CHAPTER IX 

 PLUM, PEACH, AND CHERRY INSECTS 



ATTACKING TRUNK AND ROOTS OF PLUM 



A NUMBER of the insects attacking the plum, cherry, and peach 

 trees have already been described in the chapter on apple insects. 

 Reference should be made to that chapter for discussions of the 

 New York weevil, the American silkworm, the plum curculio, San 

 Jose scale, and others. 



Peach-tree Borer (Sanninoidea exitiosa Say). This destruc- 

 tive borer may completely girdle a tree. If the attack is severe its 

 presence indicated by the foliage turning yellow the tree may 

 eventually die. 



Description and Life History. The borer is the larva of a 

 clear-winged moth. When full grown, it is about an inch long, 

 and is light yellowish with brown head. The body is sparsely 

 clothed with brownish hairs which arise from tubercles. The 

 excrement thrown out of the burrow and observed on the bark 

 indicates the presence of the pest. The caterpillar grows rapidly, 

 hibernating during the cold weather, and resumes operations again 

 in the spring. Its activities cause gum to exude from the tree. 

 About two years are required for the life-cycle; the larvae hatching 

 in late fall do not become moths until the second season. 



The moth itself, flying during the daytime, may be mistaken 

 for a wasp. The female is deep, steel blue, with a broad, orange 

 band across the abdomen. The fore-wings are opaque, covered 

 with bluish scales, and expanding about one and one-fourth 

 inches. The hind-wings are transparent, except the dark margin. 

 The male is smaller than the female. Its wings are clear, except 

 the margins and a line across the fore-wings. The abdomen is 

 marked with three or four yellow stripes (Fig. 136). West of the 

 Rocky Mountains, this form is replaced by S. opalescens. 



Control. Dirt may be heaped in a mound high on the trunk, 

 forcing the moths to lay eggs at a distance from the ground, where 

 the borers are more easily found when they begin their work. 

 Many are kept out of the trees in this way. This mound can be 

 leveled in the early fall, and the larvae maybe destroyed, by careful 

 use of the wire and knife, at that time. The laying of eggs on the 

 8 113 



