THE IMPORTED CURRANT BORER 419 



an inch long and three-fourths of an inch broad, having three 

 yellow bands across the body and a yellow collar. It appears 

 toward the end of May or the first of June, and deposits its eggs 

 upon the stems near a bud. When hatched the larva eats its way 

 directly to the center, thence upward and downward in the pith. 

 Here it remains until the following year, meanwhile eating out a 

 tunnel from six to twelve inches in length. When full grown, the 

 larva is about half an inch long, white, with a brown head and a 

 few hairs scattered over its body. Like many other immigrants in 

 the insect world, this species appears to prosecute its work with 

 renewed energy in the home of its adoption, far outstripping the 

 native currant borer in the success of its undertakings. It pre- 

 fers the red currant, but it is not too fastidious to accept the black 

 currant or gooseberry as a substitute when occasion demands. 

 Remedies. The method of treatment, which is the same for all 

 species of borers attacking these plants, consists in pruning away 

 and burning all infested canes, late in winter or early in spring, 

 before the moths emerge. With several canes allowed to grow, 

 and all wood cut away after it has borne one or two crops, this 

 result will be accomplished with little extra trouble. 



THE CURRANT SPAN-WORM 



Diastictis ribearia (Fitch). Order Lepidoptera. Family En- 

 nomidse. 



Comstock, Manual, 279. Abraxas ribearia, Fitch, N. Y. Rep. 3 : 427. Eu- 

 fitchia ribearia (Fitch). Riley, Mo. Rep. 9 : 3. Cook, Bull. Mich. Exp. 

 Sta., 73 : 9. 



This is the larva of a native pale yellowish moth, marked with 

 several dusky spots, and measuring about an inch and a quarter 

 across. The larva when full grown is about an inch long, of a 

 whitish color, with broad yellow stripes running down the back 

 and sides, and with a number of black spots on each segment. It 

 is a "measuring worm," moving by arching its body in the center. 

 When disturbed, it drops from the leaf and remains suspended in 

 the air by a web. It is most commonly found upon the gooseberry 

 or black currant, appearing soon after the leaves expand. It at- 

 tains its full growth within three or four weeks, descends to the 

 ground and transforms to a pupa, hidden by rubbish, or just be- 



