ECONOMIC ZOOLOGY — ENTOMOLOGY. 661 



soon as the jointing of the cane talves place. Wlieu once attaclied at the node 

 on the stallc, the insect, if undisturbed, seems inclined to remain there through- 

 out its life. The males hatch in the same cottony mass with the females and 

 resemble the latter quite closely at first, but after about ft days from time of 

 hatching they also collect by themselves under some leaf sheath, or other place 

 of hiding, and begin to spin a long, narrow, white cocoon. In this cocoon they 

 remain until fully matured, emerging in about 14 days in possession of two clear, 

 delicate wings and a pair of long, white, anal spines. When mature the males 

 begin to fly in search of females and can be seen literally swarming around 

 heavily infested stalks of cane. The broods follow one after the other through- 

 out the summer and until cold weather in the fall or winter." 



In 1910, due to the cold and lack of food during January, February, and part 

 of March development ceased in all the mealy bugs that were exposed, but when 

 cane was removed from the windrows, it was found that the mealy bugs thereon 

 had continued development due to the protection afforded. It is said that the 

 mealy bugs and their eggs are much more liable to survive the winter when 

 the cane is placed in windrows than when it is planted. Some of the mealy 

 bugs make their appearance above ground quite early in the summer, but the 

 greater part do not api^ear until jointing of the cane begins. 



The Argentine ant {Iridomyrmex Inunilis) attends the mealy bug and gives it 

 protection. This is an important factor, particularly in spring, in increasing the 

 numbers of the pest. 



The greatest danger of disseminating the sugar cane mealy bug is through 

 the transportation of infested cane from plantation to plantation, or from one 

 part of the State to another. In order to prevent the pest from being carried to 

 fields which are now uninfested, it is important that planters do not secure seed 

 cane from infested plantations or from an infested field on their own iilanta- 

 tions. The greatest damage is done to the germinating eyes or buds of plant 

 cane in the spring. In late summer and fall, when the infestation becomes 

 heavy, large quantities of juice, which at that time contains a comparatively 

 high percentage of sucrose, is sucked out ; this means a loss of sugar and re- 

 tardation of plant growth. 



The lady beetle, Cryptolwmus montrouzieri, an important enemy of this pest 

 in Australia and Hawaii, was introduced from the latter island in March, 

 11)08, and became an effective enemy of the mealy bug, but was apparently 

 killed by the low winter temperature. The author observed that while the 

 Argentine ant would always drive the adult beetle away from the mealy bug, it 

 would rarely ever attack the lady beetle larvse. A native lady beetle iSvi/innun 

 intrusus) destroys the mealy bug but is not sutticiently prolific to be a factor 

 in controlling the pest. A fungus disease due to Asixn/ilhis sp. is said to l)e 

 the most Important enemy. 



The author concludes that in order to prevent further spread of the mealy 

 bug, it is imi)ortant that an effective treatment for infested seed cane intended 

 for distribution l)e devised. P^xperiments at the station have shown that in 

 heavily infested fields fall i)lanting, if the ground is not too dry and labor plen- 

 tiful enough to prepare the soil properly, give better results and better stands 

 than spring planting. It is recommended that all .Tohnson grass along ditch 

 banks and roads be thoroughly burned during the dry spell in the fall, as this 

 will destroy the mealy bugs that congregate among the l)ases of the plants near 

 the surface of the ground. 



The San Jose scale and its control, A. L. Quaintanck (f. X. I><i>t. .1 <//•.. 

 Bur. Ent. Circ. J2'i, pp. 18, fi(j>i. 10).— X brief summarized account of the San 

 Jose scale, its natural enemies, and methods of combating it. An extended ac- 

 count of this inscK't has been previously noted (E. S. li., 18, p. 053). 



