32 Fh'st Report on Economic Zoology. 



are also attacked by mites. Numerous biixls, of course, prey upon 

 them. 



The Destruction of Subterranean Insects and 

 other Ground Garden Pests. 



A box containing the following creatiu'es was sent by a corres- 

 pondent of the Board of Agriculture from Glasgow, with a request 

 fur information as to how to clear them out of his garden. 



i, "Wire-worm — The larval stage of the click beetles {Elateridcti). 

 These are hard, shiny and bright yellow. 



ii. Julidffi, including : 



a. Two species of Julus. 

 h. A species of Polydesimts. 



iii. Scolopcndridce, including Geopliilus longicornis. 



The wire-worms are, of course, very injurious, and so also are the 

 Julidce. A small white Julus sent was an immature form, but a 

 different species to the large dark snake millepede {Julus tcrrestris, 

 Linn.). 



The Polydesmus can easily be told by the sides of the body being 

 notched and by its more or less flattened form. It was too damaged 

 to identify, but was probably Pohjdesmus coriiplanatus, Linn. It is 

 also injurious to plant life. Geojihilus longicornis, the long snake-like 

 yellow species with one pair of legs to each segment, is a centipede 

 and is beneficial, probaljly feeding upon the young JulidiC. The 

 pests may l)e destroyed in the following way : — 



Treatment. 



Peat moss manure is always attractive to Myriapoda and other 

 pests and should Ije avoided. Lime if applied in proper quantity 

 always seems to check the increase of millepedes, but has no effect 

 on the wire-worm. Both wire worms and millepedes are prominent 

 garden pests and can only be treated in two ways, viz : 

 (i) By fumigation, 

 (ii) By trapping. 



(i) Pumigation for subterranean insects and other animal pests 

 is best carried out by using bisulphide of carbon. Proceed as follows : 

 Make a small hole in the flower bed or border every two yards and 

 pour in J oz. of the bisulphide of carbon and close up each hole as 

 soon as the carbon is poured in. This must be done so that the 

 bisulphide of carbon does not touch the roots of a plant, that is, it 



