PLANTING AND CARE OF TREES 



171 



borers, each having its favorite species or family of trees for its 

 feeding ground. The Maples, Poplars, Locusts, Elms, and fruit 

 trees are most susceptible to the attack of some form of borer. As 

 a rule, their presence is indicated by sunken areas on the bark and 

 sometimes by sawdust-like castings on the ground, just below the 

 point of attack. It is well to carefully examine the trunks of 

 susceptible trees twice a year, in April and October, and dig out 

 the borers with a sharp pocket knife. A flexible wire or a 

 common knitting needle may be used where the insect is located 

 far into the wood. 



The larva of the Leopard Moth sometimes called the Imported 

 Elm-tree-borer, is one of the most destructive shade tree pests, 

 xlround New York, Boston and other cities along the north- 

 eastern coast it is becoming very troublesome. Its habits are 

 somewhat different from other borers in that it attacks the smaller 



Fig. 94. Trees injured by the Leopard Moth or 

 the Imported Elm Borer. 



branches at the top of the tree, where its presence is not usually 

 detected until the affected branches have l)een killed. The infested 



area of a tree gradually extends downward until the 



main 



