469 



Cock (S. A.). An Orange Grove Pest.^ — Jl. Dept. Agric. Victoria, 

 Melbourne, xv, no. 6, 11th June 1917, p. 376, 1 fig. [Received 

 23rd August 1917.] 



Since December 1916 Tortrix ashworthana, Newm. {Cacoecia respon- 

 sana, Wlk.) (light brown apple moth) has become troublesome in the 

 orange groves in Victoria. The eggs are laid on the rind of the fruit 

 as well as on the leaves. The caterpillar attacks the rind of the orange, 

 generally where there is a leaf in contact with the fruit or where two 

 or more fruits touch each other. After gnawing along the rind the 

 caterpillar bores into it and feeds, to a slight extent, on the pulp, in 

 which it forms a cavity under the rind. In any case premature 

 ripening ensues, with a consequent weakening of the stem, and the 

 fruit falls in a semi-ripe condition. The caterpillar then enters the 

 soil to pupate. The trees should be thoroughly sprayed with lead 

 arsenate when the foliage is dry. The liquid must be forced into every 

 part and the fruit- clusters must be well covered. All fallen fruit must 

 be picked up daily and the soil around the trees should be frequently 

 disturbed. 



Treherne (R. C). The Strawberry Root Weevil in British Columbia. 



— Canadian Entomologist, London, Out., xlix, no. 8, August 1917, 

 pp. 257-260. 



The strawberry root weevil, Otiorrhynchus ovatus, continues to be an 

 important pest of strawberries in British Columbia [see this Review, 

 Ser. A, iii, p. 7]. While primarily an insect adapted to the moist and 

 cooler coastal areas, it has been reported as also causing considerable 

 damage in the arid transitional areas of the interior. As it is unable 

 to fly, its occurrence in many isolated islands and other spots far from 

 cultivated land would indicate that it is an indigenous, and not an 

 imported species. All evidence points to its being primarily a grass- 

 infesting insect of more or less uniform distribution throughout the 

 south of British Columbia, ^\^len native vegetation is removed, it 

 will attack strawberry plantations, and though the strawberry is not 

 the only fruit attacked, it suffers to a marked extent on account of its 

 high state of cultivation in consolidated areas. It is therefore useless 

 to purchase plants from non-infested districts. After briefly re- 

 describing known measures of control, an account is given of 

 experiments in burning over a strawberry field. The plants were dug 

 up and roots, tops and straw bedding raked into windrows. After 

 being left to dry for about 24 hours, while the weevils collected in 

 them for shelter, they were burnt. At the time this work was done 

 most of the adults had emerged from the pupae in the soil and were 

 hidden among the debris around the plants. Egg-laying was in full 

 swing and comparatively few larvae and pupae were left in 

 the ground. The general result of the work showed that burning 

 the plantation at the time when the greatest number of adulte 

 were on the surface is only partly successful, as the surviving 

 adults would probably migrate to plantations near by and oviposit 

 there. 



