THE WOODBORER.

Waikato Times, Volume 106, Issue 17803, 30 August 1929, Page 9

THE WOODBORER.

(To the Editor.) Sir, —Could you Inform me of the habits of the common woodborer. I •would like to know what month the fly appears, lays Its eggs, how long they take to hatch, and the best known method of destroying the pest.—l am, etc., SUBSCRIBER. Morrlnsville, Aug. 25. The woodborer is a small, hardbacked fly or beetle. 1 The commonest species is the dermestes domesticus which eats holes in furniture. Other larger members of th curculionidac and scolytidae are responsible for the sawdust-like residue found on fruittrees. While the leaves are off it is easy to find th holes, probe them with a wire, pour in petrol or kerosene and seal. The female of the ordinary borer drills holes and lays its eggs. The

grubs when hatched eat their way through the wood, and when fully grown form cells in which they pupate. From these the young beetles emerge by making holes directly to the surface. The female beetle begins to lay its eggs about now. The safest method to eradicate the pest is to fumigate in a few weeks with formalin. A simpler method Is to dress the wood with a mixture of creosote and turpentine or creosote and kerosene, and then wax over the holes.