116 



THE REPORT OF THE 



No. 19 



larvaj of these beetles are generally not quite so much flattened as are those of the Buprestids, 

 but their habits are much the same. The eggs are placed in the bark in crevices or punctures 



made by the female, and the larva when 

 hatched bores at first in the bark, then 

 reaching the outer layers of the wood it 

 feeds upon them, and gradually as it 

 increases in size it works deeper into the 

 solid wood. The largest and one of the 

 commonest of our pine-boring beetles is 

 Motiohaminus confusor, Kirby, a grey 

 / beetle With very long antennte (Fig. 106). 

 Its larva, when full grown, is about an 

 inch and a half long, and is armed with a 

 powerful pair of" mandibles with which it 

 eats its way rapidly through the wood. 

 Standing near a pile of infested sawlogs 

 Fig. 106,— Monohammus oonfusor. one Can distinctly hear the crunch, crunch, 



of the destroying grubs. This species occurs from the Atlantic to the Pacific and varies little 

 in appearance. Another common species is M. scuteJhdus, Say, 

 (Fig. 107) — a black beetle, with slight white markings which 

 are often nearly rubbed oflF. It has also a wide distribution, 

 but the western specimens vary slightly in appearance and were 

 described as a separate species {M. oregonensis Lee) Other species 

 of the genus are M. iittilator Fab., M. maculosus, Hald. and M. 

 marmorator, Kirby, all found in Canada in greater or less abund- 

 ance in different localities. These five species often cause consid- 

 erable loss to our lumbermen, by their depredations upon sawlogs. Logs left in the woods for a 

 year, through breaking up of roads, or lack of water, etc., are often so badly damaged as to greatly 

 lessen their value. This damage can be prevented by removing the bark from the logs in 

 spring, but this means a considerable expense, even when practicable. Other long-horned 

 beetles infesting the pines are Trar/osoma Harrisii, Lee, Asemum mceshcm Hald. (Fig. 108), 

 Criocephahis ngrestU, Kirby, Bhagium lineatum, Oliv., etc. 



. Another group of destructive beetles is the Scolytidie. These are quite 



small insects ; the largest scarcely over one-quarter of an inch long, and some very 



minute. They are, however, exceedingly destructive, as they occur in great 



numbers, and attack both injured and healthy trees, some species boring even 



into the bark of young trees. The mother beetle tunnels a groove an inch or more 



long under the bark, and inserts eggs at intervals. The larvtie, when hatched, eat 



outward in all directions, producing in some instances quite regular and effective 



patterns radiating from the parent burrow. Each colony loosens a portion of bark 



of several square inches, and when, as is often the case, the colonies are in close 



proximity to one another, the bark is loosened over large areas of the tree's surface 



and the sap layers of the wood are destroyed, thus causing the death of the tree. Among 



common species may be mentioned, Pityophthorns sparsus, Lee, Tomicus pini. Say, Dendroc- 



tonus terebrans, Lee, and Hylurgops glahratus, Zett. 



there are also several destructive beetles belonging to the Rhyncophora (snout-beetles or 

 weevils), which occur abundantly. The most important of these belong to the genera Hylobius 

 and Pissodes, and are very common about millyards as well as upon the pine trees. H. pales, 



Monohammus sciitellatus. 



