Part III.] Beeson: Beeliole Borer of Teak. 
3 
PART I. 
Previous History of the Pest and Economic Aspect of the 
Damage. 
By 
A. RODGER, O.B.E., 
Forest Research Officer, Burma. 
[At the request of the Forest Zoologist, Mr. A. Rodger, Forest 
Research Officer, Burma, kindly supplied the following information 
on the past history of the beehole borer in Burma and the economic 
aspect of the damage done by it.] 
1. The damage done by this insect has been fully recognised in Burma 
ever since the trade in teak was organised by Europeans. The name 
evidently arose from the idea that a wood-wasp or humming beetle 
made the holes, as those insects had been supposed to bore holes in 
bamboos and soft woods. The effects of the attack seem to have been 
accepted as a natural phenomenon and no attempt appears to have 
been made for many years to investigate the history of the moth, and 
the consequent effect on the forest. The first notes of the damage 
caused, appear to have been made in 1841 and 1851. These will be 
found below, page 5, extracted from a report by Mr. Branthwaite, 
Conservator of Forests, Tenasserim Circle. In the proceedings of a 
forest conference held in Rangoon in 1875 the subject is not mentioned, 
and the earlier reports by Sir Dietrich Brandis it does not seem to have 
received any attention. In the Annual Report on Forest Adminis¬ 
tration in British Burma for 1863-64 by Mr. H. Leeds, the following 
note occurs :—“ It is certain that a large number of young trees are 
killed by small worms which attack the stem and feed on the pith. 
Many young plants were collected for examination showing the perfora¬ 
tions made in them and the injuries inside which had resulted in the 
destruction of the plants.” This may possibly refer to the bee-hole 
borer.* The following notes are extracted from the Annual Reports 
for 1901-02 :— 
(1) “ The damage done by insects in teak plantations was the 
subject of careful enquiry by Mr. S. Carr, Deputy Conser¬ 
vator of Forests, whose report has been forwarded to the 
# It is more probable that this record refers to one of the pith-borers of teak, e.g., 
Alcides ludificator , Fst. or the early stages of Phassus signifer Wlk. and Haplohammus 
cervinus , Hope. The attack of Duomitus ceramicus, Wlk. very rarely causes tne death 
of young plants and is invariably confined to wood in which heart wood is beginning 
to appear. See a /uo page 49. C. F. C. B. 
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