REPORT OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST I914 4I 



On the continent the moths fly in June and July and deposit their 

 eggs singly the latter part of July or in August on the terminal bud 

 whorls. The caterpillars hatch late in the summer and gnaw the 

 side of the bud, causing a flow of pitch which covers the borer and 

 forms a hibernating shelter, according to Gillanders, though our own 

 examinations show overwintering larvae within the bud or an adja- 

 cent portion of a twig. With the appearance of warm weather, 

 namely in April and May, the borers resume activities, attack adja- 

 cent buds and then kill or injure most of the shoots or buds of a 

 cluster. The more advanced shoots are usually injured so that they 

 lop or bend down, and as growth continues there is a turn up- 

 ward and the characteristic bayonet or posthorn deformity results. 

 Smaller or younger shoots may be tunneled and destroyed. The 

 borers confine themselves to the more tender, soft growth and 

 cease feeding the latter part of May or early in June, and pupate 

 in the hollow shoots. The duration of this latter stage is variously 

 given as from ten to about twenty-one days. The appearance of the 

 moth is preceded by the pupa pushing itself partly out of the 

 burrow. The moths issue in this state mostly during June. 



Description. Moth. Wing spread i8 to 22 mm. Antennae 

 brownish. Head and thorax pale yellow. Eyes black. Abdomen 

 dark gray. Forewings yellowish red, the red heightened by very 

 variable silvery cross-lines. The hind wings are a uniform dark gray 

 with pale gray fringes. 



Larva. Length 21 mm. Head, thoracic shield and true legs black, 

 the body dark brown. 



Pupa. Length 1.5 mm, yellowish brown, the dorsum of the ab- 

 dominal segments with conspicuous, transverse rows of chitinous 

 tubercles. 



Distribution. This species has been recorded by Meyrick from 

 western central Europe and northern Asia. 



Control measures. The boring habits of the caterpillar preclude 

 the use of ordinary insecticides and, judging from the apparently 

 local habits of the moths, it should be comparatively easy to control 

 this pest in nurseries and on small trees at least by cutting out and 

 burning all infested shoots during the fall and winter. It should be 

 possible, in many localities, practically to exterminate the species 

 by thorough work as indicated above, and where this is attempted 

 it is advisable to supplement the winter pruning by examining the 

 trees again in May or early June for the purpose of removing any 

 infested tips which may have escaped previous observation. 



