THE CHEEKY GREEN BEETLE. 31 



miles in extent swarming with these handsome, though 

 destructive, little insects, their bright-green wing cases 

 on a sunny day glittering like gems. 



The green beetle pest is one that must be stamped out, 

 and this can only be done by united effort. Those 

 growers who have suffered from their depredations will 

 at once see the necessity for immediate action in en- 

 deavouring to rid the colony of a pest which threatens 

 every year to become more formidable. 



Another matter of congratulation for us is the fact that, 

 so far as has yet been ascertained, the larvae or grubs do 

 no damage to growing crops of any kind. Many other 

 insects, however, that have hitherto confined their attacks 

 to our native trees, are now known to have left their 

 original food plants for the purpose of attacking our 

 introduced fruit trees, &c., and which furnish more 

 congenial food for them. We should be on our 

 guard against a probable increase of this pest, lest the 

 former indications of indifference to which many of 

 our colonists must plead guilty may be repeated in 

 this case. 



If each grower does but a little, and, with the co-opera- 

 tion of his neighbour, does this little at the proper time, it 

 is hoped that what between prompt and concerted action 

 and other causes, many of our pests, both native and 

 introduced, may be successfully kept in check. 



In the figures accompanying the illustrations to this 

 chapter, it was found impossible to give an idea of what 

 a swarm of these beetles are like, but the perfect insects, 

 on the branch of a cherry tree, at about their natural 

 size are given. In the other figures the grubs and 

 the perfect beetle are shown, and are, of course, highly 

 magnified. Should these pests, it may be observed, 

 attack trees when not in fruit, a spraying of either 

 London purple or Paris green, in the proportion as 

 given for use against other insects, will prove highly 

 effectual, as this beetle, being essentially a leaf-feeder, 

 will, when attacking a tree that has been thoroughly 

 sprayed, be at once destroyed. These remarks will also 



