200 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



October 11, 1902. 



INSECT NOTES. 



The Grenada Maribunta. 



The Word ' Jlaribuntii ' or wjiiie eorrujitioii of it, 

 is coininonl}' used in the West Indies to denote an 

 insect which would in England be known as a wasp. 

 The Maiibuntas .are social wasps, building paper nests 

 on trees, and ha\ing a venomous sting wherewith they 

 defend themselves from meddlers. Several different 

 species are included under the one name. The Grenada 

 .s]iecies. Foil/hid occulfntalis. is a small black and 

 yellow insect, building large enclosed nests hanging 

 from the branches of trees and shrubs. Some five 

 nests have been received from Mr. ^\'. K. Broadway 

 who .says: — 'This small wasp is unusually ^jrevalent at 

 the Botanic Station and elsewhere in Grenada at the 

 present time. I have never seen so many nests hang- 

 ing about trees and shrubs. M^e destroy them where 

 the ]iublic have access, otherwist; they deserve protec- 

 tion, accoi'ding to Archdeacon Gentle, for the large 

 number of caterpillars they kill.' 



Though this is probably the first observation of 

 the usefulness of this species, the other meud)ers of 

 this group have long been known to play a usefid part 

 in feeding on caterpillars and other insects. The 

 different species deserve to be protected whenever 

 possible, as a number of nests scattered about a garden 

 or field will do much to keep pests in check, and will 

 certainly amply repay the unpleasantness of ha\ing 

 them as near neighbcnirs. 



The Jlaribuntas genei'ally are well woi-th careful 

 observation. The social habits, the habits of the (.[ueeii 

 and drone, the f)rm of the nest and the size and length 

 of life of a colony are all points on whicli iid'oi-mation is 

 lacking. Two species of the allied genus I'olUten are 

 known in Barbados under the name of ' Wild Bee ' and 

 ■ Cow Bee,' and a third is very abundant in the Botanic 

 Station at Dominica. These species build smaller 

 nests, open l)elow, and the colonies do not become so 

 extensive as do those of the Grenada Maribunta. 



measures depend wholly on meeting the attack in time, 

 and if adopted promptly will prove effective and nofc 

 costly. The remedies tested, and reconnnendeil in the 

 (ith .Lecture to Planters (Barbados) Octol er li)01, were, 

 sjiraving with kerosene enndsion and dusting with a 

 mi.xture of lime 4 parts, flowers of suljihur, 1 part. 

 Either of these will prove successful, and if ado]ited 

 immediately the attack commences, will be found so 

 simple and inexpensive as to bo well worth employing. 



A New Remedy for Clothes Moths. 



One (jf the most destructive insect pests in the 

 West Indies is the clothes moth which is extremely 

 difficult to keep in check. Moth balls, camphor, etc., 

 are of some .service in deterring the female moths from 

 laying their eggs, but they possess no killing power 

 whatever. If the eggs have already been deposited, 

 the young grubs (larvae) feed after hatching as though 

 then' were no moth balls or camjihor ]jresent. 



Carbon bisulphide will not only keep the adidts 

 away, but it will destroy all stages of the pest infesting 

 the goods. A good plan is to place all woollen articles 

 of clothing in a trunk with a shallow vessel such as 

 a saucer or a plate holding two or three ounces of the 

 liquid on the toj), and thc-n to tightly close it. In 

 a short time the fumes of carbon bisidphide penetrate 

 the contents of the trunk killing any moth, grul) or 

 eggs that ma}' be in the clothing. 



After remaining a day in the trunk the articles 

 may be taken out, placed in the sun for a few hours 

 anct then returned to the wardrobe. The operation 

 should be repeated every two months when no damage 

 from moths need be feared. The most delicate articles 

 are uninjured by carbon bisulphide. On account of its 

 inflammable nature, no light should be bmught near 

 this substance or the trunk containing its vapoiu-. If 

 the treatment is connnenced in the early morning the 

 fumes will have largely disappeared before night. As 

 contin\ied breathing of the vapour of carbon bisulphide 

 is liable to produce headache and <lizziness. the opera- 

 tion of ])lacing the litpiid inside the truid< should be 

 performed (juickly, and it would be further atlvisable to 

 place the truid< in a spare room on the leeward side of 

 the house, [lui rmci'>< BnU<Hn, No. 14.5, T''.S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture]. 



Insects Attacking Sweet Potatos. 



Si)ecimens of sweet potato plants attacked by i-ed 

 spider have been received from Mr. H. E. Thome of 

 Sandy Lane, Barbados. This is the first case of this 

 pest recorded this year. During 1!U)1 the sweet 

 potato fields suffered heavily from red spider and many 

 cases were seen in diffeivnt parts of the island. The 

 chaiactei'istic features of the attack are, first the ])lants 

 turning vellow and then the falling off of the leaves 

 and the death of the jilants. If the crop i.s young 

 there is loss owing to the small amount of tubers 

 produced. If the attack does not become serious until 

 after the potatos have been formed, as in this case at 

 Sandy Lane, there may be little or no lo.ss. Remedial 



Mealy-bug in Trinidad. Siiecimens of a mealy- 

 bug on cacao pods in Tiiiiidad have been received from 

 Ml-. J. H. Hart, F.L.S. They liavc been detenuiiied as 

 Diicli/lojiiiix cilri, a species al.so found on cacao [lods in 

 ( Jienada. Mr. Hart remarks that ants cover the mealy-hug.s over 

 to protect tliem, and this is freipiently ob.served in Grenada. 

 A .somewhat similar case was noticed by Dr. Longtield Snnth 

 ill Raibados where ants had raised a covering over the entire 

 ba.se of .some plants as a ja-otectien to mealy-bugs of the 

 same sjiecies. 



Usefulness of Game Birds. The great abundance 

 of game liinls in i^iigland is one of the can.ses of the small 

 muiibei-.s of insect pests tlicre. Ground doves, wood doves, 

 tlio liarbados blackbird and other grcamd-feeding birds 

 sliould 1>c encouraged in the We.st Indies to do the u.seful 

 work of tlie partridge and other f)iids in England. 



