145 



escaped attack. Living specimens of Rhogas lefroi/i were released 

 in the cotton fields at Tarnab, but it is doubtful whether they have 

 estabUshed themselves. A Jassid bug, attacking grape-vines in the 

 vineyards in the lower parts of the Peshawar Valley, has also been 

 under investigation. The most important work undertaken in Bihar 

 was the control of Agrotis ypsilon on the Mokameh Tal and the storage 

 of potatoes. At Mokameh, during the season, 39,000 caterpillars were 

 picked and destroyed on the high lands, whilst 34 traps destroyed 

 893,320 moths, of which about 41 per cent, were females. On account 

 of abnormal flood conditions and other factors, the attack was un- 

 usually serious, about 1,652 acres of ragi pulse crops being destroyed. 

 A similar campaign was undertaken against the same insect for the 

 first time, at Colgong and Ghogha, where 21 traps destroyed 43,874 

 moths, while 337,600 caterpillars were handpicked from the high lands 

 which were first attacked ; the attack, which normally extends over 

 an area of about 2,644 acres, was reduced to a nominal damage over 

 6 or 7 acres as a result of these efforts. As in other pro\nnces, the 

 storage of seed potatoes has of late years presented great difficulties 

 in Bihar, owing to the introduction ot P. operculella into India . Storage 

 under dry sand has proved fairly effective in the districts south of the 

 Ganges, and Government store-houses were started at various places in 

 order to demonstrate the prpcticability and advantages ot this method, 

 which is now being more widely adopted. Another pest of stored 

 potatoes in Tirhut is a Tingidid bug, Recaredus sp., and experiments 

 are being made to find a successful method of control, as sand-storage 

 is found to induce rotting of the potatoes in the damp climate of 

 Tirhut. 



In the life-history investigations at Pusa, complete life-cycles were 

 obtained of the following insects : The Fulgorid, PyriUa abermns ; 

 Aleurodes bergi, A. citri ; the Acridian, Atractomorpha crennlata ; 

 the weevil, Odoiporus longicollis ; the bugs, Dolycoris indicus, Harpactor 

 costalis and Cantkecona fi(rcellata ; the moths, Eublemma olimcea, 

 Amata (Syntomis) cyssea, Tamgama siva and Papua depressella, Swinh. 

 (Polyocha saccharella) ; the butterfly, Virachola isocratis ; a Psocid 

 on Loranthus ; and an unidentified Dermestid beetle on stored wheat ; 

 other pests of stored grain, the life-histories of which have been worked 

 out are the Dermestid, Aethriostoma midulata, Tribolium castaneum 

 (ferrugineiim), and Rhizopertha dominica. 



Information on the subject of natural enemies of crop-pests is being 

 collected and special attention has been paid to the parasites and 

 hyperparasites of Earias spp., Achaea janata, L., {melicerta, Drury), 

 and Pieris brassicae. An attempt is being made to procure a para- 

 sitised colony of Aleurodes citri for export to Florida, where this pest 

 has done vast damage to the orange industr}% and an apparently 

 identical parasite has also been reared from A. ricini, which occurs 

 commonly on castor in India ; specimens of the two parasites have 

 been sent to Washington for determination, as their identity, if estab- 

 lished, will be of practical importance. 



Attempts have been made to trace Agrotis ypsilon through the hot 

 weather and rains, as it is not known in what stage the insect passes 

 this period on the Mokameh Tal. Incidentally, in collecting the 

 larvae, it was found that they are preyed upon extensively by the 

 Carabid, Broscus punctatus. 



