28 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



It has been recorded specifically by various writers, from Canada, all 

 of New England, Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New York, New 

 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Texas, Alabama, 

 Mississippi, Oklahoma, Virginia, Arkansas, West Virginia, District 

 of Columbia, and Mount Desert Me. [Harris]. 



Food plants. This pernicious borer is apparently limited to rela- 

 tively few food plants. It is specially injurious to the quince and 

 nearly as much so to the apple. Its native food plants are the thorn, 

 mountain ash, chokeberry (Pyrus arbutifolia) and shad 

 bush. It has been recorded by Walsh as rare on pear and by Beuten- 

 muller as attacking plum and cherry. 



Description. Brown above with two white bands joined at the 

 front and extending to the apex of elytra, under side and front of 

 head white. Antennae light gray, legs lighter gray [pi. I, fig. i]. 



Natural enemies. Not very many enemies of this insect have 

 been discovered. An undetermined carabid larva was found preying 

 on the borers by Walsh and Riley in 1866. Promachus s a p - 

 e r d a e Riley M. S., now known as Cenocoelius popu- 

 1 a t o r Say, was bred from borers received from Indiana by Messrs 

 Riley and Howard in 1890. The downy woodpecker and the great 

 golden woodpecker have been seen in infested orchards by Miss Mary 

 Treat of Vineland N. J. but none of them were observed at work 

 around the base of the trees. Dr Fitch in his first report states that 

 the downy woodpecker, which is frequently seen in the orchards, is 

 one of the means provided by nature for keeping this insect in check, 

 and adds that a neighbor, who had devoted much attention to birds 

 and their habits, informed him that he had repeatedly noticed this 

 woodpecker remaining for a considerable time down at the very 

 root of appletrees, busily occupied in some operation. This would 

 seem to be very good evidence that this bird does prey on this borer. 

 That woodpeckers do this is conclusively proved by specimens 

 recently collected in the vicinity of Albany, which show the charac- 

 teristic work of these birds, but unfortunately give no clue to the 

 identity of the operator. 



Preventive and remedial measures. The control of an insect 

 pest of this character may be brought about in two ways: (1) the 



