410 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Decembee L'-t, 1910. 



INSECT NOTES. 



INSECT PESTS IN THE WEST INDIES 

 IN 1910. 



A lirief review of the in.sect jiests in the West Indies in 



1909 was given in the Agricultural News for January 8, 



1910 (Vol. IX, p. 10). The present account deals in a similar 

 manner with the occurrence of pests during the jear which is 

 just ending. The information on which these observations is 

 liased has been furni.shed by the Agricultural Officers in the 

 several islands of the Lesser Antilles, in response to a request 

 by the Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture. 



OF SUG.4E-CASE. No serious attacks of insect pests have 

 been reported during the past year. The moth borer (Diatraea 

 sacc/iaralis) has generally been reported as not causing any 

 unusual damage, or as not being on the increase. In 

 St. Kitts, it has attacked a few trial plots of new seedlings, 

 and in the Virgin Islands it has caused .some loss in the 

 drier districts. 



The weevil borer {S2)hevopliorus <ier{ceus) has been more 

 abundant in Barbados than for several years past, especially 

 in heavy clay bottom lands in one of the drier parishes. The 

 root liorer (Diaprepe?, ahbreviatux) has again appeared in 

 Barbados, but the amount of damage done, and the extent 

 of the attack, have not been reported. 



It is of interest to note that the attacks of termites on 

 sugar-cane on one estate in St. Kitts have not extended to anj' 

 other estate, so far as is known at present, and the badly infest- 

 ed area, on which two crops of cotton have been grown and 

 which has since been cultivated in sugar-cane for two years, 

 seems to lie free from this pest. It would appear that by 

 planting cotton for a few years, the entire infested area 

 might be rendered free from the termites. 



OF COTTON. The cotton worm {Alahama arc/illacea) has 

 occurred in very small numbers during the year. In St. 

 Vincent and in the Virgin Islands, no insecticides were 

 needed, since the natural enemies of the cotton worm kept 

 it in check. In ilontserrat, this pest appeared in consider- 

 able numbers in October and November. London purple 

 was the insecticide chiefly used. It is reported that scorching 

 of the leaves liy the London purple occurred in certain fields. 



The cotton stainer (Di/sdercns spp.) occurred in Mont- 

 serrat, in sufficient numbers to cause damage, only in one 

 district, and not on any of the principal cotton-growing estates. 



In St. Vincent, in Nevis and in the Virgin Islands, these 

 insects were fairly abundant toward the end of the crop 

 season, but they were kept well in check, by collecting. In 

 St. Kitts, it is reported that they show a considerable 

 decrease in numbers from those of previous years. 



Black scale (Saissetia nif/ra) has not generally been 

 a pest. In St. Vincent and Montserrat it has been more 

 noticeable toward the end of the season. In Nevis it has 

 been observed on one estate. 



The white scale (HeinicJiionaspis minor) has been 

 noticeable in certain localities in the Virgin Islands, on 

 'Curacoa' cotton, but not on Sea Island. 



The flower-bud maggot {Vantarinia yossi/piii) has not 



appeared (e.xcept for Montserrat, in one report) outside 

 Antigua, and no attack is rejiorted in that island during the 

 present year. The leaf-blister mite {Eriop/i>/es f/ossi/jtii) has 

 only occurred in numbers toward the end of the crop, anil has 

 always been more abundant in those localities where the old 

 cotton has been left standing. The destruction of old cotton 

 at the end of the season, and the picking and burning of infest- 

 ed leaves as they appear on the young cotton, seem to be fully 

 adequate to prevent serious loss from this pest. 



The cotton plant lou.se {Aphis r/ossppii) has been much 

 less prevalent in Barbados this season than has usually been 

 the case. This insect is reported as having occurred in 

 Antigua early in the season, but the attacks were slight. 



Cutworms (not identified) caused some damage on one 

 estate in Nevis, but were easilj- controlled by the use of 

 poisoned bait. 



Late-jjlanted cotton in St. Kitts and in Nevis suffered 

 somewhat from a disease or pest which caused the leaves to 

 curl uji and assume a wrinkletl ajipearance. This appears to 

 be associated with the rapid growth following heavy rains. 

 The affected plants in St. Kitts were attacked by a small 

 sucking insect — one of the leaf-hoppers, and in Nevis by 

 plant lice and mealy-bugs. 



OF .SWEET poT.vTOs. The attacks of the sweet potato weevil, 

 scarabee, or Jacobs {Cri/ptorhi/nchu!! hatatae) have been 

 generally less than in recent years, and in Barbados where 

 the attack has been particularly severe, this is reported to 

 be especially noticeable. In St. Vincent, it is reported to 

 occur in nearly all potato fields, being abundant in some 

 localities. The sweet potato caterpillar {Protoparce ciiic/itlata) 

 and the red spider {Tftranychns telarius) have been reported 

 as occurring in a few localities, but not in sufficient numbers 

 to cause .serious injurj'. 



OF OACAO. No reports have been received of serious 

 attacks by cacao pests during the year. The beetle mentioned 

 in the summary of insect pests in 1909, already referred to, 

 appears to be Litchnostema pjalens. 



OF LIMES. The situation in regard to the attacks of 

 scale insects is about the same as at the end of 1909. The 

 attacks continue to be severe in St. Vincent, but in other 

 islands, though these pests are present, no serious injury from 

 this cause is reported for the year. 



OF RUBBER. Castilloa is reported to be liadly attacked 

 by scale insects in St. Vincent, but in the other islands no 

 serious occurrence of these pests on rubber is recorded. 



' OF GREEN DRESSINGS. Attacks of caterpillars on green 

 dressings have been fairly general during the year, and in 

 a few instances they have been severe. In Montserrat, 

 it is reported that the larvae of the woolly pyrol moth 

 {Thermesia ij-rinmataiin) have severely attacked Bengal beans. 

 It is advised to establish the crops early in the season, as the 

 caterpillar does not appear until hte in September. It has 

 been noted that in at least two instances, Bengal beans 

 covering lime trees have been untouched, while those growing 

 on the ground between the trees have been entirely destroyed. 



Ground nuts and Indian corn have suffered very little 

 from insect attacks during the year. 



It should be observed that no records are given of insect 

 pests in Grenada or St. Lucia, as the information for these 

 two islands has not yet reached the Head Office. As no reports 

 of serious attacks have been received, however, it is .safe 

 to assume that the conditions in these islands are fairly 

 satisfactory. 



The weather in the West Indies during the year has 

 been, on the whole, favourable for the growth and develop- 

 ment of crops, and natural enemies seem to have exercised 

 a very satisfactor}- degree of control over insect pests. 



