Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1861-06-27
Apple Tree Borer.

Mr.. CovER-Dear Sri take the
liberty Of se,itliug you section Of an APP
pie tree Of five years growth, containing
beetle, that you may be enabled to furnish
the public with such information as you
may think proper. Also, description as
taken from my american farmers Uni
versal TANK Book, which if you see fit TO
publish you can do so:
APPLE TREE BoRER.-They are the
larye Of beetle called soperda vitalla-
the two striped or the brown and white
striped saperda This beetle varies in
length from little more than one half to
three-fourths Of an inch. 1t comes forth
from the trunks of the trees, in Its per-
fected state, early in June, making its es-
cape in the night, during which time only
it uses its ample wings in going from tree
to tree in search Of companions and food.
The trees and shrubs principally attacked
by this borer are the apple-tree, ounce,
mountain-ash, hawthorn and other thorn
bushes. The larvae are feshy, whitish
grubs, nearly cylindrical; the head is small,
horny and brown; the first ring is much
larger than the others; the next two are
very short, and with the first, are covered
with punctures and minute horns; the fol-
lowing rings, to the tenth, inclusive, are
each furnished, on the upper and under
sides, With two feshy warts, close together;
The eleventh and twelfth rings are very
short; no appearance Of legs; the grub
cuts cylindrical passage through the
bark, and pushes its castings backwards
out Of the hole, from time 10 time, while it
bores upwards into the wood. The lave
state continues two or three years, during
which the borer will be found 70 have
penetrated eight or ten inches upwards in
the trunk Of the tree, its burrow at the end
approaching to, and being covered only by
the bark Here its transformation takes
place. The pupa does not differ much
from other pupa Of beetles; but it has
transverse row Of minute prckles on each
of the rings of the back, and several at
the tip of the ab !omen. The final change
occurs about the first Of June, soon after
which the beetle gnaws through the bark
that covers the end Of the burrow, and
comes out Of its place Of confinement in
the night. killing it by wirethrust into
the he4e it has made is one of the Oldest,
safest and most successful methods.
d. b. PATTERSON.
jamestown, June 10, 1861.
REMARKs.-We acknowledge receipt Of
the section Of tree as perforated by the
said borer; also the letter Of writer which
appears above-but, the animal, having
become alarmed, had gnawed out, seeded,
making his way through several paper
wrappers, leaving hole the size Of rifle
ball, and then finding himself in the mail
bags, he gnawed his way out through let
tiers, newspapers and mail bags.
The habits, nature, origin and propaga-
ton are correctly given above, 50 far as we
have been allie to learn. The following
points embrace about all the further infor-
nation that We have obtained about this
destructive creature, tie existence Of which
but littlewas known previous to '4s or 80 !;
1T present it Is found as far and wide as
apples grow, east, west, north and south !,
but for the last few years we do not see
that the rayages are more extended or that
even 50 many trees are destroyed by them
as beforo--foi che reason perhaps that the
number of siekly trees is less OF late than
formerly, the fatal effects Of the hard win
tiers Of 80 and SO, by which 50 many
trees were injured, being more than over
with by removal of diseased stock and a
healthier crop Of trees having since sue
ceeded the siclly ones. And as the eggs
of larvae are seldom deposited in the bark
Of healthy or sound trees, the ravages
must continue to diminish unless trees are
again diseased BY hard winters or some
other cause,
The eggs are deposited late in the sum
mer; larvae are Matched early in June,
that month being the best time to remove
them; their working places may be found
by saw-dust-like powder which adheres
about the bark openings. At this time
they may be destroyed with the help Of a
jack knife without injury to the tree.
Later in the season they may have exca-
waited several inches through the bark,
thence into the wood, and thus deeply inn
bedded for winter. Thus.situated, it is al
most impossible to reach Them without de-
stro1jng the tree; in the spring the same
worm commences work again in the bark,
but soon gnaws deep into the wood; being
large ard Tagenous as the one found by
Mr.. Patterson, it works amazingly at this
stage, and surely destroys the tree.
Acids, alkalies, lacifer matches and the
like have been applied in the openings
made by Borers in view of destroying
them, but such means have nroyed of lit