330 



conditions may feed on the fruits and later emerge and spin cocoons. 

 Apples that have been selected with care and then placed in storage 

 at a temperature between 32° and 45° F. . do not suffer from occasional 

 infested fruits, as the larvae are not active at this temperature. 

 Occasional damage by the lesser apple worm may occur under similar 

 conditions to those just mentioned for codling moth ; while San Jose scale, 

 which might rapidly damage stored apples at a favourable temperature, 

 is controlled at a temperature of from 30° to 32° F. Apples that may 

 be infested with apple maggot should never be allowed to remain in the 

 orchard or in a barn after picking, or they may deteriorate rapidly. 

 They should be placed immediately in cold storage. The difficulties 

 of grading apples on account of insect damage would be greatly 

 simplified if more careful consideration were given to the practices of 

 spraying, tiiinning, cultivation, etc. 



Insect Pests in the West Indies in 1916. — Agric. News, Barbados, xvi 

 no. 392, 5th May 1917, pp. 138-139. 



The more important insects occurring during the year were : — 

 Lachnosterna sp. (brown hard back) commonly found in Antigua, a 

 Scoliid parasite of it, probably Tiphia paraJJela, occurring in a portion 

 of the infested district. Controls suggested included rotation of crops, 

 better drainage, the application of pen manure wherever available, 

 the use of a trap-crop, such as maize, the collection of grubs and the 

 encouragement of insect parasites. An outbreak of Tomaspis saccha- 

 rina, Dist. (sugar-cane froghopper) in Grenada has already been recorded 

 [see this Revietv, Ser. A, v, p. 268]. Alabama, argillacea, Hb. (cotton 

 worm) was a severe pest in some localities, and in St. Kitts was materi- 

 ally controlled hy Polistes crmtVw.s (Jack Spaniard). Dysdercusdelauneyi, 

 Leth. (cotton stainer) was abundant in St. Vincent, where the wild 

 food-plants, Eriodetidron anfractaosum and Thespesia popuhiea, were 

 energetically destroyed. In other islands, hand-picking the stainers 

 during the early part of the year apparently checked infestation. 

 Eriophyes gossypii, Bks., occurred generally in the cotton-gromng 

 districts, but is no longer a serious pest. On cacao, Heliothrips 

 rubrocinctiis, Giard (cacao thrips) was generally distributed and was 

 locally severe in Grenada and St. Vincent. 



Limes and other citrus trees suffered from the usual scale-insects, 

 and Orthezia insignis, Dougl. (lantana bug) occurred in the spring in 

 Montserrat. Leptostyhis praemorsus, F. (bark borer), was generally 

 distributed in St. Lucia, with locally severe infestations. Weevils of 

 the genus Diaprepres fed on the leaves of young citrus trees, while the 

 larvae damaged the roots. Scapteriscus didactylus, Latr. (mole- cricket) 

 caused serious losses to lime seedlings in St. Lucia. 



Maize was attacked by caterpillars, mainly Heliofhis obsolete 

 {armigera), which in some localities became a serious pest. Damage 

 was also caused by Laphygma frugiperda, S. & A., Diatraea saccharalis, 

 F., Lachnosterna sp., and mole-crickets. 



Coconut pests included Aleurodicus cocois, Curt., and Aspidiotus 

 destructor, Sign., of which severe attacks occurred in several localities. 

 Sweet potatoes were attacked by Euscepes batatae, Waterh., and the 

 larvae of the small moth, Sylepta helcitalis, was troublesome in Mont- 

 serrat. Beans were attacked by Anticarsia {Thermesia) gemmatalis, 

 Hb., and onions by Thrips tabaci, Lind. 



