Insects Injurious to the Apple. 109 



pest, as so many of the beetles hibernate high up and others un- 

 doubtedly fly on warm days. All personal observations made have 

 failed to show that any weevils are caught in the bands, One 

 caution must be given, that is, not to follow the advice of banding 

 with tar, a sure method of killing the tree, as all fruit-growers know, 

 if persisted in. 



Needless to say, all the rough bark should be scraped off the trees 

 so as to do away with one of the winter habitats, whilst all rubbish, 

 dead leaves, and so forth, under the trees, should be burnt in the 

 winter. 



As to the possibility of spraying being of benefit, there is some 

 difference of opinion. Whether an odorant or an arsenical poison 

 is best remains to be decided. Certainly, spraying the trees before 

 the blossom buds burst, about the time the beetles appear, with 

 kerosene emulsion is of no value. 



It may be possible that some form of arsenate for spraying might 

 poison the beetles whilst boring the holes for the eggs into the buds 

 with their proboscis. The only instance I find recorded of this 

 method is in one of Miss Ormerod's reports (1), where it is stated 

 it was not attended with any success. What arsenate was used 

 I do not know. I have never found any benefit from this treat- 

 ment. Mr. J. H. W. Best, writing from Worcestershire, says he 

 thinks that the lime and salt wash has reduced them to some 

 extent. At present, however, it seems no form of spraying is of 

 much use. 



" Jarring " for the beetles is the best plan ; the beetles readily 

 fall on being shaken, and if a tarred board or cloth be held under- 

 neath it is surprising how soon an orchard can be cleared. The best 

 plan is that adopted in American fruit orchards, namely, of attaching 

 at each end of a piece of cloth about two yards square, a rod of wood, 

 and to these in the middle, another rod placed lengthways, over- 

 lapping one end so as to form a handle, and also to keep the two 

 end rods expanded. The cloth can be either smeared with grease 

 or tar, or any other sticky substance in which the weevil cannot 

 crawl. 



In England this beetle is found abundantly in the west, south 

 and south-east, less common in the north, but often very abundant 

 in the midland counties. I have taken it in both north and south 

 Wales. In Ireland it is found in abundance, at times, near Dublin, 

 and it is also found in the north. I have not heard of its destruc- 

 tive habits in Scotland, but it is recorded from Edinburgh. In 

 France it is very abundant around Paris, and is a general pest in 



