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Large trees are much infested by tree-ants, wood lice and 

 beetles. Ants in the giound are found all the year round; 

 mole-crickets most in the rainy season, because planting is 

 then going on, and beetles most in the dry seasons. These 

 beetles bore an opening into the bark and deposit their eggs 

 there, which soon become caterpillars and commit great 

 ravages on the trees, by devouring everything, from the bark 

 to the very core; they then change to grubs, till by further 

 metamorphosis they break forth as beetles and fly away to 

 continue their devastations elsewhere. Young trees are most 

 infested by beetles, and consequently suffer the most, languish 

 and perish. An indication of the presence of caterpillars in 

 a tree is, that here and there a white slimy moisture shows 

 itself on the bark; as the caterpillars grow in size, a 

 kind of dust, like saw-dust, is discovered on several parts of 

 the tree ; a consequence of the insect's boring into the wood. 



The worms, or caterpillars, as soon as discovered must 

 be cut out with a pointed knife; if they have penetrated 

 very deep, stick a long sharp bodkin into the hole or cell, 

 and twist it round several times in order to kill the insect, 

 after which thrust a little wadding steeped into a solution of 

 purified carbolic-acid into the opening. Purified carbolic acid 

 can always be applied with success wherever caterpillars or 

 beetles have been removed. Besides the way prescribed, 

 you can also besmear the tree with this solution with a brush. 



As the destruction of these beetles or caterpillars calls 

 for great perseverance, attention and especially patience, some 

 fit and reliable labourers, in proportion to the extent of the 



