112 DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS OF VICTORIA: 



impossible to stamp out these borers by the usual course, 

 which one could adopt were he dealing with an orchard 

 or garden. 



B. femoralis appears to work in a somewhat insidious 

 way, as the limb attacked presents but little to indicate 

 the nature of the destructive work going on inside, 

 although the larvae of longicorn beetles (long-horned 

 beetles) will feed for one or more years in the one tree. 

 The larvae of some of the large longicorn beetles from 

 Queensland, which live in the wood of the fig trees, on 

 account of their great size as in the fine genus Batocera 

 are about four to five inches in length, and do great 

 damage. It is a remarkable fact that a number of the 

 longicorn beetles, immediately after their long imprison- 

 ment inside the tree, ascend to the top branches, where 

 they remain during the day, flying by night only. This 

 is why many of these beetles appear to be rare, whereas, 

 when their habits are found out and properly understood, 

 they may be quite common. 



I could enumerate many instances of beetles appearing 

 to be quite of rare occurrence ; but once find out their 

 life histories, and they are no longer considered as 

 rarities, but the reverse is frequently the case. 



In speaking of the second species of Bimia, B. bicolor, 

 I may point to the fact of our well-known field 

 naturalist, Mr. D. Best, having written a most interesting 

 series of articles on the ^Longicorn Beetles of Victoria, " 

 but, as these articles are not available to the general 

 reader, I will, as I proceed, quote many interesting 

 facts as observed by the gentleman before alluded to. 



It may be mentioned that our plate, showing the life- 

 history of this beetle, is the first which has been 

 published ; the sexes, before these were not well known, 

 having been separated by entomologists into two species. 



Prevention and Remedies. 



In the forest the greatest success would be brought 

 about by u selection n ; that is, a judicious thinning-out 



