90 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



MiRfH 14, 1914. 



INSECT NOTES. 



TICKS IN THE WEST INDIES. 



In a previous number of the AgrimltM-al Xetrs (see 

 Vol. X, p. 314) a short article entitled Information Concern- 

 ing Ticks gave a brief account of the losses caused in the 

 United States by the cattle tick, and a list of ticks recorded 

 as occurring in the West Indies, with their distribution. 



Recently a small collection of these has been submitted 

 to the Imperial Bureau of Entomology for identification. 

 The ticks were collected by Mr. P. T. Saunders, M.R.C.V.S., 

 Veterinary Officer on the Staff of the Imperial Department 

 of Agriculture, and the identifications were made by 

 Dr. Geo. H. F. Nuttall aad Mr. C. Warburton, of Cambridge 

 University. 



Tjis collection with its notes and identifications is of 

 interest, since it provides definite records of hosts and locali- 

 ties for the species included. The list is as follows: — 



The fowl tick, Argas minintus, Wald., on fowls, 

 Antigua. The larvae of a species of Argas were found on 

 a rat at St Vincent. 



The gold tick, Ainhlyomma variegatum, F., on cattle, 

 Antigua. 



The cattle tick, Margaropus australis. Fuller, on 

 cattle, St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Vincent. 



Derntacentor nitens, Neum., on horse, St. Kitts, 

 JMontserrat, St. Vincent; on donkey, Montserrat. 



The brown dog tick, RIdpicephalus sanguineus, Latr., 

 on dog, St. Kitts, Antigua, Montserrat, St. Vincent. 



This list includes no new species, but it adds to the 

 number of recorded localities in the case of all the species 

 except the fowl tick and the gold tick. 



In the following table the new localities have been 

 added to those published in the previous article in the 

 Agricultural Aecs already referred to. 



It will be seen that there are certain islands for which 

 the records are meagre or wanting altogether. It is probable 

 that collections in those places would confirm the belief that 

 most of these ticks have a general distribution in the Lesser 

 Antilles, and it is also likely that further collections in all 

 the islands will increase tie recorded number of species: — 



Argas miniatus (the fcjwl tick). Antigua, Martinique, 



Barbados, Trinidad. 



Argas sp., St. Vincent (on rat). 



J{argaro2nis australis (the cattle tick). 



St. Kitts, Nevis, Antigua, Montserrat, Guadeloupe, 

 Dominica, Barbados, St. Vincent.^Trinidad. 



A'inhlyotnina varicgatum (the gold tick). St. Kitts, 



Antigua, Guadeloupe. 

 Artiblyomma hiriurn, Guadeloupe. 

 Amhlyomma dissimih, Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad. 

 Mhipicexjlialus sanguineus (the brown] dog tick). Antigua, 



Dominica, Barbados, St. Kitts, Montserrat St. Vincent, 

 Boophilus sp. Barbados (on dog). 

 Hyalomiiia aegyiitimn, Guadeloupe. 

 Ilyaloinma longirostre, Trinidad. 

 Bermacentor nitens, St. -'Kitts, Montserrat, St. 'N'ineont, 



Trinidad. 

 Mhipiccphalus sp , Trinidad. 



SCARABEE OR JACOBS. 



Reference has fre(juently been made in the publications 

 of the Imperial Department of Agriculture to the occurrence 

 of, and damage done by the small insect known as scarabee 

 or Jacobs (Cryptor/iynchus latatae), and planters and peas- 

 ants all know the insect and the results of its attack oa 

 sweet potatoes. 



Although it does not appear that the amount of the loss 

 resulting from these attacks has ever been calculated in 

 terms of cash per annum or of percentage loss on the total 

 crop of potatoes in an island, yet these figure.! would be 

 large if they could be obtained, and it should be remembered 

 that the important feature to be considered is that such 

 attacks directly affect the food supply of a very large jaart of 

 the population, and especially that of the labouring class. 



This insect is very difficult of control, for the entire 

 larval and pupal portions of the life cycle are spent within 

 the tissues of the root or stem of the plant In the matter 

 of prevention, however, much may be done by planting slips 

 which are free from infestation by eggs or larvae of the 

 beetle. This might be done by selecting slips for planting 

 from a field where no scarabee was known to occur. Ae 

 even better or safer method is to produce slips in a nursery, 

 where there may be greater certainty of freedom from 

 infestation. 



To do this, a spot should be selected where no potatoes 

 have been grown for a long time. The land should then be 

 carefully planted with 'pickings' or small roots, from a field 

 where there has been little or no infestation, and all the 

 roots used for this purpose should be most carefully examined 

 for any signs of the presence of the beetle. The first attack 

 always occurs on the larger roots, then the old hard portions 

 of the stem are invaded, while the small roots are among the 

 last parts to be infested. The careful examination and the 

 selection of only those portions of the plant least likely 

 to be attacked should greatly reduce the chances of carry- 

 ing the infestation into the nursery with the planting material. 



As the nursejy beds produce vines of sufficient size and 

 strength, they should be cut and planted, and if the nursery 

 beds are not maintained for more than six to eight months, 

 there should be very little chance of any infested slips beina: 

 developed. After .some six to eight months, the nursery should 

 be forked, and if no signs of scarabee infestation are to be 

 seen, the same plot of land might be used again fc- the 

 purpose. On the least sign of the presence of these insects, 

 however, a new nursery should be established. 



A field of [jotatoes planted from such a nursery should 

 be quite free from scarabee for some time, and might be 

 used as a source of slips for planting provided these were 

 taken at the earliest date when they were suitable, since as 

 the plants in the field get older, the danger that they may be 

 infested becomes greater and greater. 



Errata. — In the article on termites which appeared 

 in the last number of the Agricultural News, p. 74, 

 slight errors in the table there given have changed the 

 distribution of tWo species. Both the errors occur in 

 St. Kitts column. As the table stands Eutenncs acagutlae 

 occurs in St. Kitts and Porto Rico, while Eutennes 

 costaricensis has no stated locality. The fact is that 

 E. acagutlae is recorded in Porto Rico and not in St. Kitts, 

 while E. costari'^ensis should appear as occurring in the 

 latter island. A^ain, Leucottrtnes tenuis should be recorded 

 as occurring in Barbados and St. Kitts, and Eutermet 

 sanctueluciae should be recorded from St. Vincent only. 

 The crosses indicating the distribution of E. costariceiisi.. 

 and X. tenuis have been moved into line with the narat 

 of the species next above them. 



