Northern Nut Growers Association, report of the proceedings at the eighth annual meeting: Stamford, Connecticut, September 5 and 6, 1917
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association, report of the proceedings at the eighth annual meeting: Stamford, Connecticut, September 5 and 6, 1917
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
The adult is a small black beetle appearing in May and June, which eats
holes in the axils of the leaf stems causing them to fall early--usually
in July and August. Brood galleries are then made longitudinally just
under the bark of the trunk by the female, and a row of eggs is placed
along either side of this brood chamber. On hatching the grubs, which
are at first very small, tunnel at right angles to the central chamber,
each making its own separate gallery. These galleries never meet or
cross each other, but must necessarily diverge toward their extremities
as they become larger. The effect of this is to girdle the tree which
soon dies. The larvae pass the winter under the bark, finish their
development in the spring, pupate, and the adults emerge in May and June
from small round holes about the size of bird shot.
For control measures, Dr. Hopkins advises examining the trees during the
fall and marking all dead and dying trees within an area of several
square miles. Then between October 1 and May 1, cut all such trees and
dispose of the infested portion to destroy the insects before the adults
emerge.
Many forms of treatment have been devised and recommended by tree
doctors for the control of this insect. Some of them may be worth
trying; most are of doubtful value, and some are absolutely injurious to
the trees. On July 3, 1914, some affected hickory trees on the Station
grounds were sprayed heavily with powdered lead arsenate, 4 lbs. in 50
gallons of water, to which one pint of "Black Leaf No. 40" was added.
Two days later many dead beetles were found on the tar walks under the
trees, and a few were observed each day up until about the middle of
August. Most of the trees treated, however, had been so badly injured by
the insect that they were removed. Since then this insect has caused
little damage on the grounds, though a few hickory trees still remain.
In 1901 an outbreak of the hickory bark beetle caused the death of 110
trees on the Hillhouse place in New Haven; then the destructive work of
the insect ceased and the few remaining hickory trees are still standing
and in fairly good condition. I mention these instances to show that
nature's control methods through parasites and natural enemies is far
more effective with certain pests than any which man has yet devised. Of
course, we hope that in the future man will make better progress along
this line.
THE PAINTED HICKORY BORER.
_Cyllene pictus_ Drury.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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