42 



THE AGRICaLTUKAL NEWS. 



FEHRUAKy 4, 191K 



INSECT NOTES. 



Orders of Insects {Continued). 

 Diptera 



A SUMMARY OF ENTOMOLOGICAL IN- 

 FORMATION IN THE AGRICULTURAL 

 NEWS AND WEST INDIAN 

 BULLETIN IN 1910. 



lu a recent number of tlie Ayricultural A'eion (Vol. IX, 

 p. 410), a brief report was given on the in.sect pests in the 

 West Indies during 1910. It may be of intere.st to refer to 

 the information relating to Entomology which has been pub- 

 lished during the same period. This will be done in the 

 present article, and in one to be published in the next 

 number of the Agricultural Nemf. 



It "will be seen, by consulting the article already men- 

 tioned, that the year has been one singularly free from serious 

 outbreaks of insect pests of any kind in these islands, and 

 consequently there has not been so large a projiortion of the 

 In.sect Notes dealing with these topics as in certain past years. 



In previous volumes, articles have appeared which, taken 

 together, outline a brief course in elementary entoraologj'. 

 During 1910, an article in five parts on the Acarina, or mite-s, 

 has been i.^^sued, in which these insect allies have been dis- 

 cussed in a manner similar to that observed in treating the 

 groups of true insects. 



In Part 1, the classes of the Arthropoda are mentioned, 

 tand the general characters are given of the orders of the 

 Arachnida, one of which, the Acarina, forms the subject of 

 the entire article. 



Among the Acarina are to be found the red spiders, 

 poultry and bird mites, ticks of cattle, dogs and poultry, the 

 mites causing itch, scab and mange, and the gall mites which 

 attack various plants. 



Examples of pests of plants in this division are the red 

 spider (Telraiii/chus telarius), and the cotton leaf-l)lister mite 

 {Erinphyen (lo/^ai/pii). The pests attacking domestic animals 

 are the poultry mites of the family Oamasidae, the cattle 

 ticks of the family Ixodidae, and the mange and scale mites of 

 the family Sarcoptidae. The most important of these are the 

 cattle ticks, which are the transmitters of Texas or red water 

 fever. The itch nntes attack man at time.s, as do also the 

 larval forms of certain of the Trombididae, known as bete 

 rouge and harvest bugs. 



The following is a list of the article.?, with references, 

 published as Insect Notes in previous volumes of the Aijri- 

 cultural JVcws, on the Natural History of Insects and the 

 Orders of Insects, with references to those on the Acarina, or 

 mites, just mentioned: — 



The Natural History of Insects. 



■Part I. Introduction Vol. A'lII, p. 31G 



,, II. Structure and growth „ ,, ,, 362 

 ,, III. Growth (concluded) senses and 



circulation „ „ „ 378 



„ IV. P.espiratory and nervous systems „ „ ,, 394 



„ V. Digestion and reinnduction „ „ „ 410 

 Orders of Insects. 

 Orthoptcra. 



Grasshoppers „ VI, „ 218 



Crickets „ „ „ lot! 

 Odonata. 



Pondflies „ „ „ 266 



Hemiptera „ VII, „ 138 



Lepidoptera „ „ „ 234 



Coleoptera „ „ „ 250 



II II >• II 266 



Siphonaptera 

 Hymenoptera 

 Acarina 

 Part I. 



„ II. 



.. III. 



,, IV. 



.. V. 



Vol. Vll, p. 314 

 )i ), „ ooO 

 ji ,j II 346 

 II „ I, 346 

 „ VlII, „ 234 



„ L\, „ 202 



., „ „ 218 



)5 J» )> ^U'± 



)» )) ;j — VV 



I, „ „ -266 



In dealing with insect pests with reference to the crops 

 attacked, the first number of the year contained a report on 

 the insect pests for the preceding year, 1909, (see p. 10) and the 

 last number of the year (p. 410) presented a similar report on 

 the pests in 1910. In both of these mention is made of the 

 root-borer of sugar-cane (Diaprepes abbrcnattis). This pest 

 was abundant in restricted districts in Barbados at the end 

 of 1909 and has increased in the severity of its attack on its 

 reappearance at the end of 1910. An article on the root- 

 borer on p. .J8 gives an account of the insect, and suggests 

 estate practice calculated to reduce the numbers of the pest. 



Under the title Lady-birds and Weevil Borers, the root 

 borer is mentioned again, as is also the weevil borer (Sphen- 

 ophoi-us uriceus) of the susar-cane, and illustrations of thesb 

 insects in the adidt condition are reiiroduced. In this article, 

 the use of the term ladj'-bird designates other than beneficial 

 insects, and it is pointed out that weevils such as the weevil 

 borer and the root borer ought "not to be called lady-birds, 

 that term belongs to a family of predaceous insects which 

 are highly beneficial, from their insect-eating habits. 



The frog-hopper (Tomaspis poxtica), which is a pest of 

 sugar-cane in Trinidad, is described on p. 346. This account 

 mentions the damage resulting from the attacks of thjs pest, 

 the life-history, methods of control, and natural enemies. 



The pests of cotton dealt with in the insect notes durin" 

 the year weie treated of in articles entitled the Flower- 

 Bud Maggot (Co)ifariiiia ffossi/pii), p. 129; Plant Buws 

 Iijjuiious to Cotton Bolls?, p. 394; and A Cotton-eating 

 Beetle, p. 314. The Hower-bud maggot made its appear- 

 ance again in Antigua in 1909-10, but the attacks were 

 less severe than in previous years. Early planting seems 

 to be the measure to adopt, to prevent severe attack 

 by this pest. The plant bugs injurious to cotton bolls 

 include several species of Hemiptera, which injure the bolls 

 by means of their sucking mouth parts: the jiunctures made 

 in feeding induce diseases which result in the loss of the bolls. 

 Under the caption A Cotton-eating Beetle, mention is made 

 of the occurrence of IIf>]Kilrinuf (/('iiiellatux in Anguilla. 



As has been stated, this article will be concluded in the 

 next number of the Agricultural Xcivs. 



DEPARTMENT NEWS. 



Mv. V. W. Sunth, 1!.A.. .Mxc.ilouisl on the Stati'of 

 the Iniperi.il De]iai-tinent/ of .Vgrictiltnre. left Piarbados 

 on .raiiuarv 29, by the S.S. ' Spliemid", tor Greiia<lii, 

 for the puri)ose of carrying out investigations into the 

 fungus diseases of crops in that island. Mr. South is 

 ex])ectcd to return to Piarbados by fhi H..M S. • Borbice', 

 on Wednesday, the 8tii instant. 



