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Some beetle pests in old cottages Forge Cottage near the Rushbrooke Arms at Sicklesmere is a timber-frame building of considerable historic interest. Most of the rooms show exposed timbers with wattle and daub. In July 1996 a moderately severe attack of the furniture beetle, Anobium punctatum (DeGeer) was discovered in some of the structure and, more worrying, a slight attack of the death watch beetle Xestobium rufovillosum (DeGeer). The owner was particularly concerned that some furniture of great sentimental value might be attacked. I began some treatment with insecticide. She showed me a carpet in one of the bedrooms from which I was quickly able to collect a dozen very active beetles. Although they superficially resembled furniture beetles they proved to be bread beetles, Stegobium paniceum (L.). All three species mentioned belong to the Anobiidae and are similar, slightly elongate and with heads hidden beneath a heavy thorax, but they differ considerably in size. Death watch beetles are dark brown and reach about 7 mm in length. Furniture beetles are dull. reddish brown, and only reach about 4.5 mm. Flour beetles are generally more rounded than the other two species and are bright reddish brown. They only reach 3 mm. Harde's Field Guide in Colour to Beetles states that S. paniceum 'can occur in very large numbers'. They infest a wide ränge of plant and animal products in warehouses, etc. but are particularly associated with bread and flour products. The question was, why were the beetles in this bedroom? A possible explanation was given by an elderly Suffolk man who mentioned that cottage walls were often painted with a suspension of flour in water. Could they have been attracted to the treated plaster of the bedroom? The carpet was clean and apparently undamaged. Incidentally, my old house in Bury is also lightly infested with furniture beetles and we have on two occasions heard death watch beetles tapping late at night. My wife kept up a 'conversation' with the beetles by tapping 3 or 4 times lightly with a pencil to echo the sound made by the beetles. On both occasions we were able to locate the beetles and destroy them. Treatment of woodworm-infested timber using boron and a special fogging technique has been developed by Rentokil's laboratories which should prove more 'environmentally friendly' than current insecticide treatments, but I have no personal experience of this. G. D. Heathcote
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Stewart, R. G. (1995). The Suffolk garden butterfly survey 1994. Trans. Nat. Soc., 31: 10.
Suffolk
Corrections Two corrections to the 1996 Suffolk Natural History: 1. A record year for rare butterflies in Suffolk - p. 6-14 for Camberwell Beauty '39 records from 36 tetrads' in text and under map p. 12 read '38 records from 35 tetrads'. 2. p. 10 Camberwell Beauty record August 19th at Landguard - for 'Paul Holmes' read 'Paul Oldfield'. Richard Stewart (County Butterfly Recorder) 'Valezina' 112 Westerfield Road Ipswich IP4 2XW
Butterflies at Framlingham July 28th-August 5th Our observations in 1996 were as follows Small Skipper Large Skipper Large White Small White Green-veined White Small Copper Common Blue Holly Blue
Every day 28, 4, 5 All except 28 Every day All except 29 4 30,31,4,5 Every day Ringlet
Red Admiral Painted Lady Small Tortoiseshell Peacock Comma Wall Brown Gatekeeper Meadow Brown 28, 29, 3, 4, 5
28, 29,31, 1,3, 4 , 5 Every day All except 1 28, 29, 3 0 , 3 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 28,4 3 Every day Every day
Observations were made again on walks in and around Framlingham. The third coldest May since records began had held the season back with the result that we saw no brimstones and only one wall brown, whilst the small copper were probably between broods. On the other hand, there were still plenty of ringlets. The resurgence of the holly blue was spectacular, as was the painted lady explosion. Although out 1996 visit was longer than in 1995, we saw fewer species and the species-days total was comparatively smaller. Reference Aston, A. (1996). Butterflies at Framlingham July 30th-August 5th. Trans. Suffolk Nat. Soc., 32, 14. Alasdair Aston
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Framlingham local moths in 1996 Cnephasia longana Haw., a variable tortrix that is rarely found inland, was abundant in short grass beside the Framlingham to Saxtead Green road on July 28th. Further on, where the verges opened out, a pale grass-moth, Crambus perlella Scop., was well in evidence, with the clearly outlined Agriphila selasella Hb., more of a coastal species, in a lush meadow behind the Mill Restaurant. Light at Framlingham that night brought Catoptria falsella D. & S., which feeds mainly on moss near the sea, and Achips rosana Linn., the Rose Tortrix, infrequently recorded from Suffolk. To light at Framlingham on 30th came a female Leopard Moth, Zeuzera pyrina Linn., with the first of several Synaphe punctalis Fabr., usually confined to salt-marshes, and quite a few Aglossa pinguinalis Linn., a hay-refuse feeder that has, understandably, declined. The Lunar-spotted Pinion, Cosmia pyralina D. & S., rarer now, as are elmfeeders generally, arrived on July 3Ist, together with The Sycamore, Acronicta aceris Linn., which has adapted to consume quite a ränge of deciduous trees. On August 2nd I was surprised to find (and photograph) a Large Twin-spot Carpet, Xanthorhoe quadrifasciata Cl. The species is widespread, if sparse, on Galium. On the same night appeared Endothenia quadrimaculana Haw., a rarely noted tortrix, with Blastobasis lignea Wals., a fairly recent arrival in the county, the Dingy Shears, Parastichtis ypsillon D. & S., from willow and rarer than formerly, and the Dwarf Cream Wave, Idaea fuscovenosa Goeze, a dandelion species that seems to have grown scarcer. The relative lateness of the season was underlined by the survival of the Engrailed, Ectropis bistortata Goeze, until August 3rd and the Blastobasis decolorella Woll., although very welcome as a recent coloniser, was latish, on August 4th. A wave, restricted to damp places and associated with bedstraw, the Small Scallop, Idaea emarginata Linn., flew up to Castle Street lights on the same night. The holiday finished on August 5th with a specimen of the Brown Tail, Euproctis chrysorrhoea Linn., which is 'essentially a coastal species' and a threat to horticulturalists. Quite a rush of other interesting moths including a White Satin, Leucoma salicis Linn., also coastal, although I did see it once at Stowmarket, on August 3rd 1948. Throughout our visit we were heartened to note one of our favourite noctuids, the Dusky Sallow, Eremobia ochroleuca D. & S., both at light and on heads of common knapweed. A return trip at the end of October was graced by several Large Wainscots, Rhizedra lutosa Hb., and Red Underwings, Catocala nupta Linn., both, doubtless, by courtesy of the meres. Ther was also a Rush Veneer, Nomophila noctuella D. & S., offspring of an immense influx from North Africa in June, possibly the largest invasion here by that insect since 1947. In 1996 it became, as Claude Morley would say, 'a perfect pest at light.' Alasdair Aston
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SHORT NOTE
Observations on the breeding behaviour of pike On 14th April 1996 whilst looking for water voles in the Chad Brook near Long Melford, we saw a gentle disturbance on the flat surface of the river about 60 feet away. Initially we thought it may be a Water Vole, but the pattern of disturbance soon dispelled this. The disturbance came nearer, and as it did we could clearly see that it was at least one fish rolling lengthways on the surface. I (JM) at once recognised the colouring and pattern on the body, as well as the positioning of the dorsal fin, as that of pike (Esox lucius), having caught many pike of various sizes in the past. There was no aggression in the behaviour; on the contrary, the activity was very gentle. As w e stood on the bank the fish, for there were in fact three. swam gently into view very close together, gliding in a very serene manner. They were now clearly identified as pike, with their cylindrical bodies, rather flattened, almost duck-shaped, faces and the distinctive positioning of the dorsal fin. Two of the fish were around the same size, perhaps 15-20 inches long, whilst the third was around 10-12 inches. Their behaviour was quite unlike any pike we had witnessed before, and it appears f r o m our enquiries that few other naturalists have witnessed such behaviour from this normally solitary predator. However, Muus and Dahlstr0m (1978) State that during the breeding season, one female may be accompanied by t w o males. Maitland and Campbell (1992) State that female pike are always larger than males, and that during the breeding season young fish spawn first, and that the spawning act is very vigorous, with one or more males and a female rolling over in excitement. Our pike were not acting vigorously. Therefore, although our Observation was not unique. we are not aware of the breeding behaviour of the Pike being reported in Suffolk before. At the time, the weather was reasonably mild, with an easterly wind of around force 2-3, an overcast sky, although the sun was just beginning to shme through.
References Maitland, P. S. and Campbell, R. N „ (1992). Freshwater fishes. Collins, London. Muus, B. J. and Dahlstr0m, P., (1978). Freshwater fishes ofBntain and Europe. Collins, London. Tina and Jeff Martin
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