Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-01-16

eer-laying cannot be stated. as this va
ries with the locality.S and IN the same
locality varies with the advancement OF
the season.. Some egg-laying may occur
as late as the latter part OF June, put II
is usually mostly completed by the mio-
die of May.
The eggs usually hatch within a Pc
Rod Of eight or ten days, each produc-
ing q small white larva or grub, whice
feeds voraciously under the bark OF the
terminal shoot, eatiEr the cambium'
the essential growth producing portion
Of the tree. Usually the eggs are de-
posted in the upper part Of the last
years growth and the grubs work
downward. destroying the entire inner
bark and completely killing the tissue
as they proceed. As they become
larger, the larva eat deeper and deeper
into the surface of the sapwood and
finally, in their last larval stage when
they have reached about their full
growth, they burrow into the wood.
usually in the lower part Of a terminal
shoot. There they construct small oval
chambers about one-third of an inch
long, which are covered with partially
chewed up bits of wood. known as
"chip-cocoons." Within these eocoons
which may lie either near the surface Of
the sapwood or in the pith, each larva
changes into the state known as the
pupa, which requires no food and IS
capable only Of feeble movements OF the
abdomen. The insect remains in this
stage for period which varies with
conditions Of temperature and moisture
Methods of Control. The white pine
weevil is controlled by removing the in
tested leaders and 50 treating them as
to destroy the contained grubs and
young beetles before they have an OPP
portunity to emerge and escape. This IL
most easily accomplished by burning,
and should be done before July LIST. BY
this procedure all of the new brood 3
destroyed. but unfortunately all of its
parasitic enemies are also killed. A bet
ter method. but one involving more
trouble, Is that recommended by DR.. A.
d. Hopkins. Of the U. 8. Bureau Of En-
tomology. He recommends that the
collected leaders be confined In tight
barrels closed at each end with ordi-
narJ wire screen. This allows the
smaller parasites to escape. BY the
time cold weather begins all of the wee
vii will have emerged from the leaders
earlier collected, and will have died. 30
that the screens can then be removed
and the barrels and their contents left
until the succeeding June to allow the
emergence of the larger parasites which
develop later. The leaders collected
later in the season-those whiting after
the middle Of July-should either be
burned at once. or should be kept
screened until the midsummer following
as some Of the weevil will not be ready
to, emerge until the following spring.
In plantations where an infestation is
thoroughly established. or in a region
in which the weevils are numerous, the
collection and treatment Of infested
terminals should be supplemented by
other measures to prevent, in SO far as
is possible, the beetle from depositing
it's eggs One means to this end con-
sists in the collections and destruction
Of the weevil while they are on the ter
minals preparing to oviposit. With but
little practice the insects can be readily
seen upon the leaders just below the ter
minal group of buds. If the tree IS
slightly Jared the weevils will release
their hold of the stem and drop to the
ground.