338 WEST VIRGINIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



and dead trees, the destructive species in all stages were dying 

 apparently from the attack of a disease which I was led to be- 

 lieve from subsequent events was the beginning of the great 

 epidemic that caused the universal disappearance of the in- 

 sect from the forests of three or four States, or apparently from 

 all of the infested area north of the Carolinas. 1 



The Mayfield Hill Grove and Tibbs Rim forest were again 

 visited on October 21st, when living, parent beetles, eggs and 

 young larvae of the destructive bark beetle were found in enor- 

 mous numbers in the bark of an unusually fine specimen of the 

 yellow pine, 2 the leaves of which had just begun to change 

 color. 



These localities were subsequently visited on the 2d, 7th and 

 llth of November, and on each of those dates the destructive 

 bark beetles and their enemies were found in practically the 

 same conditions as mentioned above. Some interesting obser- 

 vations were made on the llth with reference to the different 

 stages of the insects occuring at that date. It was found in all 

 stages from eggs to adults. Trees were then being attacked, 

 the beetles mining in the living bark and depositing eggs. It 

 was also found that the enemies of the bark beetle, including 

 the disease, appeared to be on the increase. 



The adults of the imported Olerids which it was feared could 

 not be kept over winter, were liberated on the infested pines 

 during the different dates mentioned, with the hope that they 

 would seek their own winter quarters and thus possibly remain 

 alive until spring, as they would do under natural conditions. 



NO ABATEMENT OF THE TROUBLE AT THE CLOSE OF 1892. 



I found from correspondents in different parts of the State 

 that the trouble was on the increase, and that, apparently the 

 same conditions existed in other sections as at Tibbs Run and 

 Mayfield Hill. Thus it was evident that there was no abate- 

 ment to the invasion. In fact the indications were that all of 



1 See under Cause of the Trouble Coming to an End, on another page. 



2 Since this was written I find that there is a variety of the pitch or yellow pine, 

 common in this forest which has smooth bark, grows to a large tree and otherwise 

 resembles the yellow pine so closely that it is only by an examination of the leaves 

 that the difference can be detected. 



