10 



farmers' bulletin 778. 



merous progeny, burrowing through the wood in quest of food for 

 their development, results in the complete destruction of the inte- 

 rior wood fiber and its conversion into a mass of fine powder. If 

 the first attack and the first generation do not accomplish this de- 

 struction, subsequent generations will folloAv in the same wood until 

 nothing of the solid fiber is left but a thin outer shell. 



Fig. 6. — Powder-posted ornamental section of bamboo, showing exterior and interior of 

 split bamboo; work of Lyciiis parallelopipedtis. (Original.) 



The different kinds of Lvctus beetles vary somewhat in their 

 habits and seasonal history, but there is a general similarity. They 

 pass, the winter as larva? in the wood, change to pupa? in the early 

 spring, and during late spring and early summer the adult beetles 

 emerge from the wood and fly about. Under natural out-of-door 

 conditions the eggs are laid in the pores of the wood soon after 

 activity commences in the spring, but in storehouses, sheds, or build- 

 ings kept warm and dry, the development may take place and the 

 eggs may be deposited much earlier. 



