429 



them into certain regions, such as the Russian steppes visited by 

 Portchinsky, where they do not occur naturally and where Musca 

 do)nestica and Sfomoxys calcitrans abound. 



Ritchie (A. H.). Report of the Government Entomologist for Year 



1916-1917. — Supplement Jawaica Gazette, Kingston, xl, no. 4, 

 5th July 1917, pp. 92-97. 



Among sugar-cane pests in Jamaica, the most serious is Stenocranus 

 saccharivoms, Westw. (cane- fly), which has been very abundant during 

 the year under review. During the autumn rains the pest was kept 

 in check by a fungus, which has been identified as a species of Fusarium. 

 During early spring, however, the weather was dry and the adult 

 hoppers consequently swarmed over the young cane unchecked, the 

 stools soon becoming black with the Meliola fungus (sooty-mould) 

 and the leaves pitted with egg-punctures. The fungus is at present 

 the most effective check. Natural enemies include Chrysopa sp., the 

 predaceous Reduviid, ZeZws rubidus, Lep. and Serv., and a Syrphid. 

 Ants are also predaceous enemies. In time, parasites which are an 

 effective check in Porto Rico, including a Mvmarid, a Dryinid and a 

 Strepsipteron, may be introduced into Jamaica. 



Coconut leaves have been blackened \^^th sooty mould as a con- 

 sequence of the attacks of Ceraiaphis sp. Vinsonia stellifera, Westw., 

 was remarkably abundant. Pseudoparlatoria ostreata, Ckll., was abun- 

 dant, but was heavily parasitised by the cinnamon fungus, Verticillium 

 heterocladum, Penz. Pseudococcus nipae, Mask., also occurred. 

 Dlaspis hoisduvali. Sign., was connnon in some districts on leaf-bases 

 and Pinmispis buxi, Bch., on leaves. Strategus titanus, F., is the 

 common coconut beetle of the Island, but the trouble is spasmodic 

 and the beetles are controlled by digging them out by hand or pouring 

 into their burrows strong solutions of Jeyes' or carbolic dips. A 

 Tachinid fly, Sarcodexia sternodontis, Towns., has on one occasion been 

 bred from the beetle. Xyleborus sp. (pinhole borer) occasionally 

 damaged palm-stems ; emulsions of carbolineum are used as a control. 

 Meiamasius sericeus, Oliv. (the brown weevil) is found in coconut 

 plantations following upon diseased or wounded condition of the trees, 

 and is also found infesting banana refuse in the fields. Trapping the 

 adults is recommended to prevent the spread of disease through the 

 agency of the weevil ; arsenate of lead, 2|- lb. to 40 gals, of Bordeaux 

 mixture, is suggested as a suitable spray. 



Citrus trees suffer most severely from attack by Aleurocanthus 

 tvoglumi, Ashby (spiny fly) ; this is raj)idly becoming a general pest 

 throughout the Island. An experiment with Cremastogaster brevi- 

 spinosa, Mayr, in which these ants were colonised upon the citrus 

 trees, has been very successful, the trees having become healthy and 

 returned to bearing. Trees on which the ant colonies had not been 

 introduced remained black and shrivelled and yielded no crop. Ento- 

 mophagous fungi have not in any part of the island succeeded in creating 

 an effective check, but Florida citrus spray is being used with good 

 effect. Owing to the scarcity of potash-soap, the formula has been 

 changed to : Hard soap, 2 lb. ; paraffin oil (26° to 28° Be.), 2 gals. ; 

 and 1 gal. water. The soap is cut into chips and all the ingredients 

 heated to boiling point and churned with a force-pump. Natural 

 insect controls include the Coccinellid, Lioscymnus diversipes, Ch., and 



