NUTMEG BEETLE. 77 



account, it has been proclaimed a noxious insect under 

 the Vegetation Diseases Act. 



This beetle is light-brown in colour, and one of the 

 well-known Anthribid form and peculiar appearance. 

 The Anthribids from New South Wales and Queensland 

 are usually found on the trunks of dead trees, where they 

 hunt for and devour the small wood-boring beetles that 

 are attracted to the dead twigs, or which breed out of 

 fungi. Doticus pestilans is common in Victoria, and 

 although, as a rule, it attacks apples which are left on 

 the trees after the main crop has been picked, those which 

 are still juicy are also affected. 



The Nutmeg Beetle requires watching, and all oversea 

 shipments, if found infested, should be treated before the 

 cargo is allowed to go into consumption. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



There would appear to be no better plan than keeping 

 the grain and nutmegs in properly constructed mills or 

 stores. Even then, no matter how careful the ownei may 

 be, weevils and beetles of similar habits manage to find 

 their way into most stores. To overcome the pest, the 

 bi-sulphide of carbon treatment has been adopted. In the 

 large granaries of the United States, as Chittenden and 

 others tell us, the material to be treated is heaped upon 

 the floor. A tube or cylinder is pressed down to the centre 

 of the mass, and into this the bi-sulphide of carbon is 

 poured ; a canvas cover is then thrown over the lot for 

 about 24 hours. This material must be used with care, 

 as it is highly explosive. When used at close quarters 

 and for any length of time, severe headaches, as I have 

 frequently experienced, follow In designing a place for 

 treating grain with this material, provision should be made 

 whereby the doors may open inwards. After treating 

 grain, the door should be thrown open for at least an hour 

 before any one enters the building, so as to allow the fumes 

 to escape. 



