Departmental Activities. 15 



Woolly Aphis Parasites. — The Division of Entoinolog-y is 

 making" an effort to introduce a certain woolly aphis 

 parasite (Aphelinus viali) from America. No internal parasite 

 of the pest insect is known in South Africa, and none 

 appears to be known in Europe or Australia, but the species named has 

 long been recorded to infest woolly aphis in eastern America without, 

 however, much being known of its importance. It attacks various 

 aphides other than the woolly aphis, and it may be that it might 

 prove a beneficial insect and worth a great deal of trouble to get it 

 established in South Africa. When Mr. A. E. Lundie went from 

 South Africa to Cornell University a year ago to take advanced studies 

 in entomology, he was asked to search for the parasite, make a special 

 study of its work, and, if practicable, breed and ship material to the 

 Division. Mr. Lundie has had gratifying success, and Mr. C. W. 

 Mally, the senior entomologist at Capetown, recently received from 

 him a shipment of woolly aphis parasitized under observation. The 

 material was carried from New York to Capetown in the cool-room of 

 the s.s. " Eten," through the kindness of the captain, and arrived in 

 apparently excellent condition, although up to the time of writing 

 this note none of the parasites has emerged. The temperature of the 

 cool-room of the ship varied from 34 degrees to 48 degrees. Mr, 

 Mally was prepared for handling the material when it arrived, having 

 been advised by cable when it left New York, and fruit-growers may 

 rest assured that no effort will be spared to breed the parasite. 



Locusts. — Outbreaks of voetgangers in swarms occurred 

 during November in the districts of Graaff-Reinet, Aberdeen, 

 Pearston, Jansenville, Steytlerville, and Willowmore. From 

 not one of these districts did the Department receive any 

 report from a resident that any winged locusts at all 

 occurred before winter, when it must be supposed the eggs 

 were laid. Despite all that has been said and published, it is 

 still the exceptional farmer who distinguishes ordinary grasshoppers 

 from the true locust when the latter insect is not in proper swarm 

 formation. Yet the winged locust has milky white under-wings and 

 a peculiar flight, when away from a swarm, by which it is readily 

 recognizable. The locust has persisted year after year in the Karroo, 

 to the certain knowledge of the Division of Entomology, and it is 

 now breeding up rapidly in that area, as the Division apprehended it 

 would after the recent big drought. Great numbers of flyers must 

 have gathered together to lay their eggs to account for the true swarms 

 of voetgangers that are now in evidence; and breeding "in open 

 formation " and as widely scattered individuals is also continuing to 

 take place. The latter type of breeding up is doubtless also occurring 

 in many districts other than those mentioned. The district locust 

 officer of Richmond in the investigation of a rumoured outbreak 

 reported many flyers in his district ; the district locust officers in the 

 west of the Grange Free State have reported numbers, while enough 

 scattered flyers to form a considerable swarm, were they to gather 

 together, were reported early in November to be near Conway, in the 

 south-east of the Middelburg district, and somewhat later some were 

 reported on the farm Rocklyn, in the Tarka district. The last report 

 would not be fully credited, on account of the locality being so far 

 east from where locusts have been recorded for many years, were it 

 not substantiated by specimens of the insect. The swarms of voet- 



