528 



Patterson (W. H.)- Report of the Entomologist. — Bep. Agric. Dept. 

 for the year 1914, Accra, Gold Coast, 1915, 72 pp. [Received 

 31st August 1915.] 



Experiments against SahlbergeUa singularis and S. iheobroma, two 

 pests of cacao, were continued. The only spray capable of killing 

 the insects was kerosene emulsion, consisting of 1 lb. yellow soap, 

 4 gals, kerosene and 60 gals, water. Tests were made with a pneumatic 

 sprayer ; the trees showed no signs of injury after six monthly 

 applications. The native food-plant was found to be Eriodendron 

 anfrnctuosum (silk cotton tree) ; the insect seemed to prefer young, 

 rapidly growing trees and caused lesions similar to those on cacao. 

 It is reasonable to suppose that (1) the removal of all silk cottons in 

 the neighbourhood of cacao cultivations, (2) the destruction by burning 

 of all dead branches during the dry season, (3) the frequent examination 

 of the trees during the growing season, backed by legislation to enforce 

 co-operative treatment, should be the means of placing the control 

 of this pest on a satisfactory basis. Extended work with Helojjeltis sp. 

 (cacao mosquito) suggested that some of the damage formerly credited 

 to it was due to another suctorial bug, Homoeocerus sp. ; Glenea sp., a 

 bark borer, gave signs of becoming a serious pest at Aburi . Plantations 

 of coconuts between Accra and Cape Coast were free from ArcJwn 

 cenfmirvs (rhinoceros beetle), although this insect was abundant at 

 Assuantsi. Ceratitis colae (cola fruit-fly) was wide spread throughout 

 the Colony. 



MiSRA (C. S.). The Rice Leaf-Hopper (Nephotettix bipunctatus, Fabr.). 

 — Nagpur, 8 pp., 6 figs. [Received 20th August 1915.] 



The presence of Nepliotettix biptmdalus in the Raipur and Bilaspur 

 Districts was first observed late in 1913. In 1914, the pest appeared 

 early and caused serious damage to the rice crop by sucking the juices 

 from the young plants. The insect usually appears in small numbers 

 in July ; eggs are laid either in the stems of green grasses or in nursery 

 seed-beds. The eggs of later generations are laid in the tissue of the 

 rice leaves. The nymphs attach themselves to the midrib, where 

 they feed on the sap and at the same time exude a whitish sticky fluid 

 which later becomes covered with fungus. The winter is passed in 

 the adult stage. When badly infested, the host plants ultimately die. 

 In localities where the pest has been present for over two years in 

 succession, it is advisable to sow early ripening varieties of rice. The 

 use of hand nets made of thin muslin before the seedlings are trans- 

 planted, or in the fields during July and August, will effect the capture 

 of many early- appearing forms. Light traps placed in the fields on 

 dark nights give good results. The trap consists of a lamp burning 

 a mixture of kerosene and coconut oil placed over the middle of a pan 

 containing water covered M'ith a thin layer of oil. The flame should 

 be situated just above the tops of the plants. After the crop 

 is harvested, cattle should be allowed to graze over the ground. 



