114 THE EXTERMINATION OF PESTS 



considered by many experts as almost more de- 

 structive than the rhinoceros. It is nocturnal in 

 its habits, and flies by night to deposit its eggs. 



When this beetle once penetrates the palm its 

 expulsion is extremely difficult, and it is usually 

 found expedient to cut down and burn the tree, 

 taking care that all insects and larvae are destroyed 

 at the same time to prevent further propagation. 



Another troublesome pest in certain regions is 

 the white ant, especially where ground has been 

 newly opened. The burning of the original vege- 

 tation deprives them of their usual nourishment, 

 causing them to seek the juice as well as the germs 

 of the nuts, to reach which they bore through the 

 shell. This sometimes destroys young plants 

 wholesale, and necessitates the use of arsenic 

 solutions and smoking out for their eradication. 

 Two practical methods of keeping them away are : 

 allowing no rubbish or decaying wood about the 

 estate ; constant hoeing and weeding. 



There are, of course, other pests more or less 

 destructive, including the shot-hole coconut weevil, 

 which punctures the palm from top to bottom 

 with its exit holes ; the four- spotted coconut 

 weevil, which only attacks the very small dead 

 trees, and certain others which attack the leaves, 

 but not usually to such an extent as to constitute 

 a menace to really healthy trees. 



Altogether, among commercially valuable trees, 



