86 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



the evening, when these pests emerge in immense 

 numbers, trees which, on the previous day, were perfectly 

 sound will be found to present a surface filled with noles, 

 and on examination the cause of all this injury, the 

 perfect elephant beetles, will be observed clinging singly 

 and in pairs to the bark in the immediate vicinity." 



We have here an insect of a very bad type, and 

 although by no means common here, it requires well 

 watching, so as to prevent it increasing as it appears to 

 have done in New South Wales and Queensland. This 

 beetle has also been found destroying the elms and 

 other introduced trees in the Melbourne Botanic 

 Gardens, and also the tamarisk belts on Altona Bay, 

 Victoria, no less than fifteen perfect insects having been 

 taken by my assistant, Mr. C. French, Junr., out of one 

 tree ; and in some instances the larvae must remain in 

 the timber for several years before changing into the 

 perfect insect. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



An occasional spraying with either quassia chips, 

 kerosene emulsion, or white hellebore, may prevent the 

 beetles from resting or feeding on the tree. Should the 

 beetles have attacked the tree (if the tree be not too 

 large), jarring by means of a wooden mallet will dislodge 

 large numbers, that the sheet, spread under the tree for 

 the purpose, would catch, when the beetles could be killed 

 by means of scalding water. These beetles are very 

 tenacious of life, so the water must be quite on the boil 

 to be effective in killing the beetles. 



Mr. Acres informed Mr. Olliff that, some time since, he 

 had succeeded in destroying large numbers of the beetles 

 in the larval stage, by inserting a piece of fine wire into 

 the puncture forming the entrance to the tunnels (and 

 thus killing the grubs), and in this way he believes 

 several orange-trees were entirely freed from the pest. 



In one of Mr. Froggatt's articles on this pest, he 

 speaks of nursery stocks having been attacked ; and one 



