188 



the localities in which the swarms occurred, the dates of their occur- 

 rence, the number of swarms driven, and the number poisoned. The 

 total number of swarms poisoned in Negri Sembilan amounted to 

 1,074, and in Pahang to 67 ; while the number of swarms driven in 

 Malacca totalled 2,425 and those in Johore, including those burnt and 

 the breeding grounds of which were flooded, amounted to 573, making 

 a grand total of 4,139. Five breeding grounds were also flooded in 

 Malacca. 



MoNTANDON (A. L.). Hemipt^res de la Basse-Egypte. 1. Geocorinae. 



[Hemiptera of Lower Egypt. 1. Geocorinae.] — Bull. Soc. Entom. 

 d'Egi/pte, Cairo, ix, no. 2, April-June 1916, pp. 38-51. [Received 

 6th March 1917.] 



This paper describes the Egyptian species of this sub-family 

 of Ly(JAEIDae and deals with the genera Piocoris, Geocoris, Mallocoris 

 and Stenophthalmicus, the results of the author's observations on 

 several species being recorded. 



WiLLcocKS (F. C). Some Notes on the Mealy Plum Aphid, Hyalop- 

 tenis pruni, F. — Bull. Soc. Entom. d'Egypte, Cairo, ix, part 2, 

 April-June 1916, pp. 33-37. [Received '6th March 1917.] 



Hyalopterus arundinis (pruni) is prevalent in Egypt in the spring 

 on apricot and peach trees, and has a wide distribution. The eggs are 

 laid chiefly in the axils of leaf-buds, and are covered with a coat of 

 white waxy filaments ; they hatch in February or March, giving 

 rise to the stem-mothers, and these produce asexually large numbers 

 of living young which surround them in a compact colony on the under 

 side of a leaf. These asexual generations continue until about the 

 beginning of April, when a winged generation of asexual females 

 appears, which spread to other trees, and it is probably this generation 

 that migrates to the reed-grass, P-hragmites communis, which is the 

 alternative host-plant. Here the Aphids establish themselves on 

 the upper side of the leaves, in contrast to the position adopted on 

 apricot and peach. In the autumn a sexual generation of winged 

 males and wingless oviparous females appears on the trees, thus com- 

 pleting the life-cycle. On apricots very little damage apparently 

 is caused, but on peaches the injury is more serious, causing curling 

 and malformation of the leaves. The attack is most severe in April 

 and then gradually wanes, owing to the Aphids being destroyed by 

 parasites, until towards the end of May, when the trees are frequently 

 cleared of the pest. 



As a control measure, a spray of paraffin emulsion is effective, when 

 apphed in the early stages of the attack, but not when the trees are 

 in bloom. Trees which have received a mnter spraying of lime, 

 salt and sulphur to check scale- insects are less liable to attack by this 

 aphis. This wash probably acts mechanically in preventing the 

 hatching of the stem-mothers, and also kills numbers of those which 

 do succeed in emerging. The alternative host-plant, Phragmites 

 communis, should be destroyed as far ay possible. 



