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A Twig-girdler of Fig Trees. 
“nae Ue 
I send you a specimen of twig girdler just received from a correspondent in New 
Orleans. Hesays: * * * ‘*Itis playing sad havoe with our fig trees. Its mode 
of attack seems to be confined to girdling the branches, irrespective of size, and no 
doubt it would undertake to girdle the trunk if chance had placed it there.” On 
referring to your description of Oncideres cingulatus, in your Horticultural Report of 
1882, I find that it does not seem to fit this case. Please do me the favor to name 
the specimen and the remedy or preventive for me in answering the inquirer 
through the columns of the Cultivator.—[R. J. Réfiding, Georgia, April 21, 1891. 
ReEpLy.—The insect is one of considerable interest, and judging from the pupa 
alone it is probably the Cerambycid beetle Piychodes 3-vittatus. We would strongly 
urge that you request your correspondent to send a number of twigs, so that we may 
breed the adult and make sure of the determination. The best remedy will be to 
burn the infested twigs.—[ April 28, 1891. ] 
An old Enemy of the Colorado Potato Beetle. 
Under another cover I have inclosed a blue bug for inspection. For some days I 
noticed the remains of young potato bugs, which caused me to suspect there was 
an enemy at work. After a few days’ watching I saw a blue bug by the remains of 
a potato bug recently Killed, but before I had time to see whether it was at work or 
not it quickly disappeared. On the 16th inst. I saw the inclosed bug by the side of 
a potato bug, which was standing erect and in lively motion. The bug ran atonce, — 
but I succeeded in capturing it and placing it in a glass jar, together with potato 
vines and potato bugs. This morning I found some of the bugs dead and the blue one 
engaged upon one of the remains.—[C. H. Taylor, South Dakota, June, 1891. 
REPLY.— ~ * ~* The specimen proves to be an old friend, Lebia grandis, one of 
the Ground-beetles, which was discovered feeding upon the Colorado Potato Beetle 
as long ago as 1868. We figured and mentioned this insect in our Third Report of the 
Insects of Missouri, published im 1871, and it is also figured and described in our 
small work on Potato Pests. published by the Judd Company. [June 23, 1891.] 
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7 
Do Ground-beetles destroy Peach-tree Borers ? 
I send by this mail some black beetles for name and habits. I do this at the re- 
quest of one of my farm hands, who insists that wherever he finds them around the 
peach trees he finds the borers dead, and it is his opinion that they are enemies to 
the Peach-tree Borer. He says he has in quite a number of cases found the beetle 
in the hole made by the borer and on following it up found it dead. Will you 
kindly let me know whether the subjects before you have the valuable qualities 
cited above.—[H. Swineford, Virginia, July 30, 1891. 
RepLy.—The insects which you send are Scarites subterraneus and Harpalus penn- 
sylranicus, both Ground-beetles of predaceous habit, which, in all stages, feed upon 
and destroy other insects. It is quite likely that your farm hand is correct in his 
statements, although we are not aware that either of these beetles has ever been 
actually found preying upon the Peach-tree Borer.—[August 4, 1891.] 
Good Results from Spraying for Codling Moth. 
Please allow me to acknowledge my very great obligation to you for bringing to 
my attention, through your official publications, the use ‘of arsenical poisons for 
destroying Codling Moth and other noxious insects. 
I have a fine young apple orchard of fifty acres, all Newtown Pippins, immediately 
adjoining which on the north is an older and much neglected orchard belonging to 
a neighbor. 
