103 



COCOA-NUTS. 



SCALE INSECTS AND WHITE PLY. Ilerniptera. 



Cocoa-nuts are attacked by scale insects! which are to 

 be found most abundantly on the older leaves. The most 

 important of these is probably the Bourbon Aspidiotus 

 (A 8pidiotii8 c^estructor , Sign.) This is a, small insect, the 

 scale covering of which is thin and papery, with a pale 

 yellow central spot (Fig. 110). Enormous numbers of this 



Fig. 116. Bourbon aspidiotus. 

 Enlarged. (Imperial Dept* Agric.) 



insect are often found very closely crowded together ; 

 badly attacked leaves often have a yellowish or dried up 

 appearance. 



This scale insect is attacked to some extent by lady- 

 birds, and is probably parasitized by hymenoptcrnus 

 parasitic insects ; but the extent to which this occurs and 

 the species which are concerned in it do not seem to be 

 recorded, in Cuba, the Bourbon Aspidiotus on cocoa-nuts 

 is effectively controlled by tin; spotted lady-bird {Chilocor- 



uh cacti). 



The cocoa-nut snow scale (Diaepis boieduvalii, Sign.) 



Pig. 117 also occurs on the leaves, causing yellowish 



spots. The colonies are generally small ; the female scale 



is pear-shaped, and similar in colour to the leaf, while the 



