178 



PESTS OP FRUIT. 



Fig. 198. 

 A typical Tree-horiiig Beetle. 



the sap. The insect is a handsome one, the upper wings coloured in 



tones of grey, to resemble tree bark, the lower bright orange and black. 



By day this insect hides on the bark of 

 trees, with the wings folded, coming out 

 at dusk to fly about. It is attracted to 

 fruit, feeding on the juices. This insect, 

 like many others, comes into houses at 

 night and can probably be trapped by 

 putting up a lantern in front of a vertical 

 white sheet, the broad white light attract- 

 ing it. This would bring it to settle on 

 the sheet when it could be killed. An 

 alternative possible method is to give it 

 food in the form of jaggery made into a 

 syrup with water, mixed with a little 

 country liquor or other intoxicant. Both 

 of these devices are common ones among 

 moth collectors and worth trying against 

 this pest when the oranges are ripe. As 

 the larva lives upon wild plants in the 

 jungle, nothing can be done to check it. 

 Stem-borers are reported to injure oranges in India and may be 



found attacking the trees. Such borers are the grubs of beetles ; the 



beetles lay eggs on the bark, the grubs on hatching boring through the 



bark into the trunk. They Hve in the trunk and attain to a great size 



before pupating, eventually 



comiiig out as beetles. The 



beetles are long, slender, with 



Very long antennse. Two 



species a;re known from lime 



and orange trees in Assam and 



Coorg, and others are known 



from fruit trees, coffee, tea, etc. 



^he successful treatment of 



these insects consists in catch- 

 ing the large beetles when this 



is possible, destroying tlie grubs 



in their burrows by means of 



a bent wire, or by means of 



injecting carbon bisulphide, kerosene or other fluids into their burrows, 



which must then be closed up with Met clay or tar. 



Fto. liO. 



The Anar Bidterjly. 



