2C6 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



Aui.i-ST 2G, 1905, 



INSECT NOTES. 



if<^' 



I'll-. IS. Cotton Aphis. 

 (AjJtis gossr/pii.) 



MulU enlarged. Natural .size 

 iudicated li}- liair-liue. 



The Cotton Aphis and its Natural Enemies. 



The cotton aphis is a small Lug with sucking mouth 

 parts. It is very small, and sometimes occurs in great 

 numbers, and is always worse in a dry sea.son than a wet one. 

 It is pale green or yellowish in colour. The body is rather 

 pear-shaped. The eyes are dark and easily noticed. There 

 are six legs, two antennae or 'feelers' at the front of the 

 head, and two short, blunt tubes growing on the back. 



It injures the cotton by 

 pushing its slender beak into 

 the leaves and sucking out 

 the juire. 



The aphis can be killed 

 by .spraying with kerosene 

 enndsion or whale oil soap. 

 As this insect has a mouth 

 suited to sucking, and not to 

 biting, such poisons as Paris 

 green would be of no use; but 

 as its body is soft and tender, 

 any poison that kills by 

 contact would be effective. 

 The aphis does not very 

 often become destructive ; it 

 generally attacks young cotton, but cotton which is healthy 

 and growing rapidly will generally out-grow the aphis attack. 

 It will usually be found on the verj- young shoots and 

 tender leaves, large numbers of them being closely packed 

 together. This same aphis attacks several other plants, and 

 from these cotton may become infested. 



There are two common lady-bird beetles and a lace-wing 

 iiy that feed on the aphis. One of the lady-birds is called 

 the red lady-bird, because of the blood-red colour of its 

 iving-covers. It is about \ inch long and l inch wide, the 

 yeneral aiipearanco being hemisi'lierical. The front part of 

 the body (the thorax) is shiny black with light markings 

 looking like eyes. 

 The head is very 

 tmall and can hardly 

 l>e .seen. The other 

 is called the spotted 

 lady-b i r d. It is 

 ]iinki.sh red with 

 black head; it has 

 a large, black sjjot 

 nearly covering the 

 thorax, and nine 

 black spots on the 

 wing-covers. The 

 legs are black. It 

 is a little more than 

 I inch long, about ,'; 

 inch wide, and much 



flatter than the other. The eggs of these two lady-birds 



are very much alike, orange-red in colour, and laid in small 



clusters on the leaves where the cotton aphis is plentiful. 



The larvae or grubs of the lady-bird are dark, with 



I 



cOfl(7 



I, 



Fli.. 19. Laiiv-bh;iis, 



iSpotted lady-bird (.V.;}.'//.- ,u.„-„hiU,) : 

 Red lady-liird (Ciu-lcin-ihi .siiiigiiineii); 

 r.. Eggs of lady-bird, all enlarged. 



light Spots. They are covered with stiff hairs and short 

 splines ; the body tapers to a small point behind. 



The lace-wing fly is a small, green insect with four 

 gauzy or lace-like wings. The body is very slender, about 

 l inch long. The wings spread nearly an inch. These 

 are \ery common in the cotton fields. The egg is white and 

 is fastened to a short stalk. The larva or grub is .-mall, 

 pointed behind, and with two strong jaws. 



These insects eat large numbers of the aphis, and do 

 a great deal of good in keeping them in check. They should 

 not be killed, but should be known as friends to the planter. 



A Cotton-eating Beetle. 



In a letter recently received at the office of the Imperial 

 I>e[>artnient of Agriculture, Dr. C. J. J. van Hall, Director of 

 Agriculture for the Dutch West Indies, makes inquiries as to 

 the identity of a small, black beetle which is reported as 

 attacking young cotton plants in St. Martins. 



Although no specimens accompanied the letter, it seems 

 likely that this is the species {Ildpatiinn^ ficinellatuf.) 

 reported in October 1904 as attacking cotton at Anguilla 

 (see AriricultKval Kews, Vol. Ill, p. 357). This spenes is 

 widely distributed throughout the West Indies, being 

 recorded as occurring in Antigua, Ouadelouiic, St. Vincent, 

 Grenada, ISarbados, as well as in Anguilla. 



The members of the family to which this beetle belongs 

 are not generally destructive to growing plants, but the species 

 under di.scussion seems to have acquired the habit of feeding 

 on living vegetable matter, at least to a certain extent. 

 Dr. van Hall writes that in St. Martins the stems of young 

 cotton plants are attacked just below the surface of the 

 ground. It is very important that cotton planters .should 

 keep a sharp look-out for any new pest, and rep(.irt the 

 appearance of any such i)est to the Imperial L)e[iartment of 

 Agriculture without delay. Siiecimens should be forwarded 

 whenever these are found, together with observations as to- 

 method of attack, and the nature and extent of the injury. 



Fumigation of Imported Plants at Barbados. 



An order was made at Barbados on August 3, 1905, 

 by the Governor-in-Executive Connnittee, prescribing con- 

 ditions under which all imported plants, cutting.s, buds, 

 grafts, roots, seeds, and also fruit and vegetables intended 

 for propagation, and not for consumption as food, may be 

 fumigated, or disinfected, or both fumigated and disinfected. 



In the instructions for the guidance of officers concerned 

 it is laid down that all such importations shall be conveyed 

 to the place of fumigation and disinfection to be dealt with 

 by the Superintendent of the Botanic Station, who shall 

 decide whether the plants are to be fumigated, or disinfected, 

 or both fumigated and disinfected. 



All iilants to be fumigated shall be treated with hydro- 

 cyanic gas. All idants to be disinfected shall be allowed to 

 remain in Bordeaux mixture for ten minutes. 



It is stated that the order shall not apply tti any of the 

 above-mentioned articles when imported by tir for the 

 Im[ierial Commissioner of Agriculture for the West Indies 

 for scientific jairposes. 



It will thus lie seen that Barbados has now come intt" 

 line with other Vrest Indian Colonies in the matter c>f the 

 fumigation of imported plants. But the order goes rather 

 further than similar orders in other islands in that it 

 provides for the disinfection of plants with Bordeaux 

 mixture. This step is designed to prevent the introduction 

 of funsoid diseases. 



