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The Fine Beetle. 



The Pine Beetle. 

 (Hylesinus piniperda L.). 

 This is one of the most destructive of forest insects, and, in 

 this country, is met with wherever pines are grown. 



FIG. I. — PINE BEETLE, MAGNIFIED ABOUT SIX TIMES. 



Description and Life History. 



The mature beetle* (Fig. i) is about one-fifth of an inch long, 

 dark brown or almost black in colour, and thinly covered with 

 brown hairs springing from little tubercles, which, on the wing- 

 cases, are disposed in rows between lines of punctures. These 

 rows of tubercles are continued to the very edge of the posterior 

 margin of each wing-case, except in the case of the second row 

 on each wing-case, counting from the middle of the back, where 

 the hairy tubercles cease at the point where the wing-case 

 begins to bend down towards the apex. The discontinuance of 

 the tubercles in these two rows is the main point of distinction 

 between this insect and H. minor, Htg. The latter, however, is 

 as rare as the former is common. The feelers (antennae) are 

 rusty brown in colour, relatively short, and end in jointed clubs. 

 The thorax, except in the middle, is thickly covered with 

 shallow punctures, but not disposed in rows as on the wing- 

 cases. The larvae are white, bent, and footless, with a brown 

 head. 



The beetles pass the winter under a variety of cover, and 

 take wing during sunny weather about the end of March. They 

 at once congregate for breeding purposes on the bark of pines 

 that have died or that have been felled during the previous 



* The illustrations are reproduced, by permission, from Trans. High. & Agric. Soc. 

 of Scot. 



