282 



Gahax (A. B). U.S. Bur. Ent. New Reared Parasitic Hymenoptera 

 from the Philippines. —iV/ .'7 ;j^/)//u' //. Sci., Manila, xvii, no. 4, 

 October 1920, pp. 343-351. [Received 8th April 1921.] 



The new species described include the Encyrtids, Homalotylus 

 miindus, reared from Pseudococcus virgatiis, Ckll., and Taftia saissetiae, 

 from Saissetia hemisphaerica, Targ. ; and the Elasmid, Elasmv.s 

 albomaculatiis, reared from a moth, Acrocercops sp. 



Departmental Activities : Entomology. - //. Dcpt. Agric. Union 

 S. Africa, Pretoria, ii, no. 3, j\Iarch 1921, pp. 204-206. 



The brown locust [Locusta pardalina] in all immature stages is 

 present in great numbers over a large area of the Karoo. These 

 locusts are the descendants of scattered individuals occurring in the 

 area some months previously, which were too widely dispersed to be 

 reached by poison. Those that have gathered into small swarms 

 or clusters are being dealt with energetically, hundreds of drums of 

 poison being hurried to the district by passenger train. White storks 

 are destroying numbers of the locusts. From the Transvaal large 

 numbers of the elegant grasshopper [Zonocerus elegans] are reported,, 

 while in Basutoland there is an abundance of Phymaieus leprosus, 

 which has been clearing both vegetable gardens and orchards of their 

 produce. 



Aplidinus inali, the parasite of the woolly apple aphis [Eriosoma 

 lanigeriim], is being established with increasing success. The life- 

 cycle in the field apparently occupies about 21 days in December and 

 January, but in jars in the laboratory 10-13 days was sufficient. j? 



Bollworms are at the present time the most destructive pest of 

 cotton, the rate of infestation, however, being as low as about 5 per 

 cent. Ratooned fields show a higher degree of infestation than first- 

 year fields, some having 25 per cent, of the bolls infected. The vSudan 

 bollworm [Diparopsis castanea] in general predominated, and occasion- 

 ally the American bollworm [Heliotkis obsoleta]; the spiny bollworm 

 [Earias insulana] was less numerous. Improved cultural methods 

 are doing much to keep these insects in check. 



Other pests recorded during the month of January were termites ,"; 

 the beetle, IJeteronychtts arator, on maize ; in orchards, codling moth 

 [Cydia pomonella], pernicious scale [Aspidiotus perniciosns], and 

 Cetoniids ; and miscellaneous pests of field crops and flower gardens. 



VAN DER jMerwe (C. P.). White Ant Notes. — Jl. Depi. Agric. Union 

 S. Africa, Pretoria, ii, no. 3, I\larch 1921, pp. 266^267. 



A case of infestation of a house in Durban by the termite, ScJiedo- 

 rhinotcrmes piitorius, Sjost., is recorded. This species is fairly comimon 

 in the neighbourhood and is usually found in hollows of trees, the 

 insects living on the dead w^ood. In the case in question dead stumps- 

 of loquat trees were found about 8 ft. away from the house, and the 

 termites had probably got under the floor by following the dead roots. 

 Possibly a colony originated in the house from a pair of winged adults. 



LouxsBURY (C. P.). Citrus Scale Insects. — //. Dcpt. Agric. Union 

 S. Africa, Pretoria, ii, no. 3, I\Iarch 1921, p. 276. 



A list of 23 scale-insects occurring on Citrus in the Union of South 

 Africa is given, the most destructive being Chrysomp/mliis atirantii.. 

 Most of them are imported species. 



