~26i Destructive Forest Insects of Dumfriesshire. 



of the Scots Pine, entering the pitli and eating their way up the 

 young shoots, which die and drop off, carrying the beetles with 

 them. The latter liibernate in the shoots as a rule, although 

 some pass the winter in the bark. The remedy is to cut out sickly 

 and dying trees, which serve as breeding places, and to burn the 

 bark, especially if the trees are felled during the breeding season. 

 Felling a few trees to serve as traps answers very well. The bark 

 is stripped off and burnt as before. 



Hyliirgus Minor. — This beetle is smaller than the preceding 

 species, but is very much like it. Practically the only difference 

 is this, the elytra of both are covered with hairy tubercles, but 

 near the apex on the larger insect there are two missing. The 

 damage done by the two beetles is very similar, but the smaller 

 insect is more injurious in the larval stage, as the grubs make 

 their galleries mainly in the cambium, while those of the larger 

 one make theirs mainly in the bark. The result is, that the trees 

 become stagheaded, and are sometimes killed outright. 



PhloeopJithorus Rhododactyhis. — Although this is one of the 

 smallest of beetles, it has, I think, the longest name. It is found 

 on half-dead stems of gorse or broom, so cannot really be called 

 a destructive forest insect. 



Tomicus acuminatiis . — This is a very pretty insect of a terra- 

 cotta colour. It has a depression at the apex of its wing-cases, 

 and on each of the latter there are three spikes, the third one on 

 the female being very strongly marked and like a hook. The 

 damage done is to the bark of dying trees. 



Pityogenes Bidentatus. — One can hardly pick up a dead 

 branch of Scots Pine without finding the markings of this insect. 

 Sometimes they are quite a work of art. The central chamber is 

 scooped out by the male and the larger galleries by the females, 

 often from four to six in number, each one taking a different 

 course. The smaller markings are made by the larv«. The 

 beetle often does great damage to young transplanted trees. For 

 instance, when trees from six to twelve years are planted out and 

 the planting is followed by a diy summer. The beetles then 

 attack those that are doing badly, and by their attack prevent the 

 young trees from recovering. Pines of all species are attacked 

 .as well as Spruce and Douglas Fir. Collecting and burning all 

 .branches in a young plantation is a means of prevention. 



