356 



Buildings in northern Australia are generall}' constructed of a wood 

 framework resting upon hardwood blocks or piles, iron plates or stump- 

 caps being interposed to prevent the passage of termites. Ten to 

 fifteen years is probably the normal life of a block, but termites 

 frequently manage to destroy them long before, while the corrosive 

 action of a fluid secreted by the insects destro3's the metal cap. Ferro- 

 concrete piles, brickwork or masonry are all liable to attack bj' those 

 species that construct covered- ways up the outer surface, such as 

 Mastotermes darwiniensis, Rhinotermes reticulatus, Microceroiermes 

 nanus, M. serratus and M. iurneri. If a solid and continuous floor 

 of concrete be used as a base, care must be taken to prevent the con- 

 struction of covered ways, to use good concrete and to ensure that no 

 studs or verandah posts p)ass through the concrete to the soil below. 



While the total eradication of termites seems to be impracticable, 

 much of the loss due to them might be prevented. Profitable inves- 

 tigations might be undertaken to determine the life-history and 

 habits of the above-mentioned species, to find out what other species 

 occur in Australia, to devise means of rendering timber resistant 

 to attack for long periods, and to study the suitability of imported 

 and indigenous timber for the purpose. Soil studies are necessary 

 to determine the reason for the absence of destructive species in 

 certain localities adjacent to infested areas. Experiments with 

 arsenic, sodium cyanide and other chemicals should be tried with a 

 view to rendering the soil poisonous or repellent to termites and 

 to determine the effect upon plant growth. The most effective 

 intestinal poison for termites should be ascertained, and the best 

 method of distributing it in palatable form. The insecticidal value 

 of chemical fertilisers in cultivated soil, and the possibility of their 

 increasmg resistance to termites and their effect on the plants require 

 study. 



Drake (C. J.). A New Ambrosia Beetle from the Adirondaeks ; Notes 

 on the Work of Xvloterinus poUtns, Say. — Oliio Jl. Set., Columbus, 

 xxi, no. 6, Apriri921, pp. 201-205, 1 fig. 



Xyleborus [Anisandrus) swainei, sp. n., here described, has been 

 found in the western Adirondaeks. It breeds in moist logs of beech 

 and hard maple. It does damage similar to that by X. {A .) obesus, 

 and is found both in the trunk and larger branches. 



A common predatory insect on both bark and ambrosia beetles, 

 especially in spruce, is an Anthocorid bug, Anthocoris (?) sp., which 

 is commonly found in the burrows of Polygraphits rufipennis, Dryocoetes 

 piceae, D. americana, Orthotomicus caelatus, and occasionally in tunnels 

 of Trypodendron biviUatum. Some nymphs have been found in the 

 burrows of Ips pini, Pityogenes liopkinsi, Dryocoetes betidae, Trypo- 

 dendyonbetidae. X. [A.) obesus dindi Xyloterintis politus. Other predators 

 found were the following. In the burrows of X. obesus, Lee. : — 

 Molamba lunata, Lee, Rhizophagus dimidiaius, Mann., Cerylon 

 castaneum Say, and Colydium lineola, Say. In the burrows of 

 X. swainei :-r-Eiiperea ovata, Horn (?); and in the burrows of 

 Xyloterintis politus. Say, and Pterocylon mali, Fitch: — Anistoma sp., 

 Siagonium punctatum, Lee, Rhizophagus bipunctatus. Say, Homaliiim 

 sp. (?), Laemophloeus biguttatus, Say, Cerylon castaneum. Say, and 

 Rhizophagus remotus, Say. Anthocoris borealis, Dall., is occasion- 

 ally found on coniferous trees, but is more common on willows or 

 deciduous trees. 



