Mr. Ratiram. 
Mr. Jhaveri. 
Mr. Fletcher. 
Mr. Ghosh. 
Hr. Fletcher. 
Mr. Ramakrishia 
Ayyar. 
70 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 
in the same plant. The caterpillar feeds inside the gall and pupates 
there ; whilst young it is green but becomes a bright red colour just 
before pupation. The caterpillar has been found to affect the capsules 
also, boring the seeds, but this is unusual and this habit has only been 
observed hitherto during the winter months. The insect hibernates 
as a caterpillar from November to February and then estivates from 
March to June ; it may be in the stem if the plants remain in the field 
or, if the pods are collected, the caterpillars form cocoons amongst the 
debris and remain there. 
As regards control in the case of young plants the removal and des- 
truction of the galled topshoots is necessary and this should reduce 
further damage. 
Laspeyresia occurs in the Central Provinces as a minor pest of Sann- 
hemp. 
At Surat Sann-hemp was grown for green-manure and was seriously 
attacked by a Laspeyresia [probably L. tricentra, T. B. F.]. The affected 
topshoots were removed. 
Sphenoptera arachidis occasionally occurs in Sann-hemp but is scarcely 
a pest as far as we know. The identification requires confirmation. 
We have a specimen in the Pusa collection under the name S. gossypii, 
which was reared from Sann-hemp, but it is more probably S. arachidis. 
? Nupserha sp. Last year we found a Longicorn beetle, apparently 
a species of Nupserha or closely allied thereto, boring in the stems of 
Sann-hemp. 
‘Lhis beetle was noticed for the first time at Pusa in 1916. The beetle 
rings the stems in two places about an inch apart and thrusts its egg into 
the centre of the ringed portion, which is usually at some distance below 
the top of the plant, but may be towards its base. The stem above 
the ringed portion dries up and the grub bores both upwards into the 
dry portion and downwards in the living stem. Pupation takes place 
in the stem. The adult beetle is very active and takes wing readily. 
The insect was very common last year about August, the total damage all 
over the Pusa Estate aggregating:about two to three per cent. 
As regards control, the dry plants are easily noticeable and may be 
removed and destroyed before the beetles emerge. The length of life- 
history 1s about four to five weeks. 
We have -prepared figures showing the damaged plants and the 
lifehistory of the beetle. It is rather an interesting example of the way 
in which an insect may suddenly appear as a pest. 
A similar insect was noticed at Samaikota ten years ago, but it 
never reappeared. 
