382 



BuscK (A.). A Microlepidopteron injurious to Avocado. — Proc. Entoni. 

 Soc. Washington, D.C., xxi, no. 6, June 1919, pp. 125-126. 



The larva of Stenoma catenifer, Wlsm., is described. This moth is 

 reported to be injurious to avocado fruit and seed in Guatemala and 

 Ecuador. The galleries made by the caterpillar in the seed are 

 similar to those made by the large avocado weevils. The eggs are laid 

 on the surface of the nearly ripe fruit of Persea spp. and the emerging 

 larvae eat through to the seed where they remain 3 or 4 weeks, when 

 they again eat their way through the flesh to pupate. 



In Ecuador it is almost impossible to buy uninfested fruit, and 

 this moth might become a dangerous pest if introduced into the 

 United States. 



Stearns (L. A.). The Oriental Fruit Moth in Virginia : A Preliminary 



Report. — Separate from Qtrh/. Bull. Virginia State Crop Pest 

 Commiss., Blacksburg, i, no. 1 [n. d.], 5 pp., 1 plate. [Received 

 9th July 1919.] 



The bulk of the information contained in this paper on Cydia 

 molesta has previously been noticed [see this Review, Ser. A, vii, 

 p. 207, etc.]. 



Mitchell (J. D.). U.S. Bur. Entom. Notes on Diacrisia virginica, 

 (Lep.) — Entom. News, Philadelphia, xxx, no. 7, July 1919, pp. 

 191-194. 



Larvae of Diacrisia virginica were observed in July 1917 in Texas 

 in limited numbers, feeding on various species of weeds. In one 

 locality, cotton fields were attacked and the plants were defoliated, 

 leaving the green bolls on the stalks. These larvae pupated in 

 August, and during the autumn passed unnoticed owing to extreme 

 drought and the presence of Alabama argillacea (cotton leafworm). 

 In May of 1918 severe infestations appeared in several counties, much 

 damage being done to cotton. A list of food-plants on which the 

 larvae were found is given ; this includes many weeds, as well as 

 cultivated crops such as cotton, mai^e, cantaloup, lucerne and 

 peanut. Many garden plants are also attacked. The cultivated 

 fields appeared to be attacked only when weeds were scarce. When 

 the caterpillars are very young, 3 lb. of Paris green and 5 lb. lime 

 made into 50 U.S. gals, of spray will kill them; but when they are 

 large, no poisons or repellents seem to have any effect upon them. 

 Various remedial measures have been reported to give some success : 

 dusting the fields with pure Paris green before the caterpillars reached 

 them is said to act as a deterrent ; hand-picking and kilhng the 

 caterpillars along the side of the field nearest to infestation proved 

 practicable until August and was of some value ; the caterpillars do 

 not feed fast nor do they travel all in the same direction as most army 

 worms do. 



From May until mid-October five fairly well-marked generations 

 were observed, although from August on to the end of the season all 

 sizes of caterpillars could be found. During early November a great 

 number of caterpillars died of a fungus disease due to Entomophthora 

 aniicae, Reich. Those that survived spun cocoons under rubbish, 



