78 FORESTRY 



strips, is advocated, but does not prove very effective. Star- 

 lings and rooks are of great benefit, preying upon both the 

 grubs and beetles. Collection of the beetles is the surest 

 exterrninative measure. In France and Germany, during 

 the "swarm month" of May, school hours are altered in 

 many districts to allow the children to gather the beetles 

 from young broad-leaved trees. In the early morning the 

 beetles are sluggish and easily dislodged from the leaves and 

 twigs. The young poles only require to be shaken with the 

 hand ; larger trees may be beaten with a padded mallet. 

 The beetles fall to the ground and the children gather them 

 into pails, being paid according to the quantity collected. 

 Broad-leaved trees Birch frequently are planted on the 

 borders of Pine woods to act as decoy-trees for the beetles. 



The smaller Cockchafer, Melolontha hippocastani, appears 

 along with the common one ; its life-habits are the same 

 except that it lives longer four or five years as a larva. 



PINE BEETLE, Hy/esinus (Hylurgus} piniperda (Fig. 14.). The 



a be 



FIG. 14. PINE BEETLE (Hylesinus piniperda) 

 a. Imago. b. Larva. c. Pupa. 



mature beetle is about one-sixth of an inch in length, of a 

 dark brown to glossy black colour, with antennae and legs 

 brownish red. On the wing covers, longitudinally arranged 

 lines of fine punctures alternate with rows of tubercles. The 



