116 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA : 



These beetles, like many others of the group, would 

 appear to be very intermittent in their escape from the 

 wood, as one year they simply swarm, and the next season 

 of the same climatic conditions hardly a specimen is to 

 be seen. There are other large kinds of this genus (Stig- 

 modera) to be found in Victoria, the largest being S. bake- 

 welli, S. fortnumi, S. vitticollis, and S. parvicollis. These, 

 no doubt, do immense damage in the forests. 



It has long been suspected that there are two large 

 species of this genus very much alike which have hitherto 

 passed for the species, S. heros, now under notice. This 

 question, which to naturalists would be of great interest, 

 has not yet been definitely decided. 



It is unfortunate that so far we have no reliable informa- 

 tion as to this beetle attacking fruit trees, but as so many 

 other insects have left their native food trees to attack 

 fruit trees, we cannot be too careful. It may be easily 

 imagined what damage to fruit trees this beetle would 

 cause. 



There are about 800 described species of the family to 

 which this insect belongs. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



In forest lands, the only practical way of dealing with 

 this pest would be to kill as many as possible of the beetles 

 in order to prevent egg-laying. Where there are but a 

 few trees to protect, this might be done by smearing the 

 usual egg-depositing places with such materials as tar and 

 grease mixed together. 



It is advisable to capture as many of the females as 

 possible, as they deposit a large number of eggs. They 

 can be caught in a net, and destroyed by scalding. 



It has been observed that in nearly every one of the 

 larger ants' nests in certain localities in the Mallee the 

 wing-cases and other remains of these large beetles may 

 be found. 



