2016 PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND ENTOMOLOGICAL MEETING 
Nacoleia indicata. 
Dichomeris vanthes. 
Lytta actewon. 
> peta. 
Hapalochrus fasciatus. 
Aulacophora abdominalis ? 
Flea Beetles. 
Monolepta signata. 
Hypera medicaqinis. 
» variabilis. 
Sitones crinitus. 
Tanymecus hispidus. 
Thrips. 
Aphids. 
Laphygma exiqua | South Indian Insects,” pp. 378-379, fig. 240] 
is the worst caterpillar pest found on lucerne, and occurs throughout 
India. The life-history is very short, only about three weeks, so that 
the numbers increase at a very rapid rate, and in bad cases of attack 
the area concerned may be swarming with the caterpillars. Control was 
dealt with in Bulletin No. 10, pp. 13-14, and the Agricultural Journal 
of India, Vol. I, pp. 338-350, tab. 23, and we touched on it also under 
the heading of indigo. In the case of lucerne, or similar fodder crops, 
ordinary s raying with a stomach poison is out of the question but careful 
spraying could be done of the stumps left after cutting. The regular 
cutting of the crop in itself provides a mechanical control but it is obvious 
that there wil be a tendency for the caterpillars to migrate from the 
cut areas to other areas with growing plants, if these are adjacent. 
Cutting should be as close back as possible and should be regulated so 
as to prevent this migration as far as possible and the plots should 
be separated by steepsided trenches or small ditches. A number of 
caterpillars can be collected by using bag-nets but many drop down and 
this is not an absolutely effective method. The eggs are laid in batches 
on leaves but are not sufficiently conspicuous to make it practicable to 
collect them under field conditions. One thing to be noted about this 
insect is that it does not seem to have regular broods ; im the case of a 
bad attack, the insect 1s-found in the plots in all stages at the same time 
and this of course makes control more difficult. 
Prodenia litura also sometimes occurs in some numbers on lucerne 
but is not so serious a pest as Laphygma. Control will be similar. 
Heliothis obsoleta, Agrotis ypsilon, Chalciope hyppasia and Creatonolus 
gangs all occur at times but are not common as pests. 
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