i85 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 



(From the Division of Entomology, Board of Agriculture and 

 Forestry, by Jacob Kotinsky.) 



A Press Bulletin (No. 59) of the Florida Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station, recently received, is of some interest to this Terri- 

 tory and attention is therefore called to its contents. The "Mana- 

 tee Snail" (Biilimulus dormani) is the subject and Dr. E. H. Sel- 

 lards, the author. The snail in question has been found feeding 

 extensively upon the black sooty fungus on citrus trees affected 

 with scale, mealy bugs and white fly. As is well known this 

 fungus is not parasitic and results from the deposits of honey 

 dew made by Ihe various bugs upon which it thrives. If injurious 

 at all it is only perhaps because it excludes the light from the 

 leaves it covers. It does, however, make an aitected plant look 

 unsightly, and where fruit is grown for the market washing be- 

 comes necessary, which entails an expense. For the past two 

 years. Dr. Sellards tells us, this snail has been observed in Florida 

 feeding ravenously upon this sooty mold thus giving the trees they 

 inhabit a clean, healthy appearance. It seems to be a rapid 

 breeder, as a colony is known to have cleaned an orchard of sooty 

 mold in course of a few months. Colonies are easily transferred 

 from place to place and eftorts are now being made to establish 

 the snail all over Florida. It has not been observed to feed upon 

 any of the beneficial fungi attacking bugs in the orange districts 

 of that state. In view of the periodical infestation of our avo- 

 cado pear, citrus and^ banyan and other trees by this mold, as 

 a result of the presence of the so-called pear blight or avocado 

 pear scale {Pseudococcns nipae) , it may not be inadvisable for'this 

 Territory to consider the advisability of introducing the snail. 



SOME INSECT ENEMIES OE POULTRY. 



Through the courtesy of Mr. Gerrit P. Wilder the author was 

 privileged to examine and identify several insect parasites 

 affecting the domestic fowls ; Mr. Wilder having collected these 

 in quantity and brought to us for study. 



Large Chicken Louse (Goniocotes ahdomiuaUs, Piaget). 



In Bulletin No. 5, N. S., ]3ivision Entomology. L'. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, this species is characterized as follows: 



