278 



In the case of sugar-cane pests, Gougli and Rorer were tlie first to 

 employ such means, using Metarrhizium anisopUae against Tomaspis 

 saccharina {varia) in Trinidad. Spraying with the spores proved useless, 

 but strewing the fields wdth rice infected with the spores caused death 

 among a large number of the froghoppers, amounting in some cases 

 to 50 per cent. In Hawaii Speare used Entomophthora pseudococci 

 and Aspergillus parasiticus against Pseudococcus calceolariae, but both 

 proved unsuccessful. Speare recorded M. anisopUae as infesting 

 Rhabdocnemis obscurus, Adoretus iimhrosus and AnomaJa orientalis. 

 Under the most favourable laboratory conditions the first-named was 

 parasitised to the extent of 10-40 per cent. 



The author's experiments with M. anisopiliae in Java in 1914 did 

 not promise to be of much practical value. An account is given of 

 his observations on bacterial infections in the larvae of Adoretus, one 

 of the two bacteria concerned being Bacterium prodigiosum and the 

 other a new species, B. gigas. While these undoubtedly parasitise 

 the larvae under certain conditions, their practical importance seems 

 negligible. 



Leefmans (S.)- De Pisangmot, Notarcha (Nacoleia) octasema, 

 Meyrick, en hare Bestrijding, [The Pisang Moth, Nacoleia octa- 

 sema, Meyr., and its Control.] — Meded. Laboratorium v. Planten- 

 ziekten, Batavia, no, 23, 1916, 22 pp. 5 plates. 



Complaints of the scabby appearance of bananas imported into 

 Australia from Java led to the injury being traced to the caterpillar 

 of a Pyralid moth identified as Nacoleia octasema, Meyr., by the 

 Imperial Bureau of Entomology, which has also received the same 

 species from Queensland. 



The eggs are deposited in heaps. The incubation period was found 

 to be four days during very dry weather at the close of the east 

 monsoon, the maximum number of eggs laid bya single female being 80. 

 The newly-hatched caterpillars usually live between the fruits close 

 to the stem of the bunch and become full-grown in 12 days. Pupation 

 appears to take place on the ground, among dry leaves, etc., in slender 

 cocoons, the pupal stage lasting from 10 to 12 days. In the dry 

 season (east monsoon) the time required by a generation is about 30 

 days, and in the wet season (west monsoon) about 27 days. The 

 wild food-plants are unknown, nor have any traces of injury been 

 noticed on wild bananas. In Java the only parasite is an undetermined 

 Braconid. 



Successful control was effected by dusting the banana bunches, 

 when just opening, with 1 part pyrethrum powder and 3 parts finely 

 sifted ashes, or preferably 3 parts powdered lime. Dusting must be 

 done twice while the bunch develops. In untreated bunches 44-47 

 per cent, of the fruit was sound ; this figure was 56-69 per cent, in 

 bunches treated once and 80-87 per cent, in bunches treated twice. 

 Both tobacco dust and powdered unslaked lime proved ineffective. 

 Though Paris green (1 part to 19 parts lime) was more efficacious 

 than pyrethrum, it very often caused black spots to appear on the 

 fruit. The cost of the pyrethrum for treating 100 bunches t\vice was 

 about one shilling, that of the lime being negligible. 



