The oak timberworm is capable of causing serious injury. Occa- 
sionally, much of the timber in infested stands is so badly damaged 
it is unfit for many uses. Control is difficult, but the removal of 
dead and dying snags and fire-scarred trees and the prevention of 
wounds in living trees should be helpful. 
FAMILY ANTHRIBIDAE 
FUNGUS WEEVILS 
Fungus weevils are of little or no economic importance but are 
frequently encountered in the wood of dead hickory, beech, and 
maple trees. The adult is brown to whitish mottled and has a 
broad, flat, and very short beak. The larvae feed by boring into 
decaying wood directly beneath fungus sporophores and up into 
the woody part of the sporophore itself. 
FAMILY BELIDAE 
BELID BEETLES 
The New York weevil, Jthycerus noveboracensis (Forst.), is the 
only known member of this family. It is rather widely distributed 
in the Eastern and Central States, but seems to be most abundant 
in the Mississippi River Valley (193). Adults have been collected 
from oak, hickory, beech, and various fruit trees, and the larvae, 
from within twigs of oak and hickory. The adult is robust, shiny 
black, and from 12 to 18 mm. long. A covering of ash-gray and 
pale-brown prostrate hairs gives it a mottled appearance. 
FAMILY CURCULIONIDAE 
WEEVILS 
This family is reported to contain more species than any other 
in the animal kingdom (391). Many species are extremely de- 
structive pests of agricultural crops. Many others are serious 
pests of forest, shade, and ornamental trees, also of seedlings and 
young trees in nurseries and plantations. The adults of many 
species drill holes in fruits, nuts, and other plant tissues to feed. 
The larvae generally feed inside fruits, nuts, seeds, buds, and the 
stems of their host. The adults of most species are typical snout 
beetles, the head bending downward and forming a well-defined 
and usually curved beak. The antennae are clavate and elbowed, 
and are located at about the middle of the beak. 
The white-pine weevil, Pissodes strobi (Peck), occurs through- 
out the range of its most common host, eastern white pine, in 
eastern North America. In descending order of preference, its 
most commonly attacked hosts are: eastern white pine, Norway 
spruce, jack pine, Scotch pine, pitch pine, and red pine. Most 
other conifers, both native and introduced, occurring within its 
geographic range also may be attacked. The adult (fig. 75 A) is a 
small, brownish weevil, about 4 to 6 mm. long. The snout is 
curved and about as long as the prothorax, and the elytra are 
209 
