1 66 Plum-Tree Boring Tortrix. 



over Great Britain. Probably it is often overlooked, the 

 damage being put down to other causes than insect injury. 

 Kollar, however refers to it, and there have been references 

 to it in some of the gardening journals. It is popularly 

 known as the " plum-tree boring tortrix/' or simply the "plum- 

 tree tortrix," an unfortunate name, as it attacks numerous 

 other trees, especially the apple and cherry, etc. Stainton also 

 records it from the laurel ; Kollar, from the peach, nectarine, 

 and apricot. It has been found in abundance on the peach at 

 Kingston-on-Thames, where several trees decayed away 

 •owing to the presence of this pest. 



The larvae often cause considerable harm to apple, plum, 

 and cherry trees, by burrowing under the bark. The cater- 

 pillars feed on the inner bark, and cause exudation of sap. 

 Patches of gum soon appear, and swellings and rugosities 

 form, decay usually sets in, and in many cases the tree dies 

 under the attack, especially when young trees are invaded. 



The presence of the larvae under the bark can alwa3^s be 

 detected by the little heaps of reddish-brown "frass" or 

 •excretions of the larvae. The burrows formed under the bark 

 are very irregular in form, sometimes there are quite large 

 chambers an inch in length. The attack generally seems to 

 originate at the base of the tree, where the little heaps of 

 " frass " stick on to the bark and cover the small round hole, 

 the entrance to the larval tunnel beneath the outer bark. 



Life History. —The adult is a small moth with dull orange- 

 brown forewings with dark brown or black markings, short 

 yellow streaks on the costa, a distinct ocellus or eye-like 

 spot at each wing tip, and a pearly border enclosing three 

 hlack lines ; the under wings are brown. In length the wing- 

 expanse varies from half to nearly two-thirds of an inch. 

 When resting on the bark of the tree it sits with its wings 

 folded in a slanting position. There are two broods in the 

 year, one in May and the second in September. The larvae 

 are dull pinkish-white to pale dirty-brown, with a distinctly- 

 lobed brown head, and with two large median and small 

 lateral dusky tubercles on the first six segments, a simple 

 hair arising from each ; on the four following segments are 

 two additional small dorsal spots behind the two large ones, 



