THE PEACH-TREE BARKBEETLE. 93 



United States; and more recently experiments have been carried out 

 by the Ontario experiment station in the district of Niagara. In 

 looking over the past literature it is noticed that the injury done by 

 the beetle has increased materially with the increased planting of 

 peach and cherr}^, and the species has thus become one of economic 

 importance. 



Until the present season (1908) few direct measures had been 

 taken to combat this barkbeetle, and very little, if anything, was 

 known concerning its life history. Xot until recently has it become 

 very injurious to fruit trees, and these are limited to peach, cherry, 

 and wild cherry. The beetles will, however, work on plum trees 

 when confined to that food. So far but three localities have been re- 

 ported as being visited with injury to any great extent, these being in 

 the fruit district lying about Lakeside and Gypsum, Ohio; in the 

 vicinity of Cayuga Lake, New York, and in the Niagara district, 

 Ontario Province, Canada. The effects of the beetles' work are very 

 serious in all trees attacked. 



The peach-tree barkbeetle is a native of this country, and until 

 cultivated trees were introduced must have held to forest trees for 

 food and breeding places. The work of the beetle is similar to that 

 of the fruit-tree barkbeetle {Scob/tus rugulosus Ratz.), and there 

 exists a marked similarity in the beetles themselves by which the 

 two species may be easily confused. 



DISTRIBUTION. 



Observations and reports show the distribution, in so far as known, 

 to bo as follows: New York, Pennsjdvania, Maryland, Virginia, West 

 Virginia, Ohio, and Michigan, and from the Niagara district, Onta- 

 rio Province, Canada. Field notes on this species, in the branch of 

 forest insect investigations. Bureau of Entomology, taken by Doctor 

 Hopkins and ]\lr. W. F. Fiske, indicate that the species is found 

 throughout almost all of West Virginia, and that it occurs in North 

 Carolina and New Hampshire. 



OCCURRENCE IN OHIO. 



The date of the first appearance of this insect in Ohio is in ques- 

 tion, as it has undoubtedly been in the State for some time, although 

 it has not done any great amount of damage until recently. Some 

 of the orchardists stated that they had seen its work for eight or ten 

 3'ears, but did not know the cause. An area of about 8 or 10 miles 

 square about Lakeside, Ohio, including the adjacent islands, is badly 

 infested. Outside of this locality the beetles occur east and Avest to 



