366 



To Trap Orange Moths and Fruit Flies. — Queensland Agric. Jl., 

 Brisbane, vii, part 4. April 1917, p. 172. [Received 16th June 

 1917.] 



Several species of large sucking moths attack the fruit of citrus 

 trees as soon as it shows signs of ripening. To prevent this, a good 

 plan is to gather a few forward fruits and ripen them artificially. 

 They should then be hung in conspicuous places in the orchard where, 

 by their odour, they will attract both moths and fruit-flies. The 

 latter will also oviposit in such fruits, so that the destruction of the 

 fruits before the larvae are mature will prevent a second generation. 

 An effective fruit-fly trap can be made by smearing some of the fruits 

 with tanglefoot before hanging them in the orchard. 



The Lantana Pest. A New Fly imported from Kuwaih—Qneensland 

 Agric. Jl., Brisbane, vh, part 4, April 1917, pp. 183-184. [Received 

 16th June 1917.] 



The lantana plant, though useful for its soil-fertilising properties 

 and for honey production, has become a veritable pest in parts of 

 Queensland. As a control the lantana fly [Agromyza sp.] has been 

 introduced from Hawaii, where it was established in 1902 [see this 

 Review, Ser. A, iii, p. 757]. Both this fly and the lantana plant are 

 natives of Mexico, and it has never been known to be associated 

 injuriously with any other plant. It lays a single egg in the green 

 lantana berry and prevents its development. 



Wenholz (H.). The Care of Seed Maize. — Agric. Gaz. N. S. W., 

 Sydney, xxvih, part 4, 2ud April 1917, pp. 229-243. [Received 

 19th June 1917.] 



Many farmers in New South Wales have come to regard the keepmg of 

 maize seed as an impossibility, owing to the ravages of Calandra oryzae, 

 L. (rice weevil) and Sitotroga cerealella, Oliv. (Angoumois grain moth). 

 Of these, the weevil is by far the more destructive, as it can survive 

 the ^\dnter in all stages, if not too severe, which is never the case on 

 the North Coast. The eggs are laid on the tips of the cobs, if not 

 covered by the husk, and the larvae eat into the grain and pupate 

 there, the adults feeding inside the grain for 4 or 5 days and destroying 

 the germ. The whole cycle takes 5 or 6 W'ceks, and there may be 

 4 or 5 broods before the cold weather sets in, this rendering the seed 

 of early so^^^l crops especially difficult to keep. S. cerealella also lays 

 its eggs on the tips of the cobs, whether covered by the husk or not ; 

 though the larvae attack the grain, the germ is not affected. 



The selection of a variety of maize with a tightly-fitting husk, and 

 the practice of late sowing will materially lessen the damage caused 

 by the w"eevil,and at harvest time the removal of the uppermost grains of 

 all the seed- ears is a precaution worth taking against both pests. Since 

 the moth works at a lower temperature than the weevil, in moth- 

 infested districts the cobs should be dried as quickly as possible and 

 stored in bins after fumigation. Early spring fumigation of the 

 stored seed-grain should be carried out, and repeated, if necessary, 

 every 3 weeks, if it is to be kept for late sowing. 



