a 10 
FOREST INSECT INVESTIGATIONS 
fF. C. Craighead, Entomologist, in Charge 
Dr. T. L. Snyder reports that with the utilization of much 
dying and recently killed chestnut timber the Bureau has received ' 
a number of inquiries as to whether timber killed by the chestnut blight 
is safe to use. Borers infesting a living tree soon die after the tree 
is felled, and where gound, wormy chestnut timber is used for the 
cores of veneer, worms emerging from the veneer do not come from the sound 
worm-eaten chestnut, but from the hardwood veneer itself. The injury 
is caused by Lyctus powder-post beetles, which lay their eggs in the 
pores of the sapwood of many species of hardwood but will not attack 
chestnut. The knowledge of this fact has recently averted several 
lawsuits. 
The Southern California Edison Company has purchased for electric 
power lines a large number of yellow pine and Douglas fir poles which have 
bee’. impregnated with coal-tar creosote, to use instead of untreated red 
ced.v poles which were badly damaged by termites. These poles have 
been treated for their entire length by the open-cell pressure method, 
which will prevent bleeding or sweating of the creosote, The large 
telephone companies throvghout the country have found that pine poles 
impregnated with coal-tar creosote give the longest service, 
The manuscript for a bulletin on insect defects in timber has been 
completed for the use of lumbermen, manufacturers and foresters. ‘The 
bulletin, well illustrated, will describe the principal types of insect 
defects in timber and how to prevent them when possible.’ It is expected 
that after publication it will receive wide publicity through the 
National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, 
William Middleton, of this office, recently returned from a 
Short trip to Grassdale, the estate of Admiral D, W. Taylor, near 
Waldropy Vad <n ‘the trip"hétoale with him’ foe abenationcot mame 
parasites at Westover, an adjoining estate badly infested by the elm 
leaf beetle, some eggs of this beetle parasitized by Tetrastichus 
xXanthomelaenae Rond, , recently received from Madrid, Spain, from S wig 
Dohanian, of the Gipsy Moth and Brown-Tail Moth Investigations. When 
liberated the material was in excellent condition despite the long 
voyage to this country and the subsequent necessary delay in 
oof pena for the parasites were in process of emergence and those 
enette ereed were very active. Mr. Middleton had taken this 
parasitized material to Westover on a previous visit, June 15, but at 
that time no eggs or adults of the elm leaf beetle were present and 
therefore it was useless to leave the parasites. 
