2l6 



Insect, Fungous and other Pests. 



[JULY, 



in the hard wood. They may be legless, but typically bear 

 three pairs of very short thoracic legs, while the movement of 

 the grubs along the galleries they bore in the wood is aided 

 by fleshy projections from the body. Some species attack 

 coniferous trees, some attack broad-leaved trees, while others 

 infest felled timber and the woodwork of houses and buildings. 



Neoclytus caprea lays its eggs both in dying trees and in logs. 

 From the eggs, grubs are hatched which gnaw galleries into the 

 wood, the galleries being filled with frass. When the grub is full 

 led, it pupates in the gallery and later the adult beetle issues 

 ~by a round hole. The length of life in the larval stage varies 

 according to the conditions of life, and with some of the Ceram- 

 bycidce has been known to extend to several years. 



As regards preventive and remedial measures the following 

 suggestions may be made : — (i) Wood not already infested 

 can be protected by being steeped in or painted over with such 

 poisonous materials as sulphate of copper (wood so treated 

 becomes somewhat brittle), chloride of zinc (a 2 to 3 per cent, 

 solution), or corrosive sublimate — a dangerous poison, a fact 

 to be borne in mind if the timber so treated is to be used in 

 houses. (2) New timber should be carefully isolated. To 

 put it in the same shed or stack with wood already infested 

 is to invite an attack. (3) Before being set aside for storing, 

 new timber should be examined, and any holes made by the 

 insect should be treated with corrosive sublimate ; or the 

 mouth of the burrow may be cleaned out, and some bisulphide of 

 carbon injected with a syringe, the hole being plugged up at once 

 with thick clay. (4) Infested timber may be painted over 

 with, or be steeped in, the following mixture : 780 grains 

 naphthalene, 80 grains corrosive sublimate, t\ pints methylated 

 spirits ; special care should be given to the crevices. (5) Badly 

 infested material should be burnt, as it may easily form a centre 

 for the spread of a new infestation. 



Green Leaf Weevil. — Species of the Green Leaf Weevil* 

 Phyllobius maculicornis, were sent from Hadleigh, Suffolk, 

 where they were feeding on apple trees. The genus Phyllobius 

 includes several species, which occasionally cause considerable 

 damage to both fruit and forest trees, the leaves of which they 

 destroy. A single species does not confine its attack to one 

 kind of tree. The following treatment may be recom- 



