IX 



PESTS 



153 



fully folded, being nine times the size of the wing 

 covers or cases, are sometimes blown out and can then 

 be seen. A white earwig may be found occasionally, 

 having just changed his skin. The female is said 

 to sit upon her eggs ; not of course that she helps to 

 hatch them — she only remains with them to protect 

 them from enemies, and will collect and shelter 

 them and the young ones when scattered ; I have 

 found her coiled over her eggs in a little hollow 

 part under the ground, once or twice. Unless in very 

 large numbers, these creatures do but little harm to 

 the Roses. 



Certain Weevils (OtiorhyncJms) are often in small col- 

 lections a very destructive pest to newly budded Roses, 

 especially standards. Anxiously each day in April the 

 amateur watches the dormant buds of some new and 

 precious sort to see if they are starting. At last he sees 

 that something has been biting at the buds, but no trace 

 of any insect is to be found. Day by day the damage 

 increases till at last the buds, even every bit of inserted 

 bark, are eaten clean out of the stock, and still no 

 vestige of the enemy itself is to be seen. This is the 

 work of that most malevolent pest, the weevil. There 

 may be plenty of strong Rose plants close by, but he 

 will touch none of them if there is a dormant inserted 

 bud anywhere where there is a chance of destroying 

 a whole future plant. It is just the same with fruit- 

 trees, as far as I have seen : I have never observed any 

 injury to an established tree (possibly because it would 

 not be noticeable), but a bud or graft is sure to be 

 attacked if there are any weevils of this sort about. 



The reason they are not visible is because they only 

 come out at night. Go with a lamp after dark to the 

 infested places and you will soon find them, little 



