Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-07-24
THE Pine wEEv|L
A Great Menace to the
Maine Forests

6IoOPS VI CSOhOtnAS AI0CStSs
This season DR.. NJ. w. Blackman.
Forest Entomologist, New York
State College Of Forestry at Syracuse
is with us. in cooperation with the
State Department of Forestry, study
ing Maine conditions with reference
to insect forest pests. Following is
his account of enc of the greatest
menaces to the pine forests of Maine.
A later letter will discuss its con-
troll.
The White Pine is the most valu-
able and popular Of OUT native forest
trees, not only on account Of its ma
jestic beauty but also because Of the
rapidity Of its growth and it's great
timber value. In the past =. it has
been the tree most often chosen in
making plantations where a moder-
ately quick return on the investment
was desired. Yet because Of two
very serious enemies-the pine blister
rust and the pine weevil-the wisdom
of making plantations Of this beauti-
full and desirable tree in this region
of the country is open to very serious
question. At the present time more
frequent mention Of the former of
these two pests is heard by those in
terested in the preservation of our
forests than Of the pine weevil This
is due largely to a well organized
propaganda based upon a real menace
to the white pine and its kindred
species. and should In no degree be
discouraged or hampered. At the
same time it is doubtful If the bis
ter rust is as important an enemy to
the production of white pine timber
as is the pine weevil.
The distribution of the white pine
weevil in the State is identical with
that of its favorite host. Every
where the pine occurs in plantations
or in open stands this destructive In
sect is to be found, and its work of
destruction Is not confined to the
white pine but it also attacks sew
eral species Of spruce and occasion
ally pitch pine and jack pine. It is
often especially injurious to Norway
spruce and to a less extent to red
spruce when these occur in planta-
lions or in open stands.
The white pine weevil is an insect
native to this country. The adult is
a small brown beetle about one
fourth of an inch long with grey or
white markings but differs from the
ordinary beetles in the possession of
a snout comprising about one-fourth
Of it's body length.
These beetles lay their eggs in the
previous years growth of the termi-
spring in April or May. The eggs
are placed in small excavations made
through the bark of the pine leader
by the mouth parts of the female.
They hatch in or 10 days giving
rise to small yellowish white grubs
which Immediately begin to feed
voraciously upon the inner living
portion of the bark. As they grow,
these larvae work downward eating
the entire inner bark as they pro-
coed and as they become larger des-
troying more and more Of the living
sapwood. Just before they complete
their full growth (late in June or
early in JULY the grub burrow into
the wood near the lower end Of the
terminal and there construct small
oval chambers covered with a de-
posit of chewed up particles of wood
NhOWh ~ CHIP COCOOio. IA IhCSS
cocoons the larvae transform into
pupa and later these give rise to a
new generation Of adults which
emerge during July and later. These
last over the winter and attack new
leaders the following season.
The effect of the activities OF the
larvae in the living leader of the pine
is not at once apparent, but in a
few weeks-usually by the middle of
June--the new growth begins to wilt
and very soon dies and the needles
turn brown. The terminal dies back
to the next whorl of limbs below the
point Of attack or even farther to the
second wforl below. The killing Of
the leader throws the vitality OF the
tree into the next lateral shoots be-
low the injury and these contend for
leadership. resulting In the produc-
ton Of tree with forked or
branched top known by woodsmsn as
a "stag-horn pine"
This usually entirely destroys the
commercial value of tie trees and at
the same time ruins It's symmetry
and beauty. Very often the new
leaders are in turn attacked, which
results in the production Of a
stunted, bushy growth of no COM
mercial or esthetic value. Hundreds
where this has been carried 80 Tar
that from Is to leo leaders were
striving for supremacy.
The pine weevil rarely ATTACKS the
leaders Of pines or spfuces less than