cating the presence of the worm. (See Mr. 

 Colernan's Second Report.) 



The poplar tribe of trees, both in Europe and 

 America, are subject to the attacks of certain 

 kinds of borers, differing essentially from all 

 the foregoing when arrived at maturity. They 

 belong to the genus Saperda. The largest kind 

 found in America is the Saperda calcarata of 



j Say, so called because the tips of the wing- 

 covers end with a little sharp point or spur. It 

 is covered all over with a short and close nap, 

 which gives it a fine blue-gray colour ; it is 



I finely punctured with brown ; there are four 

 ochre-yellow lines on the head, and three on 

 the top of the thorax. It is from one inch to 

 an inch and a quarter in length. The grubs 

 of this beetle, with those of the broad-necked 

 Prionus, already mentioned, have in some parts 

 of the United States, in the vicinity of Boston, 

 for instance, almost entirely destroyed the Lom- 

 bardy poplar. They also live in the trunk of 

 American poplars. These grubs are of a yel 

 lowish-white colour, and, when fully grown, 

 measure nearly two inches in length. The 

 beetles proceeding from these may be found 

 on the trunks and branches of the various 

 kinds of poplars, in August and September ; 

 they fly by night, and sometimes enter the 

 open windows of houses in the evening. 



Apple-tree Borer. " The borers of the apple 

 tree," says Dr. Harris, "have become noto- 

 rious, throughout the New England and Mid- 

 dle States, for their extensive ravages. They 

 are the larvae of a beetle called Superdn livit- 

 tnta by Mr. Say, the two-striped, or the brown 

 and white striped Saperda ; the upper side of 

 its body being marked with two longitudinal 

 white stripes between three of a light brown 

 colour, while the face, the antennae, the under- 

 side of the body, and the legs are white. This 

 beetle varies in length from a little more than 

 one-half to three-quarters of an inch. It comes 

 forth from the trunks of the trees, in its per- 

 fected slate, early in June, making its escape 

 in the night, during which time only it uses its 

 ample wings in going from tree to tree in 

 search of companions and food. In the day- 

 time it keeps at rest among the leaves of the 

 plants which it devours. The trees and shrubs 

 principally attacked by this borer are the 

 apple tree, the quince, mountain ash, haw- 



