14 



C J. G. Insect Pests of Carnations. — Gardeners' Chronicle, London, 

 Ivi, no. 1445, 5th September 1914, p. 172. 



Tetranychns himaculatus and the onion thrips, Thrips tahaci, are 

 described and recorded as carnation pests. Continued spraying with 

 water is recommended for the former ; the thrips are most active on 

 the outside of the buds early in the morning, when it is recommended 

 that a spray consisting of a paste made from 6-8 pounds of cheap 

 flour to 100 gallons of water be used : nicotine extract has also been 

 used successfully. Blanjidus guttidatus eats through the roots of 

 carnations. A dressing of lime on soil infested with this and other 

 millipedes is a sure remedy, and the dusting of soot and lime 

 round each root before planting has been tried successfully as a means 

 of preventing their attacks. Molinas' experiment with potassium 

 sulpho-carbonate solution [see this Review, Ser. A, ii, pp. 362-363] is 

 fully described. 



The acrobat ant. — Agric. News, Barbados, xiii, no. 323, 12th September 

 1914, p. 298. 



The acrobat ant, a small black species of Cremastogaster, is common 

 in Barbados and probably occurs in other islands. It does not often 

 invade houses, but is to be found on all out-buildings, palings, trees, 

 roots and in the ground. Its nests occur under bits of bark on tree 

 trunks or where pieces of board have been nailed together. It lives 

 inside the stems and branches of dead plants, and even in living wood. 

 It almost always occurs on plants infested with scales, mealy-bug and 

 aphids and has also been noticed near injuries which cause the exudation 

 of sap. It is injurious to plants because it prevents wounds in the bark 

 from healing over. In addition to injuring trees, it appears to 

 hasten the decay of timber. It is likely to be a difficult insect to 

 control, for it is not possible to treat the nests satisfactorily. In one 

 case, thousands of nests were destroyed by kerosene, but so many 

 were overlooked that the numbers were not much reduced. Poison 

 baits do not appear to attract these insects. 



Urich (F. W.). Entomologist's Report. — Minutes of Meeting of tJie 

 Trinidad Bd. Agric., no. 7, 18th September 1914, p. 37. 



Since the last report [see this Review, Ser. A, ii, p. 646] froghoppers 

 have not been so numerous as in the same months of former years. 

 The green muscardine fungus is working well. The coconut scale, 

 Aspidiotus destructor, has been completely wiped out by the predaceous 

 beetle, Cryptognatha tiodiceps, Mshl. When the beetle had almost 

 done its work the scales were attacked by a small hymenopterous 

 parasite, which killed many of the pupae. Cacao beetles are still in 

 evidence in all stages, as lack of co-operation in control permits re- 

 infection of cleansed areas from adjoining infested ones. 



Jatchevsky (A.). Bopb6a c-b wiatiCKmvi-b xpymeivi-b. [The fight 

 against Melolontha melolontJm.] — «XyTOpflHMH"b.» [Chutoria- 

 nin], Poltava no. 35, 10th September 1914, pp. 993-994. 



In a letter to the Editor of the above journal the author refers to 

 the answer given by D. Borodin as to fighting Melolontha [see this 

 Review, Ser. A, ii, p. 542] by means of the fungus Botrytis tenella, and 



