412 



insects can liv^o throughout the year on grain -bearing grasses, it is 

 prol^able that they must be considered a, serious pest of padi. Collecting 

 the bugs in hand-nets and destroying them in kerosene and water is 

 advocated. 



PoNNiAH (D.) Insect Pests of Coconuts. — Auric. Bull. F.M.S., 

 Kuala Lumpur, viii, no. 3, Juh'-September 1920. pp. 192-195. 

 [Received 28th June 1921.] 



Young coconut j)lantations in Malaya suffer considerably from the 

 attacks of termites, especially in jjlaces where timber has been left 

 lying for two or three years. If the nests in the timber are disturbed, 

 or if the insects are short of food, they migrate to young coconut or 

 rubber trees in the vicinity. Complete destruction of all timber is 

 the remedy, and cleanliness in coconut plantations is of the greatest 

 importance. 



The moth, Bracharlona catoxantha, Hmps., oviposits on the lower 

 surface of the leaves, and the caterpillars devour them, causing the 

 nuts to fall off or remain undeveloped. The palms generall}^ recover 

 when fresh leaves have grown. The larvae pupate on the leaves or 

 other parts of the tree, and the adults emerge after about nine days. 

 Parasites of the caterpillars include a Tachinid and a small Hymenop- 

 teron. A fungus also attacks them, and these enemies, together with 

 climatic conditions, eventually control the infestations. Many 

 remedial measures have been tried, but the results are considered 

 inconclusive. The lower leaves of infested palms should be removed 

 and burnt ; this should be done on the first appearance of the moths, 

 when the least injury will be done to the parasites. From 9 a.m. 

 till 2 p.m., and during the night, the moths are inactive and can be 

 collected in hand-nets or crushed while on the trees. 



The Hispid beetle, Plesispa rcichei, formerly recorded as Brontispa 

 froggaiti [R.A.E., A, vi, 523], passes its life between the newly 

 opening fronds and the 3^oung leaves, and is gradually becoming a 

 serious pest. The life-cycle occupies about two months. Experiments 

 with remedial measures will shortly be tried ; poison spra3's are 

 impracticable, and as yet no predators or parasites have been observed. 

 The only remedy suggested is to press the leaflets together between 

 the thumb and forefinger, so as to kill all stages of the insect found 

 between and inside them. 



The coconut-spike caterpillar and the rhinoceros beetle [Orydcs 

 rhinoceros] are both important pests [R.A.E., A, vii, 128], and the 

 red weevil [Rhynchoplwrus ferrugineus] frequently oviposits in places 

 damaged by 0. rhinoceros. As these beetles are attracted by rotting 

 coconut stems, in which they breed, lengths of palm wood should be 

 used as traps, but these should be burnt at least ever\^ month, and the 

 beetles must be collected every morning and destroyed. All stumps, 

 trunks, and soft parts of coconut trees, when cut down, or when the}^ 

 die, must be immediately destroyed Other remedial measures will 

 be tested before being recommended for general use in Malaya. 



Minor pests are skipper butterflies and bagworms, which are generally 

 kept in check by natural enemies, and scale-insects and mealy-bugs, 

 the life-histories of which require investigation. 



