442 



or are killed by an oily liquid, which the host exudes after a week. 

 From 2h months to more than 5 months after the spinning of the cocoon 

 the larvae attack the host, but it is not known what stimulates their 

 feeding, which occurs either before or after the caterpillar's pupation. 

 It is possible that the parasites are repelled by the oily excretion of the 

 caterpillar, and only attack when this oil is insufficient or has become 

 dissipated. 



Some larvae mature early, finding one caterpillar enough, while 

 others seek fresh cocoons, devouring any smaller individuals of their 

 own species. The larval stage of the parasite varies from 6 to 12 months, 

 and the pupal stage from 18 to 30 days. 



The parasite has been determined as an apparently undescribed 

 species, belonging to the Phycitix.\e. 



Skaife (S. H.). a Tachinid Parasite of the Honey Bee. — S.African 

 Jl. Set'., Johannesburg, xvii, no. 2, April 1921, pp. 196-200, 

 6 figs. 



The work of previous authors on Rondaniooestrus apivorus, Vill., 

 the Tachinid parasite of the honey bee, is briefly reviewed and the 

 author gives his own observations, made at Cedara, on the life-history 

 of this fly. 



There are two generations a year. The eggs are hatched in the body 

 of the female. The larvae are deposited on the adult worker bees 

 returning to the hives, and possibly on drones, and feed on the 

 abdominal tissues of the host. After three months, the bee dies 

 and the larva pupates in the ground "or beneath refuse, the pupal 

 stage occupying seven to eight weeks in the summer and eight to ten 

 in winter. The adults haunt the hives from December to February 

 and May to July. 



This pest is not a serious one, as many of the bees are old and worn out 

 when attacked and their loss is negligible, while the younger bees work 

 just as well till they die. 



The remedial measures recommended are the killing of all flies 

 round the hives, and the destruction of the puparia, which can be 

 trapped by lea\"ing boards on the ground. 



GuNN (D.). The False Codling-Moth {Argyroploce leucotreta, Meyr.). — 

 Union S. African Dept. Agric, Pretoria, Sci. Bull. 21, 1921, 

 28 pp., 3 figs, 1 plate, 15 tables. 



In different provinces of the Union, in Rhodesia, and British East 

 Africa, Argyroploce leucotreta Meyr. (false codling-moth) attacks many 

 cultivated and wild fruits, but is mainly a pest in orange orchards. 

 It closely resembles the true codling-moth [Cydia pomonella], except 

 that it does not attack apples, pears and quinces. 



Besides the food-plants already noticed [R.A.E., A, iv, 278] it 

 attacks walnuts, olives, persimmons, acorns [R.A.E. A, ii, 654] and 

 the following native fruit trees : Xinienia caffra, ChrvsophvUum 

 niigalis-montannm, Royena pallens, Vanguirea infausta, Sclerocarva 

 caffra, Podocarpus falcata, Combretum zeyheri, C. apiciilatum, and 

 Scholia speciosa. Of these the first two are the most important. Lemons 

 and limes are immune from attack. 



The injury caused by this pest is similar to that of the true codling- 

 moth, except that infested fruits, especially oranges, drop more pre- 

 maturely or become mouldy. It is estimated that from 10 to 50 per 

 cent, damage is caused annuallv. 



