I02 FORESTRY IN NEW ENGLAND 



Appearance. — In its adult stage it is a reddish-brown beetle 

 about one-quarter inch long with a pronounced snout. The 

 pupa is creamy white and about the same length as the adult, 

 and the grub is also white and of varying length up to one- 

 quarter inch, according to development. The infested top of 

 the tree is badly decayed at the close of the season and is riddled 

 with tunnels that are filled with the borings. The wilting of 

 the needles is the first evidence of the weevil's presence. 



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By permission oj the U.S. Forest Service. 

 Fig. 43. — Leader of a young white pine killed by the white pine weevil. Several of the 

 side branches have already begun to take the place of the leader. 



Life History. — The beetles deposit their eggs under the bark 

 of the main shoots in May or June, and the grubs, which hatch 

 after a week or two, begin to bore inward and in a downward 

 direction to the pith. In the grub stage they are greatly re- 

 duced in numbers by natural enemies, mostly parasitic insects. 

 The transformation into pupae and adults takes place during 



