481 



destroying both the Aphid eggs and living insects appears to be 

 mainly mechanical, by sticking them to the twigs. The action of 

 nicotine-sulphate in killing the living Aphids is slow, requiring from 

 about half an hour to twenty four hours or more for different individuals. 

 Death appears to be due to paralysis. Miscible oils are practically 

 instantaneous in their killing action against the living Aphids, the 

 effect being probably of a chemical nature. 



ViNAL (S. C.) & Caffrey (D. J.). The European Corn Borer and its 



Control. — Massachusetts Agric. Expt. Sia., Amherst, Bull. no. 189, 

 March 1919, 71 pp., 2 plates, 1 map. [Received 3rd tSeptember 

 1919.] 



This bulletin deals at length with the life-history, distribution and 

 control of the European corn borer, Pyrausta nubilalis, in Massa- 

 chusetts. A list of food-plants is given. Parasites include the 

 Tachinids, Masicera nyoidea, Desv., Exorista pyste, Wlk., E. nigri- 

 'palpis, Tns., and Phorocera erecta, Coq., which attack the larvae. 

 Hymenoptera attacking the pupa are Epiurus ])^^fophori, Ashm., 

 and Amhlyteles hrevicinctor, Say, At present these parasites are not 

 of much use in the control of P. nubilalis. 



Work connected with Insect and Fungus Pests and their Control. — 



Repi. Agric. Dept., St. Kitts-Nevis, 1917-18 ; Barbados, 14th 

 July 1919, pp. 15-16 & 39-40. 



The cotton worm, Alabama argillncea, appeared in very much smaller 

 numbers during the year under review, but cotton-stainers [Dysdercus] 

 were much more prevalent. Owing to indiscriminate planting of 

 cotton the leaf blister mite [Eriophyes gossyjni] appeared in greater 

 abundance in certain localities. 



Alexander (W. B.). The Prickly Pear in Australia. — Inst. Science 

 and Industry, Melbourne, Bull. no. 12, 1919, 48 pp., 16 figs, 1 

 map. 



Some 20,000,000 acres of land in Queensland and 2,750,000 acres 

 in New South Wales are at present infested with prickly pear, and it is 

 estimated that the pest is spreading in Queensland at the rate of 

 1 ^000,000 acres a year. Prickly pears have also established themselves 

 in various localities in Victoria, South Au^tralin, and Western Australia, 

 bat are not at present rerious pests in these three States. Eleven 

 species of prickly pear have become naturalised in Australia, but 

 Opuntia inerniis is the species whose spread has been so serious and 

 which occupies the great bulk of the pear-infested land. 



This bulletin deals with the uses and extermination of these plants, 

 and in connection with the latter, attempts have been made to utilise 

 the services of several insects. So far, Dactylopius {Coccus) confusus 

 indicus and D. {C.) confusus cajiensis have been introduced into the 

 country and have proved successful in combating the tree pear 

 {Opuntia monocantha), but these cochineal insects die as soon as they 

 are transferred to other species. 



Theie are many insects known to be destructive to prickly pears, 

 but their introduction into Australia is not advisable owing to their 



