BULLETIN OF THE 



i) 



No. 261 



Contribution from the Bureau of Entomology, L. O. Howard, Chief. 5 

 July 19, 1915. 



(PROFESSIONAL PAPER.) 



AMERICAN PLUM BORER. 1 



By E. B. Blakeslee, Entomological Assistant, Deciduous Fruit Insect Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 1 



History 2 



Distribution 2 



Food plants 3 



Feeding habits and character of injury 3 



Description of stages 3 



The egg 3 



The larva 4 



The pupa 4 



The adult 4 



Spring pupation of wintering larva? 5 



Page, 



E mergence of spring brood of moths 6 



Oviposition of first generation of moths 7 



Length of life of moths of spring brood 9 



Habits of the moths 9 



Incubation of first-brood eggs 10 



First-brood larvae 10 



Hibernation 11 



Natural enemies 12 



Remedial measures 12 



Bibliography 13 



INTRODUCTION. 



In the summer of 1912, while engaged in deciduous fruit insect 

 investigations at Winchester, Va., the writer's attention was attracted 

 by the common occurrence upon apple of the American plum borer, 

 Euzophera semifuneralis Walk. Although injury to fruit trees by 

 the larvae of this insect was recorded by Forbes in Illinois as early as 

 1890, very little has since been published concerning it. This lack 

 of attention may be attributed to the fact that though common and 

 widely distributed it has never occurred in sufficient numbers or been 

 sufficiently destructive to call upon it any special notice as an economic 

 species. 



The food habits of this insect are particularly interesting when 

 contrasted with those of other wood-boring species. It is also an in- 

 : that under certain conditions is capable of doing considerable 

 damage to trees which have been injured either mechanically or by 

 the attacks of fungous diseases. At the suggestion and under the 

 direction of Mr. A. L. Quaintance, of the Bureau of Entomology, 

 :,n attempt was made, therefore, in the. summer of 1913 and 191-1, 

 to -i udy the insecl - biology. 



For the photographs presented in this paper the writer is indebted 

 to Mr. Fred E. Brooks, of the Bureau of Entomology. 



phera emifwnerali Wall order Lepldoptera, famllj Pyralidse. 

 Bull. 261— U 



