32 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



This latter is somewhat unusual and probably chargeable in part to 

 the backward season. The destruction of the leaves at this, late 

 date can hardly be considered as injurious, since it would do little 

 more than hasten the normal fall ripening of the wood. 



Lesser peach borer (Synanthedon pictipes G. &R.). 

 This species has long been known as an enemy of plum trees in 

 New York State, Its life history was worked out rather fully in 

 1879 ^y ^^ James S. Bailey of Albany, who studied the operations 

 of this species on plum trees in his back yard. Subsequent litera- 

 ture shows that this form has a decided preference for the domestic 

 plum, though it has also been recorded as breeding in a number 

 of other trees such as the beach plum, wild plum, cherry, June- 

 berry, chestnut and peach. Recent developments show that this 

 species may be quite injurious to peach, particularly in the Southern 

 States. Its operations upon this tree have also been observed in 

 New York. This pest has a somewhat similar habit to that of the 

 more common peach borer (Sanninoidea exitiosa Say) , 

 it differing in that it apparently attacks none but injured trees, 

 preferring to work in the vicinity of some scar; consequently it is 

 usually found in old trees. The borers make more irregular and 

 longer galleries, generally following the outlines of wounds or along 

 the edges of the cracked bark. They may occur at or a little below 

 the surface of the soil or even above the fork of the larger branches. 

 The borers live on the softer tissues under the bark causing, like 

 the larger peach borer, an exudation of gum. This species is more 

 easily distinguished from the common peach borer by its smaller 

 size, and in the case of the male may be separated from the more 

 common form by its bearing but two yellow bands on the abdomen, 

 they occurring on the second and fourth segments, while the male 

 peach borer usually has a band on the posterior margin of each 

 abdominal segment. The methods of value in controlling the peach 

 borer prove effective in checking this species providing the worming 

 is extended to above the fork of the upper branches. Care should 

 also be taken to prevent injury to the trunk or larger limbs. A 

 more detailed account of this species is given by A. A. Girault in 

 Bulletin 68, part 4, Bureau of Entomology, United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture. 



Lesser apple worm (Enarmonia prunivora Walsh) . 

 The work of this species is probably familiar to many of our 

 orchardists, though it has usually been attributed to the operations 

 of young codling moth larvae. This species generally bores just 



