Show ENEMY OF THE GRAPE root hoot borer Is widely distributed about country 0 insects belong to family of clear winged moths greatly resembling sees bees or wasps capable of doing much harm by 1 F E BROOKS the grapevine root borer has been recognized na as an enemy of the grape in the united states for more than fifty years it la is quite widely distributed tri buted having been observed as far north and west as minnesota and missouri and couth and east through ohio kentucky west virginia and north carolina several writers upon economic entomology havo have given brief accounts of this insect but it has not often attracted special attention and has haa scarcely been accorded notice in several beveral of the papers published relating to the insect enemies of the grape in the eastern states it la Is capable how bow ever of doing serious damage to grapevines and the slight attention which it has haa received in the past Is no doubt due in a measure to obscure appearance and habits of the insect throughout the four stages that corn com grapevine root borers poso pose its life cycle so inconspicuous is the insect itself and its manner of working that a vineyard may be suf buffering greatly from its attacks and yet those who have the care of the vines remain entirely ignorant of the cause of the trouble the eggs are small or a dull color and the female scatters them about in the vicinity of the vines the borers teed feed beneath the ground on the roots of old vines usually some distance out from the base of the roots no chips or castings are thrown to the surface to direct attention to the injury which is being done the roots of and two year old vines are rarely ati tacked so that in the work of planting out vineyards the borer Is not likely to be seen been the transformation from larva to adult takes place within an earth covered cocoon that Is hidden in the ground often six elx inches or more from the root where the borers feed the adult moth flies files by day but in size alze color and manner of flight it so closely resembles some of the common wasps that a close scrutiny to la necessary in order to make sure that the insect under observation la Is a moth and not a wasp As a result of these peculiarities the insect may be abundant in a locality and yet remain unnoticed by grape growers vines when attacked by the borers do not often die as aa a dired direct result of the injury sustained but may become so 60 enfeebled that the linnual annual growth of bearing wood Is meager and the yield of fruit very small the peculiar habits of this borer make control difficult it is by the thorough cultivation of vineyards that the greatest good Is likely to be accomplished complis hedin hed in the way of reducing the ravages of the insect from the middle of june to the last of july the insects are transforming from tile the borer to the adult stage within cocoons which are located just beneath the surface of the ground near the grapevines If luring during this period the ground about the vines is thoroughly cultivated most of these cocoons will be destroyed the cocoons are usually found a foot or more away from the vines a fact that enables the cultivator to reach most of them without working up entirely to the vine which Is sometimes difficult to do As a matter of course cultivation will give the vines increased vigor enabling them the more readily to withstand and overcome the attacks of the root borers and other insects |