462 MISC. PUBLICATION 657, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
one generation a year; the moths emerge in June, and the larvae 
feed during late summer, maturing in September and October. The 
larvae often enter the ground to pupate but sometimes pupate in the 
fallen acorns. 
Famity AEGERIIDAE 
The Clearwing Moths 
The adults of many species of the family Aegeriidae resemble 
bees and wasps in appearance more than they do ordinary moths. 
They are moderate in size. The antennae are usually spindle-shaped, 
tapering to both base and apex and terminated by a small silky tuft; 
sometimes the antennae are pectinate. The body is often stout and in 
some species brightly colored, and the wings generally have the greater 
part of one or both pairs free of scales. ‘The forewings are very nar- 
row, often transparent, with short outer margins and well-marked 
anal angles. The hind wings are narrow but somewhat broader than 
the forewings, more or less transparent, and often with only the 
margins and veins scaled. The adults are diurnal; they frequent 
flowers, and fly swiftly. The larvae are white, without markings, and 
are borers, generally living within the main stem or solid part of the 
plant. Some species important as pests of forest or shade trees and 
ornamental shrubs are discussed. 
The hornet moth (Aegeria apiformis (Clerck) ) is brownish black, 
with yellow markings on the head, sides of thorax, and bands on the 
abdomen. The tibiae and tarsi are orange, and the wings are trans- 
parent, with brown margins. Wing expanse is 114 to 184 inches, 
The full-grown larva is about 114 inches long, the head reddish, and 
the body white. 
This species is an introduction from Europe, but is now widely dis- 
tributed through the northern part of the United States. The larva 
is a borer in the roots and base of trunks of poplar and willow. The 
burrows permit the entrance of decay organisms. ‘Two years are re- 
quired to complete its life cycle. The moth emerges in June, and the 
larva completes the growth late in the following summer. It spins a 
stout cocoon in the wood borings in or close to the injured base and 
roots of the tree, passes the winter as a larva in its cocoon and pupates 
in the spring. Between 1930 and 1932, it seriously injured the larger 
roots of some Carolina poplar trees in Revere, Mass. For control 
measures, see page 24. 
Aegeria tibialis (Harr.), a native species, is similar to A. wpiformis, 
and is sometimes mistaken for it, as it also attacks poplar and willow. 
The moth of the maple callus borer (Conopia acerni (Clem.) ) is 
more or less tawny, the wings largely hyaline tinged with yellow, and 
the interspaces near the apex of the forewing are light yellow. The 
anal tuft is hght red (fig. 104, C). The wing expanse is 34 to i inch. 
The full-grown larva is about 14 inch long, the head is brownish, and 
the body is white (fig. 104, A). 
This species is distributed from Canada, through the eastern part of 
the United States, and west to Nebraska. It attacks both the hard and 
soft maples. The moths emerge in May and June and deposit the eggs 
in roughened places on the tree trunk, preferably on or near wounds. 
The eggs hatch in a short time, and the young larvae bore into the 
bark and sapwood. Some of the frass from the larva is forced out of 
the burrow and can usually be found around the wound. The larva 
