THE KAHIKATEA WOOD GRUB.

Waikato Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 3502, 4 December 1894, Page 2

THE KAHIKATEA WOOD GRUB.

Unfortunately, most of the inhabitants of the Waikato are familiar with the depre-; dations committed by thefabove-mehtioned insect, but no one seems ;tb know'how to stop the damage. Mr .E; B.\jalker, of Moanavale, has been coinmnnicajbihg with the Government entomologist (Capt. Broun) with a view to finding a remedy, and has received the following reply under date 27th November:- ..,-,-;■■..■„-. " Dear Sir—Your letter of the 22nd inst., together with the sample of damaged timber, arrived here during 1 my.absence. I have carefully'examined the piece of wood, and I have no doubt that the damage has been caused by a beetle called" Anobium." The mature, or perfect, insects may now be seen on the walls or ceilings of buildings ready to propagate the species. They ought to be brushed off and killed before the females deposit their eggs, or they may be got into a bottle by inserting a quiil about three inches long through the cork. The quill will form a sort of scoop ; by which the beetles may be taken off the walls on 6 by one. When the larva or grub (the immature form of the beetle) is in the wood it cannot be got at very easily, and its destruction would be difficult and costly. In order to deter the beetle from attacking the timber it would, have.? to be nearly saturated with creosote, or. some similar preservative, a rather expensive undertaking in New Zeaiand. The above is the best advice I can offer at present. When I have had time and opportunity to study the matter fully it may be possible to suggest other remedies.-Yours truly, THOMAS Broun, Government Entomologist." On Saturday Mr Walker forwarded three more samples of timber to Cape. Broun that had been damaged by the erub or beetle,viz., kahikatea and oak. .He also wrote stating that it was -generally understood in Waikato that kauri and rimu were impervi-" ons to the grub, but they were much scarcer than kahikatea, of which timber there was a good supply of, excellent quality,'and he felt sure some method could be found of making it withstand the ?atjack of<; the; insects, or rather of rendering it so obnoxious to them that 'they .wouldl riot Jigo/near it. He'goes on to state that "at" Moanavale there are two large buildings built; abyut ; twenty years ago, the timber'in each'; being' out of the one bush, felled at the same time, cut by hand in'one sawpit and all stackeJ together, and yet, one building/was so destroyed by the grub that a man could not walk across the floor, in safety,-and the other will carry a loaded nthree-horae waggon. The first mentioned slied is used' as a store, arid the latter is a, shearing shed with a stable and cow-she^underaeath. 1 : Mr ..Walker points yolk of 'the wool has comein/coritactiwiththe wood it is; bright and aounclrJb'ut'it' is also; sound in the root- where the'wool never touches it; He thinks the breath^fthe animals or .the ammonia, frorn..their excrement mustiact preservatiye, for'be has] Noticed several*; largeJtables inlGam;-; bridge are free front tlie pester Jplker; ! continues: What that the buildings niay bj|ynn|e&with|g a3 you would 'syringe treesiin anbrcharrlto prevent the beetles from going into the timber at thisseasonof #ejywrs tf hey■*»'' as you say upon the toallPand ! nVdbuw will-shortly., creosotefbufowasttold by tfie chemists inj Auckland that'-it'was too'costly/Vridwas advised to consult you aß|toMattbuse.| No doubt when you have vou will- iuggMlipreveritative. This is a^|bigsquesrtonf ? house in infested tyitfcthese beetles." '"'

Mr Walker is quite right! this is a big question, and if,through his instrumentality: a,remedy is ( fp ( un.d,. ( he mll-indeeOea, benefactor to the Waikato/ Our Cambridge^ piano' in'lthe^Public Hall in'thVt tiiwn lias lately been"attacked-bytheWirisects. Hi isfla-grand instrument';and we trust a method'iof : f staying the damage ;may be