THE WHITE PINE WEEVIL 

 IN NEW HAMPSHIRE^^ 



By C. C. Plummer and A. E. Pillsbury 



INTRODUCTION 



The white pine weevil, Piasodes strobi Peck, is a forest insect of major 

 importance in New Hampshire, where large areas of white pine, Pmus 

 strubus, are grown. It is estimated that at least 70 per cent of the white 

 pines in New Hampshire are attacked at some time, or at various times, 

 in their growth. Some trees are attacked as many as 20 times befsre 

 attaining maturit}-. After the tree has been injured several times the 

 timber is of lower grade and often can be used only for box boards or 

 other relativeh- cheap lumber. In this way the value of the lumber 

 may be reduced 30 per cent. 



The damage caused bj' this insect has done much to discourage refor- 

 estation with white pine. It has resulted, in manj- cases, in the substi- 

 tution of red pine, Finns resinosa, for the better known and better liked 

 species. 



In New Hampshire the weevil is universally present wherever white 

 pine is found. Isolated and small, scattered areas of white pine, com- 

 mon in the southern part of the state, are injured as much as extensive 

 plantations. 



The work described in this bulletin has been carried on since the fall 

 of 1925. 



HISTORICAL 



The white pine weevil is an indigenous American insect, described in 

 1817 as Rhyncha^nus strobi, by Professor W. D. Peck, of Harvard Uni- 

 versitj', in a paper published in the "Massachusetts Agricultural Reposi- 

 tory and Journal." Incidentallj-, this paper is believed to be the first 

 in which an American injurious insect was described. (Britton, 1919.) 

 Thomas Say (1831) first referred to the weevil as Pissodes strobi. Since 

 that time the white pine weevil has often been mentioned in entomo- 

 logical literature. Early writers contributed a few facts and many erron- 

 eous suppositions regarding the life histoiy. No doubt some of these 

 early workers confused P. strobi with closely related species, for several 

 of their observations have never been verified. Dr. A. D. Hopkins (1907) 

 was the first to work out the general life history of the weevil. In re- 

 cent years contributions on the life hi3tor\' and control, made by Walden 

 (1914, 1915) and Britton (1919) in Connecticut, Peirson (1922) in Mass- 

 achusetts, and Graham (1926) in New York and Minnesota, have added 

 materiallj- to our knowledge of the weevil. 



*The writers are indebted to Professor W. C. O'Kane and Assistant Professor 

 P. R. Lowry for their valuable assistance at all times. 



