There are also oak insects, which attack nothing but oak; hickory,
cypress, and spruce insects, etc., which have different habits and
different periods of flight, and require special conditions of the
bark and wood for depositing their eggs or for subsequent development
of their broods. Some of these insects have but one generation in a
year, others have two or more, while some require more than one year
for the complete development and transformation. Some species deposit
their eggs in the bark or wood of trees soon after they are felled or
before any perceptible change from the normal living tissue has taken
place; other species are attracted only to dead bark and dead wood of
trees which have been felled or girdled for several months; others are
attracted to dry and seasoned wood; while another class will attack
nothing but very old, dry bark or wood of special kinds and under
special conditions. Thus it will be seen how important it is for the
practical man to have knowledge of such of the foregoing facts as
apply to his immediate interest in the manufacture or utilization of a
given forest product, in order that he may with the least trouble and
expense adjust his business methods to meet the requirements for
preventing losses.
The work of different kinds of insects, as represented by special
injuries to forest products, is the first thing to attract attention,
and the distinctive character of this work is easily observed, while
the insect responsible for it is seldom seen, or it is so difficult to
determine by the general observer from descriptions or illustrations
that the species is rarely recognized. Fortunately, the character of
the work is often sufficient in itself to identify the cause and
suggest a remedy, and in this section primary consideration is given
to this phase of the subject.
Ambrosia or Timber Beetles
[Illustration: Fig. 22. Work of Ambrosia Beetles in Tulip or
Yellow Poplar Wood. _a_, work of _Xyleborus affinis_ and
_Xyleborus inermis_; _b_, _Xyleborus obesus_ and work; _c_,
bark; _d_, sapwood; _e_, heartwood.]
[Illustration: Fig. 23. Work of Ambrosia Beetles in Oak. _a_,
_Monarthrum mali_ and work; _b_, _Platypus compositus_ and
work; _c_, bark; _d_, sapwood; _e_, heartwood; _f_, character
of work in wood from injured log.]
The characteristic work of this class of wood-boring beetles is shown
in Figs. 22 and 23. The injury consists of pinhole and stained-wood
defects in the sapwood and heartwood of recently felled or girdled
trees, sawlogs, pulpwood, stave and shingle bolts, green or
unseasoned lumber, and staves and heads of barrels containing
alcoholic liquids. The holes and galleries are made by the adult
parent beetles, to serve as entrances and temporary houses or
nurseries for the development of their broods of young, which feed on
a fungus growing on the walls of the galleries.
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