INSECT PESTS OF TIMBEE 131 



The Pine Weevil, Hylohius abietis, though not 

 strictly a wood-boring beetle, is one of the worst 

 of our native forestry pests. Contrary to the 

 general rule, it is the adults of this species and 

 not the larvae which are injurious, and, as may 

 be guessed from its specific name, the Weevil 

 is a pest of coniferous trees. The nature of the 

 attack consists in eating away the bark and 

 cambium of the young shoots, so that they 

 appear to have suffered damage from some rodent. 

 To the young trees when newly planted these 

 injuries are often fatal, older trees are often 

 able to survive an attack. The adults, which 

 hibernate throughout the winter, deposit their 

 eggs in the spring on the roots of trees which 

 have been felled for some years. The larvae 

 feed on dead wood till the following spring or 

 early summer and change, after a period of 

 pupation, into perfect beetles in late summer. 



The closely related species, Pissodes pini and 

 Pissodes notatus, are both injurious to Northern 

 Pines ; yet another Weevil, Gryptorrhynchus 

 lapathi, is very injurious both in the larval and 

 adult stages to Alders, Birches, Willows and 

 Poplars. The adults are on the wing in the 

 spring after their winter hibernation ; in about 

 a fortnight after egg laying the larvae appear, 

 and, penetrating the bark, bore right to the pith 

 of the trees they attack ; the beetles eat the 



