53 o FAMILY SCOLYTIDAE 



As far as present observation goes, this beetle does not bore into the 

 main stem or main side branches of the deodar, but 

 confines its operations to the small upright needle- 

 bearing branchlets borne on the latter, on which a 

 new flush of needles appears in the spring. Under the attack the needles 

 on the infested branchlets turn yellow and wither, and the dying twigs thus 

 become very conspicuous on the trees. Save for this withering, the twigs 

 show no sign of external damage when first looked at. If taken hold 

 of, however, they usually come off in the hand, snapping either from half to 

 one inch or less (or it may be at the juncture itself) from the juncture with 

 the main branch. A close inspection shows that the twig breaks at the 

 point at which it has been ringed. Above the ring the newly attacked 

 branch is seen to be dying, and on cutting it up larvae or beetles will be 

 found within it. This girdling results in short dead stumps of twigs or the 

 dead unfallen twigs themselves being present all up the main branches, and 

 previous attacks can at once be recognized by this characteristic. When the 

 .twigs are girdled right at the base, these visible signs are not, however, so 

 apparent. The foliage is seen to be much thinner on the branch, and if such 

 branches are looked at closely the scars will be seen. When the dry twigs 

 are in exposed situations, they soon get knocked off by the wind or by blows 

 from adjacent branches; when, however, they are on portions of the main 

 branch which are more or less sheltered, they may be found persisting in 

 numbers. 



The result of this attack, more especially when combined with that 

 of the branch-boring Stephanoderes himalayensis beetle (see p. 540), entails a 

 loss to the tree of young needle-bearing twigs, w 7 ith the consequent decrease 

 in the area of foliage always a serious matter in the case of a conifer. As 

 I have already said, the yellow rosettes of needles on the branches attacked 

 are evidence of this beetle being at work ; but an inspection is always 

 necessary, as there, are other insects whose attacks appear to produce much 

 the same result on the tree if only cursorily examined. 



In the case of ornamental trees and small valuable plantations it would 



be comparatively easy to get rid of this pest. The 



Remedies^ attack should be carefully watched, and when the twigs 



are full of larvae, i.e. about the middle of May, they 



should be broken off and burnt. Any subsequent generations would be 

 treated in the same manner. At present, however, the beetle has only been 

 found on the larger branches of old trees, and further observation is required 

 to ascertain whether it confines its attacks to the branchlets on old trees. 



Cryphalus major, Stebbing. 

 (The Long-needled Pine Larger Cryphalus.) 



REFERENCE. Stebbing, Depart. Notes, vol. i, 270. 



Habitat.- North-West Himalaya. 



Tree Attacked. Chir Pine (Pinus longi folia). Tons Valley, etc., Jaunsar. 



