. Insects injurious to fruits. Illustrated with four hundred and forty wood-cuts. Insect pests. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 31 full grown and undergo their transformations before the foU lowing midsummer. This is a rare insect in most parts of America, and is not likely to prove a serious trouble anywhere. No. 11.—The Apple-tree Pruner. Elaphidion villosum (Fabr.). This is also a long-horned beetle, of cylindrical form, of a dull-blackish color, with brownish wing-cases. The antennae in the male are longer than the body, and in the female, which is represented in Fig. 17, are equal to it. The enti
. Insects injurious to fruits. Illustrated with four hundred and forty wood-cuts. Insect pests. ATTACKING THE BRANCHES. 31 full grown and undergo their transformations before the foU lowing midsummer. This is a rare insect in most parts of America, and is not likely to prove a serious trouble anywhere. No. 11.—The Apple-tree Pruner. Elaphidion villosum (Fabr.). This is also a long-horned beetle, of cylindrical form, of a dull-blackish color, with brownish wing-cases. The antennae in the male are longer than the body, and in the female, which is represented in Fig. 17, are equal to it. The entire body is covered with short grayish hairs, which, from their denseness in some places on the thorax and wing-covers, form pale spots. The under side of the body is of a chestnut-brown color. The insect aifects chiefly the oak-tree, but also attacks the apple, and, although not often found in great abundance, is very generally distributed over most of the Northern United States and Canada. ''^}?: ?'^;; The peculiar habits and instincts of this insect are very interesting. The parent beetle places an egg in the axil of a leaf on a fresh green twig proceeding from a moderate-sized limb. When the young larva hatches, it burrows into the centre of the twig and down towards its base, consuming in its course the soft pulpy matter of w^hich this part of the twig is com- posed. By the time it reaches the main limb it has become sufficiently matured to be able to feed upon the harder wood, and makes its way into the branch, when the hollow twig it has vacated gradually withers and drops off. The larva, being now about half grown, eats its way a short distance through the middle of the branch, and then proceeds de- liberately to sever its connection with the tree by gnawing away the woody fibre to such an extent that the first storm of wind snaps the branch off. This is rather a delicate operation for the insect to perform, and requires wonderful instinctive skill, for should it gnaw
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublisherphila, bookyear1883
