Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-11-11

1IBARh BEETLEAND ITS WORK.
serious injury in nurseries and attacks
only trees whose vitality has been re-
duced by being broken by blowing or
injured in some other way. It does
not confine it's attacks to fruit trees,
but is found working on shade and or
Damental trees as we'll; usually the
maple, elm and mountain ash.
The beetle will attack perfectly
healthy trees, but has a decided pref
erence for weak and sickly ones. \
tree infested with this insect can be
easily detected by/a little careful OBJ
servation. The trunk and larger
branches are usually peppered full Of
little round holes about the size of a
pin-head, see cut. In many instances
the gunmy emulation from these pune
lures is very conspicuous, standing out
in bead-like masses or running down
the branches and trunk. [ have seen
many trees, especially cherry, in this
condition, the present season.
The little beetle responsible for this
mischief is about one-tenth of an inch
in length and one-third as wide. It is
nearly black in color, somewhat cylin-
glass of moderate power shows cloth
ing of yellowish hairs on the head and
wing covers. The head is vertical and
the jaws are short and stout. The
beetle is shown in our figure very much
enlarged latter Forbes).
The adult beetle, after making hole
in the tree, deposits her eggs in little
grooves made in the inner bark. The
young that hatch from these eggs feed
upon the inner bark and sapwOod, max
ing long channels running in all direc-
lions from the central groove, as shown
in lower right corner. These young
worms frequently become so numerous
as to completely girdle the branch or
trunk, as the case may be. The young
have no feet and are white, with small
brown heads of the general shape
shown in the illustration. They trans
form in these channels, and in due
time the adults eat their way out, thus
making more openings similar to the
ones made by the female when deposit
ing her eggs. There are probably two
broods each year. One brood deposits
its eggs in September and the insects
pass the winter as larvae or worms
under the bark. These transform in
the spring, and begin to emerge as
adults as early as the middle of March.
l have also found a full-grown larva
the last of July.
The fact that the fall brood passes
the winter in the larval state, the first
remedy that suggests itself is the cut
ting down and destruction by burning
of all infected trees during the winter.
would recommend this procedure only
in extreme cases or where the trees are
of no special value. An attempt of ex-
termination would mean the absolute
destruction of every tree showing the
least attack.
Experimentation with various sprays
and washes for controlling this pest
has not been carried forward very
rapidly. Trees sprayed with a strong
solution of Bordeaux mixture and Paris
green combined, at about double the
strength which is generally used, have
given very promising results. The first
application should be made about April
order to be most effectual, the spraying
should be done before any of the char
acteristic marks of the insect are found
upon the trees, as it will be much easier
to prevent the attack than to destroy
the beetles after they have once entered
the tree.-Prof. ". G. Johnson, in Amer.
lean Gardening.