Woodworkers 



the chambers ; the sap forms excellent material on which 

 to grow the fungus, so the mother beetle brings to her 

 home a few fungus spores (spores of fungi may be com- 

 pared to seeds of flowering plants) and places them on 

 the sappy wood, with the result that in an incredibly 

 short time there is a growth ample for all her needs. 

 When the grubs are fully fed they change into chrysalids 

 and, eventually, into adult beetles in the tunnels, and 

 there they spend the winter. In the following spring 

 they mate, the future mothers swallow some of the fungus 

 spores and seek fresh spots for their woodworking opera- 

 tions. The skins of the spores are exceedingly tough, and 

 should the need arise they will remain in the gizzard of 

 the Ambrosia beetle for nearly three months without 

 suffering any damage. 



The Cigarette beetle is a little insect of fastidious tastes ; 

 though not strictly speaking a wood-borer, he may safely 

 be included here. Though diminutive, he is capable of 

 doing considerable damage. The mother beetle lays her 

 eggs, one at a time, either on the tobacco leaf or just 

 within the open end of a cigar or cigarette, but she does 

 not do so at haphazard, for she is something of a con- 

 noisseur ; she selects Glares rather than Maduras, Turkish 

 tobacco by preference to shag. The larvae hatch in about 

 a week, and tunnel in all directions, rendering the tobacco 

 useless. Cigars and cigarettes become so riddled with 

 holes that they will not " draw." 



The little beetle is, however, catholic in its tastes and, 

 failing tobacco, will bore into and breed in or amongst 

 raisins, belladonna, ginger, rice, dried fish, turmeric, 

 rhubarb, cayenne pepper, books, canned goods, cartridge 

 wads, liquorice, saffron and in pyrethrum powders strong 

 enough to kill any other insect. Certain moth larvae will 

 bore and tunnel into wine corks to such an extent that 

 the wine either runs out of the bottles in which the corks 

 are situate or turns sour. 



Hosts of beetle and moth larvae either bore into biscuits, 



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