408 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



December 19, 1914. 



INSECT NOTES. 



• SUMMARY OF ENTOMOLOGICAL INFOR- 



MATION DURING 1914. 



In accordance witt tlie practice which has been followed 

 for several years past of summarizing the information which 

 has been presented in the Insect Notes, the present article 

 deals with the entomological information which has appeared 

 in the Agricultural News during the year 1914. 



The summary for the preceding year was presented in 

 three articles of the present volume at pages 26, 4'2, and 58. 



The insect pests attacking sugar-cane were dealt with 

 in eight numbers of the Agricultural News. Six of these 



- articles were based on reports, as follows: An Entomologist's 

 Visit to Demerara, Trinidad and Barbados, p. 1.38; Insect 

 Pests and Fungoid Diseases in Barbados in 1912-1.3, pp. 170 

 and 186; Insect Pests of Sugar-cane in British Guiana, 

 pp. 218 and 234; Moth Borers of Sugar-cane in British 



•<juiana, p. 392. 



The first of these reports is that of Mr. Geo. N. 

 Walcott, Assistant Entomologist on the staff of the Porto 

 Rico Board of Agriculture, who was engaged in the study 

 of the natural enemies of soil grubs which attack the roots 



• of the sugar-cane. 



At the time of his visits, February and March 1913, 

 Mr. Walcott found the moth borers {Diatraea saccharalis, 

 D. lineolata and D. canelln) the most serious pests of sugar- 

 cane in Demerara. The remedies of which he learned 

 ■were, the cutting out of dead-hearts, the collection of 

 larvae and pupae, and the collection of eggs. He records 

 two hymenopterous parasites of the eggs, Trichogramma 

 minutum, and Telenomus sp., one which attacks the moth 

 Toorer larva, Iphiaulai- sp., and the Tachinid flies which have 

 bred from the pupae. 



Castnui licus was the other important pest of sugar-cane 

 observed in Britisli Guiana. The collection of tlie moths, 

 and of the larvae and pupae are the remedies for this pest. 



Mr. Walcott observed the froghopper {Tomaspis varia) 

 in Trinidad, and remarked on the agricultural practice of 

 allowing \Needs and grass to grow in the fields and traces, 

 and of abandoning fields of infested and diseased cane to 

 become breeding places for these pests, thus forming an 

 ideal environment for the propagation of large numbers of 

 froghoppers and other pests. He described the methods of 

 using the green niuscardine fungus (Metarrliiziuia anisopliae) 

 including the development on layers of cooked rice in 

 -specially constructed culture cabinets, and its application 

 in the field by means of blowers mounted on flat cars on the 

 estate tram lines. The giant moth l^orer {Castnia licus) was 

 also observed in Trinidad, where the only means of control 

 seemed to be the collection of the adult mollis by means 

 of nets. 



In Barbados, the* moth borer was found in greatest 

 abundance, and Mr. Walcott was of opinion that the injury 

 caused by this insect was as great, if not greater, in Barba- 

 dos than in Demerara 



The root borer (Diaprepes al/breviatus) was considered 

 the most severe pest in Barbados. 



The report on Insect Pests of Sugar-cane in British 

 Guiana, mentioned above as having been reviewed on page 

 234, is that of Mr. H. B. Moore, Entomologist on estates of 

 Messrs. Curtis, Campbell it Co. 



Mr. Moore's work was largely connected with the control 

 of the moth borers, and especially with the study of natural 

 enemies. In the cutting out of dead-hearts on seventeen 

 estates the number of caterpillars recorded as captured was 

 2.5, .583,987. The number of egg clusters collected on twelve 

 estates was 180,000. * 



In this report stress is laid on the importance of the 

 proper care of refuse cane tops which, if left in the fields, are 

 a prolific source of infestation for the next crop. The report 

 recoi'ds a new egg parasite, Aphaneurus alecto, and two 

 parasites of the moth borer larvae Iphiaulax medianus and 

 CreniHops parfasciatus,as well a.s those previously well known, 

 and some of minor importance. ^ 



'Mr. Moore estimates, tliat in the canes that go to the 

 mill, the injuries by the moth Ijorer are sufficient to cau.se 

 a loss of 20,000 tons of sugar in the colony, in addition to 

 the loss of canes cut out as dead-hearts. 



Termites were considered to rank next in importance 

 to the smaller moth borers as cane pests in British Guiana. 

 These were principally of two species, Eutermes costaricensis 

 and MiroteriJies nigritus. Termites nests to the number of 

 460,000 were destroyed on eight estates during the year. 



The giant moth borer {Castnia licuf) was collected in 

 large numbers. On seventeen estates, the collection amount- 

 ed to 1,970,000 caterpillars and moths. 



Another report from British Guiana, which dealt entirely 

 with the smaller moth borers, was that reviewed at page 392, 

 by Mr. J. J. Quelch, B.Sc, Entomologist on the group 

 of estates just mentioned. This report deals entirely with 

 the results of the collecting of egg clusters of moth borer, 

 which indicates that this line of control, properly carried out, 

 should have the ettect of reducing the number of these pests. 



The Annual Report of the Government Economic 

 Biologist, Mr. G. E. Bodkin, B.A., was reviewed at 

 page 218, under the heading Insect Pests in British Guiana. 

 Mr. Bodkin mentions his six months' trip to the United 

 States under the provision of a Carnegie Scholarship. 



The list of sugar-cane pests given is rather a long one, 

 but those in addition to the well-known ones already referred 

 to are of minor importance. 



The insect pests in Barbados were mentioned on pages 

 170 and 186, where the report of the Local Department for 

 the year 1912-13 was reviewed. The work with in.sect pests 

 was carried out by Mr. W. Nowell, D. I. C, then Assistant 

 Superintendent of that Department. 



The sugar-cane pests dealt with in the rejjort are the 

 brown hard back {Phytalus sraithi), and the root borer 

 (Diaprepes abhreviatus). The root borer continued to be a 

 pest on a limited area: the collection of the adults on one 

 estate during the year amounted to 69,700, the numbers for 

 the two weeks ending October 28 and November 4, being 

 7,500 and 7,700, respectively. 



The brown liard back continues to be satisfactorily con- 

 trolled by its parasite, Tiphia paralella. 



The report adds nothing to our knowledge of the control 

 of these two cane pests, but it is of considerable interest since 

 it records much that is new in their life-histories. 



