]22 



THE AGPJCULTUKAL NEWS. 



Ai'CiL 11. 1&14. 



INSECT NOTES. 



A USEFUL GARDEN SYRINGE. 



Information has from time to time appeared in the 

 Agricultural Neivs relating to sprayers for the application of 

 insecticides, but this has generally dealt with barrel and 

 knapsack sprayers to be used in connexion with insect and 

 fungus pests and diseases of orchard and field crops. It is 

 the object of the present note to give an account of a garden 

 syringe of moderate cost, which i.s especially useful in dealing 

 with garden and potted plants, small ornamental and fruit 

 trees. In the Pamphlet Xo. 71, issued by this Department 

 entitled Insect Pests of the Lesser Antilles, there appears on 

 page 184 a short note on the Abol syringe. 



The Abol syringe is manufactured by the E. A. AVhite 

 Co., Ltd., England, who have kindly supplied the blocks 

 used for reproducing the figures shown herewith. 



Fig. 2. The Abol Speayer. 

 The agricultural officers in the several islands have 

 uiade trials of this syringe and it has been found to be well 

 adapted for use, especially in dealing with scale insects oc 

 .■-mall plants. The Abol sprayer is shown in Fig. 2 complete 

 with bend to allow of easier spraying of the under side of 

 leaves. It is of durable construction, being made of brass, and 

 there is very little about it that can get out of order. 



KG CAP 



Pluga<;jaz::(i Cdpcdjuclii 



Fig. 3. Details of Constkuction of the Abol Nozzel. 



In Fig. 3, the construction of the nozzle is shown. 

 The plug, which can easily be removed for clearing in case of 

 an obstruction, has two spiral grooves on its surface which 

 give the spray mixture a rotary motion inside the nozzle, 

 with the result that it passes throngh the aperture of the 

 cap a.-: a fine spray in the form of an inverted cone. There 

 are three caps with apertures of 10, 14 and 17 gauge, 

 respectively, the 17 gauge opening producing a fine mist-like 

 spray; the others, being larger, do not break up the solution 

 so finely. 



Another feature of this instrument is the drip pre- 

 venter, which is in the form of an enveloping cylinder 

 extending about half the length of the barrel of the syringe 

 open towards the nozzle and closed at the other end. Any 



drip or leakage from the nozzle running down the barrel is 

 caught in the jacket thus formed and prevented from passing 

 down to the hands and arms of the operator when reaching' 

 up in spraying When the .syringe is to be filled again the 

 contents of the drip preventer are turned back into the 

 bucket containing the supply of the insecticide. 



In spraying, it should constantly be borne in mind that 

 the best results are to be obtained from a very fine mist like 

 spray, which strikes the leaves and stems of the plant with as 

 much force as possible. Coarser spray is only to be used in 

 order to enable the insecticide to be thrown to a greater 

 distance. 



The Abol syringe is now carried in stock by a firm of 

 hardware dealers in Barbados, by whom it is sold at 

 a moderate advance on the retail price in England. 



MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT-FLY. 



This pest, uhich is known scientifically as Ceratitis- 

 cupitata, Wied., breeds throughout the year in Uganda, 

 provided that bhere is suitable food available; and 

 there seems to be no lack of food of some kind, cultiva- 

 ted or wild, always available. The following account 

 of the lite-history of this insect has been worked out by 

 Mr. Gowdey and published in the Annual Report of 

 the Department of Agriculture, Uganda, 1912-13: — 



The life-history of the March brood of this insect has 

 been worked out. It is hoped later to have the opportunity 

 of working out the life-histories of the broods throughout 

 the year. In all probability the length of the several stages 

 of the other broods will prove to be somewhat longer, as ats 

 the time of the March brood, food, at any rate cultivated 

 food, is more plentiful. 



The female uses her extensile ovipositor to pierce tin 

 berry and to lay the eggs under the skins. The eggs are 

 usually laid in varying numbers, sometimes singly. The 

 eggs apparently will not hatch when deposited in green 

 berries: at any rate, a g'-eat many peri.sh that are laid in green. 

 berries. The maggots on hatching immediately begin to feed, 

 and in the case of coff'ee berries, make for the pulp between 

 the beans in most cases. Here the maggots feed for from 

 fourteen to twenty days. At the end of this period, the 

 maggots leave the berries and bury themselves in the soil to 

 a depth of about 2 inches. The insect remains in the 

 puparial stage from twelve to tventy days. When the flies 

 emerge from the puparia, they work their way through the 

 soil and as soon as their wir.gs have dried, fl}- in search of 

 food and mates. 



The ripeness of the berries appear.s to be a big deter- 

 mining factor in the rapidity of the development of the 

 insect. The development is also influenced by heat, as 

 evidenced by keeping a case in a room the temperature of 

 which was about 5 degree F. higher than that in which the 

 other cages were kept. This cage was consistently twentj'- 

 four hours ahead of any of the others. 



FOOD I'LANTS. The maggots of this insect have been 

 bred on Anona muricata, banana, coffee berries, guava.. 

 lemon, orange, pine apple and papaya. 



PAiiASiTES. Although several para.sites have been reared 

 from this fly in difi'erent parts of the world, none seems to 

 be capable of holding it in subjection. Experiments to find 

 any parasite.s locally have failed, except in a single instance, 

 but, as this parasite is evidently very scarce, it is of negligible 

 value in keeping the pest under ccntrol. 



