December i, 1884.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



42S 



THE TWO CHIEF ENEMIES OF THE 

 TEA PLANT. 



These are the insects popularly known as " red 

 spider" and " mosquito blight." Both have been 

 elaborately described and carefully figured by Mr. 

 Wood-Mason, an interesting review of whose book 

 we quote on page 426, from the Calcutta Englishman. 

 We suppose the impression was general that the red 

 spiders of the Indian tea plantations were identical with 

 the acari so well-known and unfavourably known to 

 gardeners in Europe, being great pests, especially in 

 conservatories. But now, after the " red spider" of the 

 Indian tea plantations has been written about for half-a- 

 century, we find it asserted that this particular mite 

 is new to science and the proposal made that it should be 

 called Tetranychus bioculatus. We suppose there can 

 belittle doubt that what we know as red spider in 

 Ceylon is identical with the Indian tea mite. It 

 seems to be less mischievous than the bug which 

 resembles a large mosquito and which is known to 

 science as Helopeltis Antonii, inasmuch as it affects 

 the mature leaves instead of destroying the flush as 

 the mosquito bug does, and, a long way after it, the 

 "green fly" and a minute moth, not yet identified, 

 which latter insect has hitherto been the chief enemy of 

 tea in Ceylon. But Helopeltis is undoubtedly present, and 

 we must only hope that his attacks on our 

 tea may be slight and few and far between. 

 The mites seem to have been called spiders not merely 

 from their general resemblance to minute spiders, 

 but from their power of weaving webs. This they 

 seem to do aB communities, the whole colony on a 

 leaf being protected by a covering of waterproof 

 gossamer, so fine as to be only microscopically dis- 

 cerned. It is startling to learn, that so effectual is 

 this protection to the mischief-workiDg creatures, that 

 even the submerging of a tea estate and the coating 

 of the bushes and leaves with mud, faded to destroy 

 the insects or their covering ! That fact disposes of 

 the remedy of muddy water, but it is satisfactory 

 to learn that violent rainfall clears the bushes of this 

 puny but potent enemy. For the bug, no remedy 

 is mentioned in the review, but we hope to find more 

 comfort when our copy of the book ranches us. Mean- 

 time, it would seem as if the stars in their courses 

 were fighting in favour of the pests, for, if the mites 

 are protected by a waterproof web, the bugs are able 

 to lay their eggs so that they are hidden from ordin- 

 ary observation. Now that Mr. Wood-Mason has re- 

 vealed the secret, however, we would suggest that the 

 true remedy for Helopeltis is to collect and burn all 

 shoots which show signs of being affected. A policy 

 of this kind rigidly carried out ought surely to be 

 more effectual than the rather dangerous remedies of 

 fire and torches recommended in a letter to the Ital- 

 ian Tea Gazette, which we place after the extract 

 from the Englishman. Strong jets of water (if liquid 

 manure first, and then pure water, so much the 

 better) might be dashed against trees affected l.y the 

 so-called red spider : such a process might be a remedy 

 as effectual as a natural rainstorm. 



As we are writing, we receive the letter from South 

 India, which we place below: — 



To the Editor of the" Ceylon Observer:'' 



South India, 9th Oct. 18S4. 

 Sm, — I was about to write to you on the subject 

 of the tea bug when Dr. Trimen's valuable report 

 appeared. This insect does damago to so many of 

 our products that no one can afford to ignore its 

 existence, and information on the subject is there- 

 54 



fore, not merely useful, but absolutely necessary. I 

 trust you will allow me room to ask a few questions. 



1. Is the tea bug indigenous in South ludia and 

 Ceylon or not ? Last year I bought some Assam tea 

 seed, and on its arrival soaked it in a strong 

 solution of sulphate ot copper before sowing it in 

 beds. I found the tea bug in the nursery^which was in 

 a clearing and adjoining the jungle. The beds first 

 attacked were those nearest the jungle, and its ravages 

 extended from thein. I also noticed that a jungle 

 plant (which I believed to be a species of Panax) was 

 attacked in the same way, a few plants appearing in 

 the nursery. Before planting out, I pulled off all 

 the diseased leaves and burnt them and soaked the 

 plants in a solution of phenyle. As soon as the 

 heavy rains set in, the tea bug seemed to stop its 

 attacks, and I have found not a single insect since 

 planting, though I have noticed several leaves marked 

 with the well-known blotches. 



2. Is all the damage attributed to the real 

 tea bug done by that insect or by any others as 

 well? I enclose herewith an insect evidently very 

 closely allied to the Helopeltis, but I cannot 

 detect any " drumstick " on it, and it differs 

 slightly in colour, being brown instead of black, with 

 a triangular white patch on its back ? the antennas 

 also, which I have unfortunately broken, seem shorter 

 than those of the Helopeltis. I have found this 

 "bug" feeding on tea. cinchona anel the guava. I have 

 also seen jungle trees marked in the same way with 

 blotches on the leaves of the Panax above mentioned 

 and a species of fig (F. infectoria). I therefore think 

 this insect must be indigenous. 



3. How large are the eggs of the tea bug? l-10th 

 inch long? the size of a pin's head ? or smaller still? 



4. I have (ometimes seen cinchonas with a slit of 

 a couple of inches long in the bark, evidently made 

 by an insect, and once found about a dozen eggs 

 deposited in the slit, each of them oval, flat and about 

 l-10thof an inch long. What can they be the eggs of? 



5. Could you find out for me the names of the 

 other two insects ? One is a large bug which preys on 

 other insects, and more especially on the oleander 

 moth caterpillar which eloes so much elamage to cin- 

 chona leaves ; the other is a common rose beetle 

 which often falls a prey to it. — I am, sir, yours faith- 

 ully, B. 

 We have no doubt Dr. Trimen aud other experts 

 will direct their attention to the ejuestions asked by 

 "B." Although his experience looks remarkably like 

 the introduction of eggs of the pest with the tea 

 seed from Assam, we suppose there can be no question 

 that Helopeltis Antonii is indigenous as much in South- 

 ern Inelia anel Ceylon as in Northern aud Eastern India, 

 the insect following its instincts by developing pari passu 

 with the provision of abundance of its favourite fcod 

 Unfortunately, the insect referred to by "B. " as en- 

 closed in his letter has not reacheel us,* but we have 

 already indicated that the "green fly" is by many 

 planters in India considereel to be only second in 

 destructiveness to " the mosquito blight" [Helopeltis). 

 Heavy rains wonld seem' to be as inimical to the 

 tea bug as to the tea mite. 



Dr. Trimeu can probably answer the question about 

 the size of the eggs of Helopeltis. From the 

 scription epioted from Mr. Wood-Mason's treatise, the 

 eggs would seem to be almost microscopical. It seems 

 not improbable, we should say, that the eggs found 

 by our correspondent in a slit of cinchona bark may 

 have been those of the tea bug. Curiously enough, 

 the creature which in Java has been spei rally de- 

 structive to cinchonas has not been observed, that we 

 know of, on cinchonas irr Ceylon. As yet it has done 



* Since writing this, the box of " poochies " has reached 

 us, and we hope to report on them later on.— Ed. 



