INSECT ENEMIES OF EASTERN FORESTS 343 
as southern New York and southern Illinois. It attacks a wide variety 
of trees including hickory, pecan, birch, poplars, willows, oaks (fic. 
68), maple, chestnut, basswood, elm, beech, wild cherry, sweetgum, 
sourgum, magnolia, and cypress. The greatest injuries from this 
ambrosia beetle are those suffered by girdled cypress and by recently 
felled hardwoods. Injury to logs can be largely prevented by sawing 
the felled trees within 2 or 3 weeks after they are felled. Many south- 
ern mills make it a rule during the warmer months to saw all hard- 
woods within 2 weeks after felling. Platypus quadridentatus Oliv. 
is a Closely related species found on oak and chestnut. 
er “ 
5 oleh ids =U) 
“a 
Frc Caer 
SES 
ws 
Se we 
. == — = = . 
—S— ss = SERS Lx 
= SES 
FIGURE 68.—Work of ambrosia beetles in oak: A, Monarthrum mali, a, its work; 
B, Platypus compositus, b, its work; C, lumber showing pinholes made by 
ambrosia beetle larvae. 
BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS 
Orper LEPIDOPTERA 
By J. V. SCHAFFNER, JR.” 
The butterflies and moths belong to the order Lepidoptera, the 
word meaning scaly-winged. They have four membranous, more ox 
less triangular wings. The body and wings are clothed with over- 
lapping scales, or modified hairs, arranged in definite patterns, and are 
often of brilliant colors. In admiring the colors and beauty of the 
butterflies and moths too few people realize the havoc the larvae of 
these insects may cause when abundant. It is also probable that few 
are aware of the part nature plays in keeping thousands of species 
more or less constantly under control, so that they cause little or no 
injury. 
The order Lepidoptera includes many of the most serious insect 
pests of our forests and shade trees, not to mention the thousands of 
other plants and products attacked by them. A few species, like the 
sukworm (Bombyx mori L.) and Feniseca tarquinius (F.), whose 
* Mr. Schaffner acknowledges his indebtedness to Carl Heinrich, of the Division 
of Insect Identification, for review of this part of the manuscript. 
