t)EPAfeTMBNtAL ACtlVlTtEg. 495 



Beetle Mise/iief III I'liiiitatiuns. — A consideial)!*' innoiiiit of 

 lULschief is Ireqiicntly ;nc<tiin)lis]i('(l in VdUiig' phuiliii ions l)y cuiculios 

 ov 'weevils of llie oeiiera J'nifosf r(i/)li us and Sfrop/iosotUKS. J^^arly in 

 this year a ease \\as i nvcst i^^atcd at Del mas. Tiansvaal, wIhmc many 

 hansjdants of eu('al\])tus were drstioyed by one of fliese insects 

 i /'rnftisfi ii/)li IIS 11 III /i/ienlhs). This damage Avas restricted to certain 

 l)l(!cks of trees and iijxm in(|nny il was found that tliese l)locJ\s liad 

 heen |iieviousl \- culli\ated to maize. The beetle in (|iie.stio]L is one 

 that injntt\s mai/e in certain soils, noticably the red soils of the 

 Springl)ok Flats. In tliis case the weevils liad bred in the ]uaize 

 lands last season, and ujion coming' (o maturity this season found 

 only the young euealNptus tiaiisplants upon wlii(di to subsist, '^rhe 

 (himagc \\as of a non-prcvcutabb' natuic. under the cii'cumstaiices. 

 and iIm^ Iroulilc not ci:c likely to })ersist. 



Yt)ung' trees, fruit and otherwise, arc also often injured b\' wing- 

 less weevils of llie g(Mius St)-opJi<isoiii us, noticeably in the Transvaal, 

 'i'hese are vfdd insects, and the attack', being' confined to newly 

 cultivatetl lands, follows on the fact that the insects ai'<' ]»resent. as 

 larvae, iji tlie soil when it is broken. Later, when they emerge, 

 their natural host ]dants have disa])pcai'ed , and. lieing- unalde to 

 migrate any distance, they gathei' upon tTic young trees foi' food. 

 This miscdiief is also of an unavoidable natujc and tiansient, seldom 

 ifcurring after the tiist season. 



(hir l']astern l*]'o\inc<' l^lntomologisl , Ah. J), (iunn. has lately 

 reported a consideiablc amount of damage accom])lislied by 

 Sfni/iiidSDinus weevils iji the Bathuist district among certain young 

 gum and pine jilantations. Pinus insK/nis iwos al)oul a year old 

 Were defoliated, ajid also the terminal growth (d' xoung /'J iienl j//itiis 

 sdlifiiKi; Eacah/pfiis filohulus -was found untouched. The main damage 

 was done earl_\' in A})ril, hut fortunately the recent heavy rains in 

 the district ha\'e enal)le<l both gums and ])ines to make some recovery 

 and put on new gi'owth. An atteni])! \\"as made to niitig'utc the 

 nuisance by hand-collecting the weevils. This was not found srn.'cess- 

 tul, however, as the weevils ]troAe(l too active f(ir \\\{^ nati\e gills 

 cmpi<iyed in their ca])ture. 



\] Willi/ [{ems. Kegarding the Mai'ch outbreak of woolK bears 

 or hairy grubs in the Free State, the following- remarks upon the j)est 

 are quoted from a letter written by Mi'. C^ •! . de A'illiers. of Poundis- 

 ford. Bloemfont ein District: '"These cieatures congregate where 

 t hei'c is any food they like, such as ])unipkiii lea\es ami stem> and 

 more especially potato lea\'cs. 'J'licy are not particularly fond of tall 

 lank grass, and when aniongsl grass thc\- seem to roam about sing-ly 

 in all directions. They ai'c fairl> good travelleis and can ])ut on a 

 considerable i)ace. They are fontl of lucerne, but ha\e so wide a 

 lange of tastes as to include the folIag(> of peach trees. Where they 

 congregated on jjlants in my son's A'cgetahle garden, he reduced them 

 considerably ])\ beating them to death, in the (^arly morning', Avith a 

 wet bug'. 1 am told that spraying' with carliolic (li])s does not s(^eni 

 to kill them, and wJiere on(> sprays with arsenate (jf lead the sprayed 

 Aeg'ctalion is aAoided." 



