188 THE MINIATUEE FEXnT GAEDEN 



The beetles seem to be almost universal feeders, attackiag- 

 vines, apricots, nectarines, peaches, raspberries, straw- 

 berries,' and nuts, also vegetables. They feed on the 

 shoots, leaves, buds, and bark. The two first-named do 

 great damage, especially to vines in hot-houses, of which 

 they eat off the shoots, whilst their larvae attack the 

 roots. These weevils are night-feeders, hiding away by 

 day, so that all holes, clods of earth, rubbish, &c., should 

 be examined cwrefully ; as they are the same colour as 

 the soil, they are rather difficult to see. A very good 

 plan is to provide them with places to hide under, in 

 the shape of pieces of slate, sacking, wood, &c. When 

 found they should be killed at once, either by dropping 

 into boiling water or by the finger and thumb. 



Another weevil which does a good deal of harm, 

 especially in the cider counties, is the Apple-blossom 

 Weevil (Anthonomus jpomorun). The female attacks 

 the unopened flower-buds of the apple, in which she 

 makes a hole with her beak and lays a single egg, closing 

 the opening after the operation. The bud grows, and 

 the petals are of their normal colour ; but, instead of 

 opening, as the other blossoms, under the influence of 

 the spring sun, it remains closed, and after a little time 

 the petals wither and turn brown, the little, wrinkled, 

 white maggot having eaten the anthers, pistil, and ovary 

 of the flower. The larva turns to a rust-coloured pupa 

 inside the withered bud. The beetle is reddish-brown ; 

 on the elytra is a V-shaped white mark on a pitchy- 

 coloured patch. The bark of the infested trees should 



