160 ORCHARD INSECTS 



The pest is easily controlled by spraying with arsenate of 

 lead or any similar poison. Contact poisons may also be used 

 and even fine dust or water is effective. 



INSECTS ATTACKING THE STONE FRUITS 



There are not nearly so many serious insect enemies of the 

 stone fruits as of the pome fruits. Probably this is due in con- 

 siderable part to the more pungent taste of the foliage of most 

 of the stone fruits. However, there is no real dearth of insect 

 enemies, even of the stone fruits. 



The peach, like the rest of its relatives, is attacked by very 

 few insect enemies. The San Jose scale, the plum curculio and 

 the aphis are all likely to attack it, especially the first named, 

 but about the only " specialty " in the insect line is the borer. 



Peach Tree Borer. Most people who grow peach trees are 

 familiar with this pest. Its presence in the tree is shown by a 

 sticky gum which is thrown out in large quantities at or near 

 the surface of the ground. 



Life Cycle. The adult insect, which one rarely sees, is a 

 very pretty moth, looking, however, much more like a wasp. It 

 is variously marked with black, brown and several shades of 

 yellow, and the two sexes are quite unlike. The eggs are laid 

 throughout the summer on the bark and usually well down on 

 the trunk. The larva, on hatching, burrows into the inner bark 

 and sap wood, where it feeds, causing the copious production 

 of gum just mentioned. Here it feeds for nearly a year, ceas- 

 ing operations only during the winter, and emerges during the 

 early part of the summer to begin the round of life again. 



Dig out the Borers. The orchardist is likely to have little 

 difficulty in identifying the work of this insect. The gum already 

 mentioned is the first indication. On digging into this the brown- 

 ish castings of the larva will be found, and a little searching 

 with a knife will soon disclose the burrow and later the larva 

 itself. Sometimes the larva will even be found outside the tree 

 in the mixture of gum and castings. A small, sharp-pointed 

 trowel will be found an excellent implement to work with. It 



