June 2, 1920.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W. 423 



These beetles are popularly known as "cockchafer beetles," though they 

 differ somewhat in structure from the common British cockchafer. In the 

 case under observation, they last season swarmed into the orchard at Sutton 

 Forest, and defoliated a large number of plum trees. 



The illustration shows the general form of the beetle, which measures 

 1 inch in length anrd is broad in proportion. The upper surface of the head 

 and thorax are a rich metallic coppery red. the wing covers are light biscuit 

 brown, with the undersurface metallic green and reddish, clothed with 

 fine grey hairs scattered over the undersurface and fringing the sides of the 

 legs. . 



The White Striped Weevil {Perperus insularis Bohm). 

 The genus Perperus contains a number of small greyish brown weevils 

 that have a wjde range over Australia, two of which at least are well-known 

 orchard pests in New South Wales. In the early part of the summer they 

 emerge from the soil where they have pupated, and crawling up the tree 

 trunks just as the leaf buds are bursting, set to work and eat the centre out 

 of each bud as they work along the branches. In the pages of this journal in 

 1898 the writer described the damage caused in this manner by P. insularis 

 in the Gosford district, where the methods of control adopted — hand picking, 

 and shaking the branches over a sheet placed under the tree at night — soon 

 reduced the pest. 



The second specit.-^' P, innocuus) did a considerable amount of damage in 

 the Fairfield district to the fruit trees, and in the Maitland district attacked 

 and punctured many grapes just as they were ripening, as well as damaging 

 the leaf buds. 



In the present case, the White Striped weevil has taken a new departure, 

 attacking the young branchiets of some small citrus trees and not only 

 stripping them of their leaves but denuding them of their bark, and giving 

 the infested trees a very serious setback. 



If similar methods to those of years ago had been adopted at night to clear 

 the young citrus trees as soon as the first sign of their presence was noticed 

 the damage might have been greatly reduced. An inverted funnel-shaped 

 bandage of stifi" oiled paper, fixed tightly round the tree stem just clear of 

 the ground, would have trapped large numbers, when they could have been 

 very easily collected and destroyed every morning. Some writers recommend 

 spraying with arsenate of lead, but where the beetles are numerous and 

 hungry, though they eventually die,, they have done all the damage before 

 that happens. 



The Pitted Apple Beetle {Geloptera porosi Lea). 



This beetle, which has appeared in the Gosford district in large numbers 

 and damaged the young apples by gnawing off" patches of the skin, as shown 

 in the accompanying illustration, has not previously been recorded as an 

 orchard pest. Specimens sent to Mr. A. M. Lea, of the Adelaide Museum, 

 were identified by him as this beetle. 



