211 



at Patna, Jorhat, Dacca, and Sadiya. Every precaution should be 

 taken to prevent its transport in canes exported from Assam and 

 Eastern Bengal to other parts of India. New borers discovered during 

 the year in Gramineous and Cyperaceous plants include Hypsotropa 

 tenuinervella. Rag., in stems of Andropogon squanosus and bulbs ot 

 Rosha grass {Cymbopogon schoenanthus) ; Crambus corUcellus, Hmpsn., 

 in stems of Scirpus corvmbosus ; and Chilo tonentellus, Meyr., and a 

 Cerambycid, Lychrosis '^zebrinus, in stems of Saccharum spontaneum. 

 In the search for alternative food-plants of sugar-cane borers, Cotx 

 lachryma-jobi var. aqiiatica was found to be a food-plant ot thiio 

 simplex, and lemon-grass of Sesamia infer ens. 



Fruit pests of the year include a Lamiid beetle, Batoccra nibus, 

 the larvae of which bore in mango ; a Cecidomyiid, Procontanma 

 matteiana, that makes galls on mango leaves; a Trypetid Dacus 

 [Chaetodacus) zonatus, for which peach trees were sprayed early in the 

 morning each day with a solution of gur and lead arsenate, and affected 

 fruits were collected and destroyed ; a Sphingid, Langia zeuzeroides, 

 on apple ; the Tortricids, Tortrix {Cacoecia) pomivora and Ulodemis 

 trigrapha, Meyr., on apple ; and a new and serious apple pest, Ptocho- 

 rydis rosaria, Meyr., a Xyloryctid moth, the larva of which eats the 

 bark of young apple twigs under cover of a silken tubular gallery. 

 Helopeltis theivora (tea mosquito bug) was unexpectedly found sucking 

 young shoots of apple. Brahmina coriacea, Hope, Holotnchia sp 

 an undetermined Melolonthid, and a species of MicrotricJna were an 

 reported as damaging fruit trees. 



Among the various insects reared and observed during the year were 

 Achroia grisella, F. (wax moth), infesting the hives of honey bees ; 

 Chlumetia transversa, the larvae of which bore into mango shoots ; 

 the black ants, Camponotus maculahis infuscus, nibbling egg-plants ; 

 the dry-wood borer, Heterobostryclms aequalis ; Sinoxylon anale, 

 which damages wooden packing-cases, brush handles, etc. ; the 

 Longicorn, Stromatimn barbatum, which bores in household furniture ; 

 and the cutworms, Agrotis ypsilon, A.flammatra. and Euxoa spmifera, 

 which have occurred in gram fields. The disease of juar [Andropogon 

 sorghum) known as " khas " is believed to be due to a minute 

 Cecidomyiid. A new species of Antispila, named A. anna, Meyr., was 

 sent from Bengal, where it feeds on Eugenia jambolana. The work on 

 stored grain pests described in a previous paper [R.A.E., A, ix, 78) 

 has been continued. A study of the Dermestid, Trogoderma kJiapra 

 has revealed a long life-cycle, from the end of June 1919 to March and 

 April 1920. The moist weather of the rainy season and cold winter 

 weather retarded the development of the larvae. • i, • a 



The work of the year connected with bees, lac, and silk is briefly 

 reviewed. 



KuNHi Kannan (K.). The Life-history of Orthezia insignis (Abstract). 



—Kept. Proc. 3rd Ent. Meeting, Pusa, February 1919, Calcutta, in, 



1920, pp. 857-858. 

 Orthezia insignis moults three times at intervals of about two weeks. 

 Reproduction begins after from 2 to 2h months, the total life-cycle 

 being about 4^ months. Experiments to test the transmission of the 

 scales by ants were negative. The insect retards the growth ot 

 Lantana, and finally causes its death, a bush about 3 feet high and 4 

 feet in diameter being killed in three years. In captivity the 

 insects did not thrive on coffee or tea plants in pots. 



