INSECTS AFFECTINi; I'AKK AND WOOULAXD TKEES 



397 



White pine weevil 



/'/ssot/fs strobi I''eck 



An oblong oval weevil, about 'j^ inch long, freimently deposits eggs in the leading 

 shoots of ])ine or other evergreen trees. The grubs work in the shoots and kill thcni, 

 causing an irregularly deformed tree of very little commercial value. 



This is one of tlu' commonest enemies of pine trees in New \'()rk 

 State, and its work m;u- be observed in i)r;icticallv every locality where 

 they occur. 



Early history. It was brought to the attention of the public early in 

 the last century, by Prof. W. D. Peck of Harvard Universitv who made a 

 study of the insect and described it, and also ascertained a number of facts 

 regarding its life history. It was studied later b\' Dr Harris who succeeded 

 in adding to our knowledge of its habits, and who states that the beetles 

 are found in great numbers in April and INIay, on fences, buildings and 

 pine trees, and that they probably secrete themselves, during the winter, 

 in the crevices of the bark, or about the roots of the trees, depositing their 

 eggs in the spring. Dr P'itch studied the insect in New York, about 1857, 

 presenting an account of it in his fourth report. He states that this species 

 selects thrifty growing vigorous pines whose topmost shoot has made the 

 greatest advance the preceding year. He observed that the insects were 

 so numerous that in one grove not only the topmost shoots of every tree, 

 but many of the lateral ones were attacked and destro)'ed. The depreda- 

 tions of this insect were also brought to the attention of the late Dr Lintner 

 on several occasions, and Mr W. C. Pierce of Richford, as recorded b\- Dr 

 Lintner in his ninth report, states that 150 Norway spruces which had been 

 planted in a cemetery the preceding year, began to die at the top. Ivxanii- 

 nation showed that small borers were working between the bark ant! the 

 wood, in the topmost shoot and destroying the life of the trees. 1 )r .A. 1). 

 Hopkins states that this insect infests the bark of logs and trunks of living 

 and dying pines and spruce. 



Description. The adult beetle is about '^ inch long, reddish brown to 

 a very dark brown, and with a somewhat peculiar whitish spot near the 



