228 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



OBNOXIOUS AND INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



By JOSEPH CHAPPELL. 



(Concluded from page 212.) 



S. tipuliformis larva feeds in the branches of currant bushes. It is 

 very common at Bowdon and Manchester district. It causes the tree to look 

 unhealthy. 



S. scoliaeformis larva feeds in the trunks of birch, and is very destructive. 

 It is, fortunately, rare in Britain; it oecurs near Llangollen. 



S- sphegiformis larva feeds in the stems and branches of young alder, 

 and occasionally birch. The stems in which they feed vary in thickness from 

 about one to two inches in diameter. It occurs sparingly on Chat Moss, and 

 Burnt Wood, Staffordshire. 



S • asilif ormis is said to feed on the stems and roots of aspen and poplar. 



S- bembecif ormis larvae feeds in the trunks of black poplar (Pqpulus 

 nigra), sallow, and willow. It is very destructive. I have seen a great num- 

 of trees that were destroyed by this insect near Manchester. I counted 60 

 pupa projecting out of one tree in a season ; it betrays itself by frass. 



S» apif ormis larvae feeds in the stems and roots of poplar, and in the 

 root stocks of osiers. 



Zenzera sesculi larvae feeds in the wood of various trees as pear, apple, 

 lilac, and elm. It is a very destructive species, and occurs at Burton-on- 

 Trent, and in the South and West of England. 



COSSUS ligniperda larvae live three years, and feed in oak, birch, alder, 

 apple, pear, elm, and willow. This is a very destructive insect, boring in 

 every direction, but most frequently upwards, by that means it keeps out the 

 rain. I have seen many very large oaks and other trees destroyed by this 

 insect, whose presence may be known by the peculiar smell, like goats, from 

 whence the name of Goat moth. It may also be detected by the sap which flows 

 down the cracks on the outside of the trees in which the larvae are feeding. 

 The exuding sap is very attractive at night to other insects, also to the female 

 of the above species, which deposits her ova near it, consequently when a tree 

 is infested the attack often proves fatal. Many coleoptera are found in the 

 burrows feeding on the foetid sap. This species is common in Dunham Park, 

 and sparingly all round Manchester. An oak tree near Peover, Cheshire, is 

 perforated so very much that it would be interesting to procure a section of 

 it for some of our museums, if possible, to show the damage that can be done 

 by this insect, even to British oak, which is thought by some people to be so 

 hard that it cannot be penetrated by insects. 



29, Welheck Street, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Manchester, 



