The Bramble Crown-borer 237 



Remedies. -Spraying with arsenical poisons just as the buds open, 

 or gathering and destroying the brown "nests" which are formed 

 by the dead leaves soon after the insect begins its work, appear to 

 be the most feasible means of attack. Several parasites, some birds, 

 and a large predacious wasp, prey upon this insect and help to hold 

 it in check. 

 Reference. 



Cornell Univ. Expt. Sta. Bulls. 50 and 107. 



THE BRAMBLE CROWN-BORER (FIG. 27) 



Bembecia marginata, Harris 



This insect is a near relative of the peach-borer, being so similar 

 in all its transformations that it has at times been mistaken for that 

 insect by growers. The adult insects are clear-winged moths, appear- 

 ing much like wasps or hornets, for which 

 they may be readily mistaken when seen 

 in the open field. The body of the insect 

 is rather more than half an inch in length, 

 black and prettily banded with golden 

 yellow, with a tuft of yellow hair near 

 the base of the abdomen. The wings 

 are narrow, transparent, with a bronze or Fig. 27. Crown-borer, 

 reddish brown margin, the front wings Bembecia marginata. 

 having also a narrow cross-band toward the tip. They measure 

 about an inch across when expanded. 



The moths emerge during August and early September and the 

 eggs are deposited on the under side of the leaves near the edge. 

 The young caterpillar crawls down the cane and goes into winter 

 quarters in some protected place, usually just underneath the surface 

 of the ground. In spring it enters the roots or the base of the cane, 

 generally burrowing just underneath the bark and girdling that 

 part of the plant. The second winter they hibernate in their burrows, 

 being then one-half to three-fourths inches long. In spring they 

 work upward, then outward to near the surface before changing to 

 the pupa sta^e. 



Destroying the larva by digging it out or removing and burning 



