155 

 A NEW COCONUT PEST. 



Yet another pest of the Coconut has been discovered in the 

 Philippines and from all accounts it will prove a serious menSce'to 

 plantations in the Colony and Federated Malay States unless suffi- 

 cient precautions are taken immediately. So far, it seems to be 

 restricted to certain areas in the Philippines, and the Department of 

 Agriculture are fully aware of the danger arising from this insect, 

 and we may be sure that they will use every means in their power, 

 to prevent its spreading throughout the Philippines and ultimately to 

 the Straits Settlements. 



It has been considered advisable to prohibit the importation of 

 palms, etc., from the Philippines. 



We reprint the description, etc., of this pest as it has appeared in 

 The Philippine Agricultural Review, together with the copy of 

 the Ordinance as it appeared in the S. S. Gazette, May .^Ist, 1912. 



"A parasite of the coconut palm, which may prove to be the 

 most serious pest of this crop in the Philippine Islands, was discover- 

 ed in May, iqil. This insect is related to the White Fly of the citrus 

 orchards of Florida, and this fact alone is sufficient to cause the 

 coconut planters considerable anxiety. For the present, however, it 

 appears that this insect, which may be termed the Coconut White 

 Fly, is confined to a district in Negros Oriental, extending from the 

 barrio of Tabon on the north and the barrio of Zamora on the south,, 

 range of some 35 kilometers in length. Most of the coconut groves 

 in this area, which extends from the sea-coast back to a range of hiUs 

 to the west, are infested with the parasite. 



The first specimens were collected on the hacienda of Mr. Henry- 

 Gardner in the vicinity of Guijulgant. It appears that this is the 

 first occurence of any insect of this genus in the Philippine Islands, 

 and, further more, the species itself is new to science. It has been 

 described by Mr. Quainstance of the Bureau of Entomology, United 

 States Department of Agriculture, D, C, as Aleyrodiais destnicto 

 a similar species [A. cocois, Westw.) occurs in the West Indies and 

 has caused immense damage there to the coconut groves, some dis- 

 tricts having even been abandoned largely on account of it attacks. 



Like all of the so-called " White Flies " (which are, of course, not 

 flies) and the related "scales," the individuals are very small and not 

 readily noticeable except when present in large colonies. The general 

 color of the older individuals is white or grayish ; at first the larvae 

 are nearly naked and of a pale brownish shade, but when about half 

 grown they develop a fringe of white waxy material around the edge 

 of the body. This waxy substance, as the insect grows, gradually 

 coveis the entrie body with a mass of cottony thread-like appendages- 

 and waxy flakes. 



