114 Insect Pests. 



TREATMENT. 



Nothing can be done to trees badly attacked. They had best be 

 left as " traps," and cut down and burned during the winter, or at 

 any time when we know the beetles are not in flight. 



This must be done not later than the first week in June, and is 

 best done in March, when no beetles have escaped as far as personal 

 observations go. If the destruction at the time all the insects are 

 in the trees was carried out, the loss these little beetles occasion 

 would be much lessened. It is especially important to have old 

 stumps, dying trees, etc., destroyed. Great numbers of these were 

 noticed in 1906 in Worcestershire, and as long as they remain in this 

 useless, slovenly way, so long will young, sound trees, of good fruit- 

 growers in the neighbourhood be damaged ; for in flight time these 

 beetles are very strong on the wing, and can fly considerable distances. 



The dressing of fruit trees to keep off this pest has been frequently 

 referred to. 



Fletcher (3) mentions that in Canada trees are dressed with soft 

 soap and carbolic acid up to the point where the main branches have 

 their origin in cases of Xijleborus attack. 



Forbes (4) points out that the application of soap and soda 

 poisoned with arsenic, now used against ordinary borers, if applied to 

 the larger branches as well as the trunk, might be found to check 

 sufficiently the mischief done by this bark beetle. 



In this country it is the small branches and twigs that are attacked 

 as much as the trunk, and thus dressing is of less value it will 

 protect the trunk, but merely drives the beetles higher up, and 

 dressing the whole of a large tree is, of course, very difficult. 



There need be no great harm done if the diseased trees are 

 destroyed at once to stop the beetles from spreading, and if some 

 persuasive steps could be taken to get negligent people to destroy the 

 old breeding grounds of tbis beetle. A pig with swine fever is killed 

 by compulsion, but it does not seem worth while to compel breeding 

 grounds of fruit pests to be destroyed. So long as the many fruit- 

 growers, who excel those of any other country, allow this to go on, 

 so long will they lose trees by this and other pests, and their energies 

 and money will be largely wasted. 



REFERENCES. 



(1) Theobald, F. V. Report on Economic Zoology for the year ending 

 April 1st, 1907, p. 17 (1907). 



