Insects Injurious to the Apple. 



117 



THE TWIG CUTTER. 



(Ehynchites ccerulcus. De Geer.) 



This twig-cutting weevil is undoubtedly the chief culprit in 

 cutting off the shoots of apple bushes, at least all specimens sent me 

 and all those that I have watched have belonged to this species, 

 kindly identified for me by Mr. Gimmingham of the S. E. Agriculture 

 College. 



It was first brought to my notice in 1899 by Mr. F. Smith of 

 Loddington. who pointed out 

 the habits of this " small, shiny, 

 blue beetle" cutting off the 

 shoots of the apple in his plan- 

 tations. 



Many inquiries have reached 

 me from Kent concerning this 

 weevil. In 1907 it was very 

 abundant in my garden, where 

 it did a great amount of harm 

 to some young trees and also 

 attacked others 15 to 20 years 

 old. 



The beetles (Fig. 96) are 

 about ^ inch long, exclusive of 

 the snout, some ranging up to 

 inch, they are deep blue, 

 shiny, clothed with long, upright 

 fuscous pubescence, antennse, 

 legs and rostrum black or blue 

 black, femora deep blue; thorax 

 longer than broad, with the 

 sides almost straight, coarsely 

 punctured ; elytra with deep 



punctured strite, interstices flat with fine punctures, scutellary strife 

 wanting. 



They appear in spring and may be found crawling over the trees 

 and seem to feed upon the leaves, doing, however, little or no harm. 



After being fertilised the females commence to deposit their eggs, 

 this they do in the shoots when quite soft. A small hole is first 

 bored by means of the proboscis from two to four inches from the tip 

 of the shoot. In this small hole the female deposits a single oblong 



[A. V. D. Rintoul. 



FIG. 95. APPLE SHOOT CUT BY TWIG CUTTER. 

 (Rhi/nchites coendeus.') 



