BEETLES 



are tunnelling through the living wood, and slowly 

 but surely destroying the health and life of the tree. 

 The grubs or larvae of beetles are more formidable 

 enemies of man than the caterpillars of butterflies and 

 moths in one sense, and it is this. They, as a general 

 rule, live out of sight in the interior of the substance 

 they prey upon, or hide in the soil. Consequently 

 man cannot readily reach them with his artificial insect 

 exterminators, and their natural enemies, the birds, 

 find it difficult to get at them. Therefore those 

 comparatively few species of birds which seek out 

 and prey on the grubs of beetles should be afforded 

 a double measure of protection by man. Among the 

 predaceous beetles the lady-birds {Coccinellidte) and 

 their larvae do good service by feeding on aphides 

 and scale insects. Several other families of beetles and 

 their larvae feed on insects and allied forms of life, 

 notably the tiger beetles {Cicindelid<e\ ground beetles 

 (Carabid<e\ water beetles (Dytiscid*). The weevils, 

 of which there are a large number of genera, are the 

 most destructive of all the beetle tribe to vegetation 

 and foodstuffs. They attack and destroy all kinds of 

 plants in a variety of ways. The apple blossom weevil 

 devours the flower buds of apple trees wherever apple 

 trees are grown. Birds gather to feed on these 

 pernicious beetles, and man, concluding the birds are 

 the offenders, foolishly destroys his feathered friends. 

 Other species of weevils attack stored corn, rice, 

 wheat, etc. During the Anglo-Boer War some short- 

 sighted, greedy speculators in Maritzburg cornered 

 thousands of bags of mealies. When the price went 

 vol. i. 257 17 



