PREVENTION OF DAMAGE BY THE PINE WEEVIL. 53 
11. Prevention of Damage by the Pine Weevil 
(Hylobius abietis). 
By Ewan S. GRANT, Bakewell, Derby. 
When numerous, the pine weevil may be reckoned as one of 
the worst of insect pests in young plantations of conifers; in 
fact, it is as destructive in these as the pine beetle is in those of 
greater age. 
To combat this pest with any hope of success, one must 
possess a thorough knowledge of the habits of the insect and of 
its life-history. This being mastered, one of the most vulnerable 
phases of its life-cycle—say, for instance, the feeding or the breed- 
ing season—should be singled out, and the principal attack 
directed against it at this time; if the attack be patiently 
persevered in, success will be assured. Indeed, it is the case 
with all insect pests that, when once their life-cycle is clearly 
understood, some simple means can generally be applied at 
some period of it by which their numbers can be greatly 
reduced. 
Unfortunately, there is no means of keeping the weevils 
out of a plantation, and, owing to their strong sense of 
smell, they will travel long distances, by crawling and flying, 
to their breeding and feeding grounds. The best method 
of preventing damage by these noxious insects is, I think, 
to take advantage of their strong sense of smell, and by 
this means to trap them. ‘The following is an account 
of a combat with them, in which I was personally en- 
gaged. 
Two young plantations, extending to about 8 or g acres 
and about 20 acres respectively, were found to be infested 
by the weevil, the former during the second and the. latter 
during the first season after planting. A variety of species 
had been used in the formation of these plantations, namely, 
Scots pine, larch, Ades nobilis, silver fir, Douglas fir, spruce, 
and Corsican pine; a very small patch of Stone pine had 
also been planted. In some cases two or three of the 
species had been planted in mixture, while others formed 
