464 



Insect Pests. 



Two species of the genus are known, both occurring in Britain, 

 and both have been recorded at the roots of low plants and in 

 moss (1). 



REFERENCE. 



(1) Fowler, Canon. ' The Coleoptera of the British Isles,' vol. V., p. 191 

 (1891). 



THE MINUTE RHYNCHITES. 



(Rhynchites minutus. Herbst.) 



Concerning this insect the following note occurs in the Board of 



Agriculture Journal (1) : 



"Beetle on Strawberries. From Grays specimens of beetles were 



forwarded, which were severely damaging strawberry plants. They 

 were identified as Elujncliitcs minutus, a 

 widely distributed species of a genus that 

 is sometimes destructive. E. minutus is 

 found also on trees, and according to 

 Fowler (2), especially on young oaks. Its 

 pupal stage is passed in the soil. Un- 

 fortunately nothing can be done to com- 

 bat this insect when adult except (where 

 the beetles are in numbers) shaking them 

 off the plants into a vessel containing 

 some paraffin. The beetles may also be 

 taken by sweeping the herbage with a fine 

 net made of muslin or similar material." 

 Fowler (2) records this beetle from 

 the following places : Very widely dis- 

 tributed and common in many localities, 



but local in the Midlands and rarer farther north ; Scotland, scarce, 



but found in the Solway, Tweed, Forth, Clyde, Moray, and probably 



other districts." 



It is also known as 11. yermanicus. 



REFERENCES. 



('!') Anon. Board of Agriculture Journal, vol. XV., No. 4, p. 275. July (1908). 

 (2) Fowler, Canon. ' The Coleoptera of the British Isles,' vol. V., p. 124 

 (1891). 



THE STRAWBERRY CLICK BEETLE. 

 (*Adrastus limbatus. Fab.) 



This is a new enemy to strawberries, recorded in 1905 by 

 Carpenter in Ireland (1). The beetle is only about ^ inch long. 



[II. Kniyht. 

 FIG. 306. Rhiinchitex mi nut u*. 



