368 



Entomological Notes. Bull. Depl. Agric, Trinidad and Tobago, 



Port-of-SjKiin, Trinidad, xiv, no. 2, 1915, pp. 63-64. 



Cacao beetles {Stirastoma depressum) and thrips have been reported 

 from the districts of Moruga, La Lune and Sangre Grande. In the 

 first two places control work is being undertaken, consisting of spraying 

 and cutting out the larvae. In Sangre Grande, fields which have been 

 drained and to which pen manure has been apphed, are free from thrips. 

 Cacao beetles have been troublesome on an estate in the heights of 

 Arima ; young trees, which seem to suffer most, should be sprayed 

 or painted twice a year with lead arsenate. The attempt to control 

 thrips by dusting with a mixture of 1 part flowers of sulphur and 10 

 parts slaked hme, has not had very successful results. Considerable 

 damage has been caused at Chaguanas by Brassolis sophorae, the 

 coconut butterfly. The attack was probably due to the absence of 

 natural enemies. The control of the larvae is comparatively easy, 

 since they collect in nests during the day. In January 1915, the 

 cacao beetle was officially declared to be a pest. An invasion of 

 locusts. Schist ocerca sp., has been reported from Cuidad Bohvar, 

 Venezuela . Black-birds or torditos have materially aided in destroying 

 both this and other insect pests. 



Gibson (A.). The Control of Locusts in Eastern Canada. — Dominion 

 of Canada Dept. Agric, Ottawa, Out., Entom. Branch, Circ. no. 5, 

 1915, 8 pp., 6 figs. 



During 1912-14, locusts were extremely numerous and destructive 

 in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The crops attacked were 

 oats, barley, rice, wheat, clover, etc. The folloiAdng species were 

 chiefly responsible for the damage : — Melanoplus atlantis, M. femur- 

 ruhrum, M. bivittatus and Cammda pellucida. A poisoned bran 

 mixture, consisting of bran, 20 lb., Paris green or white arsenic, 1 lb., 

 molasses, 2 qts., water 3| gals, and 2 or 3 oranges or lemons, has been 

 found most effective. The mixture should be scattered over the field 

 in early morning while the insects are still in the hopping stage, before 

 they begin to migrate. Criddle mixture, consisting of 1 lb. Paris 

 green, 1 lb. salt, 15 gals, horse droppings, and water, has been success- 

 fully used in Manitoba. Old pasture land known to be used for egg- 

 laying should be ploughed to a depth of 6 inches after the eggs have 

 been deposited, i.e., in late autumn. 



Gibson (A.). The Army-Worm, Cirphis {Leucania) unipuncta, Haw. 

 — Dominion of Canada Dept. Agric, Ottawa, Ont., Bull. no. 9, 1915, 

 pp. 34, 19 figs. 



The army-worm assumes the marching habit only when there is a 

 lack of wild, succulent grasses, upon which it normally feeds. Two 

 annual broods occur in Canada, the moths appearing in June and in 

 the autumn. Those emerging late in the year lay eggs which hatch 

 in from 10-12 days. The larvae winter in an immature condition 

 beneath tufts of grass, and in spring, complete their growth. In June, 

 moths from these larvae emerge and deposit eggs for the second brood. 

 In years of abundance, the army-worm is attacked by Dipterous 



