74 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 



on aceount of its being regarded as the greatest destroyer of European bark beetles ; 

 secondarily on account of the general opinion of entomologists and forest officials whom I 

 consulted, and my own convictions from a personal study of its habits, that it would not 

 be injurious. 



The first examples of this European bark beetle destroyer collected by me were taken 

 in the Hagenau forests of Plnus sylvestris, on August 29, in the first tree examined, and 

 they were afterwards found common in the larva, pupa, and imago stages in their pupa 

 cases or winter quarters in the outer bark of large and small trees which had been injured 

 or broken by storm and heavy snow. The bark of these injured trees was infested 

 principally by the common European bark beetles, Hylesinus {Mydophilus) minor, Hart, 

 and Hylednus {Myelo-pliilus) piniperda, Linn. The larva of the Olerid had evidently been 

 devouring the larvje and pupfe of the latter species at a fearful rate, for in many instances 

 scarcely one had escaped where there had apparently been thousands. The Clerid was 

 also found under the same conditions in the forests near Meissen in the Kingdom of 

 Saxony, and was taken from the bark of spruce logs in the Lauterbrunnen Valley in 

 Switzerland, where they had been feeding on Tomicus cembrae, Heer. 



Upon my return to this country, with something over a thousand specimens, a small 

 colony of the beetles and larvje were placed in a pine woods near Morgantown, on October 

 10, 1892, being the first examples set free in America. The remainder were successfully 

 kept over winter in the larval and pupal stages, and between April 20 and May 10, they 

 were distributed to the timber companies which had contributed to the expenses. Colonies 

 of 25 to 100 were placed by me, or under my special supervision, on and in the bark of 

 trees, logs and tops, where the conditions were most favorable for their propagation. 



Eight importations, numbering 2,082 examples, have since been received from collec- 

 tors in Alsace and Saxony, Germany, and the living examples have been sent to the 

 timber companies in five diflerent counties, with special instructions for their proper loca- 

 tion in colonies in the same manner as first mentioned. In all 26 colonies have been placed 

 in the difi^erent sections of our forests. The conditions surrounding each colony are most 

 favorable for the Clerid s to thrive and increase, and we have every reason to believe that 

 they will do so under their changed conditions, but as yet we have no means of ascertain- 

 ing to what extent they have multiplied, and, of course, it is too earlj'^ to expect results. 



There is one interesting fact, however, that I have observed this season regarding 

 the destructive Pine bark-beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, and that is that its numbers 

 have been very greatly reduced since last fall, consequently at this time very little, if 

 any, timber, is dying. 



On the 24th of July, 1892, I found this species attacking and mining beneath the 

 bark of living trees, in which they occurred in immense numbers. By the latter part of 

 September a brood had emerged from the bark of the same tree while the leaves were yet 

 green and those that had emerged were entering the bark of o'her living trees. In 

 November the bark of the same trees were found to be infested by countless thousmds of 

 the insects in all stages from eggs to adults. Trees so affected subsequently died, but 

 through persistent search in the bark of such trees in different sections of the State, I 

 have failed, as yet this season, to find a single living example of Dendroctonus frontalis. 

 Hence the trouble, as caused by this species, is evidently at an end in West Virgina, for 

 the present at least. 



No other species of Scolytids infesting the same trees seem to have been afiected 

 by the cause which it would seem has rendered Dendroctonus froiitalis almost extinct. 

 In fact the great number of trees that died last summer and fall were found last 

 spring to be infested by immense numbers of bark and timber beetles of different 

 species. These have since emerged, and it would seem that the only danger to be appre- 

 hended from a continuation of a trouble like that we have mentioned, would be from 

 the attack of some of the species which have thus emerged from the dead trees, for it is 

 evident that unless they find favorable conditions in the felled trees, tops, stumps, etc., in 

 lumbering regions they must either attack and kill living trees or they must perish. 



One species, the Turpentine Bark-beetle, Dendroctonus terebrans, has already made 

 a desperate effort in this direction. Early in May the adults emerged from the trees in 

 which they had bred, but failed to find dying trees, the bark of which they preferred to in- 



