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of rain. Fruits left to ripen naturally were pierced by fruit-sucking 

 moths, the fruit-fly {Drosophila ampelophila) ovipositing later in the 

 punctures. The natives protect the young bunches from the larvae 

 of the scab moth [Nacoleia octosema], which attack them as they are 

 forming, by placing in them the leaves of an unidentified bush which 

 destroy or repel the larvae. 



Observations of Levuana iridescens (coconut leaf moth) have shown 

 that this insect does not migrate or hibernate, but carries on its 

 development through the ordinary stages from May to August in 

 very limited numbers and only on certain individual palms. This 

 apparent disappearance each year seems to be due to the wholesale 

 destruction of the larvae by the bug, Canthecona cyanocantha, Stal, 

 which develops rapidly and preys on them voraciously at the time 

 when the attack of L. iridescens is at its worst. An unidentified Attid 

 spider is also a formidable enemy of the larvae and adults of L. irides- 

 cens. Considerable damage was also done by the larvae of this moth 

 to Oreodoxa regalis (royal palm), Sagiis vitiensis (sago palm) and 

 Areca catechu (betel or areca nut) in the Botanical Gardens, Suva, 

 where they might be checked by sjDraying with 30 oz. lead arsenate 

 to 25 gals, water. Coconuts were also attacked by Aspidiotus destructor, 

 found also on avocado pear, rubber, papaw and ginger. It can be 

 effectively dealt wdth by spraying, though only young palms could be 

 treated in this manner. Considerable damage was done to young 

 coconuts in some localities by swarms of Phasmids. On young trees 

 they are best dealt with by handpicking. In the case of older trees, 

 they may be made to release their hold and fall to the ground by 

 lighting a fire giving off dense smoke at the base of the tree. By 

 this means also, the eggs that are dropped to the ground by the female 

 are destroyed. Minor pests of coconut during the year were Prome- 

 cotheca reichei (coconut leaf-miner) and Trachycentra adamias, Meyr., 

 boring in the base of coconut leaves. 



Cacao leaves were often badly damaged by Adoretus tenuimaculatus^ 

 Waterh. (Japanese rose beetle), a pest difficult to deal with by artificial 

 means, but successfully controlled in Hawaii by a species of Scolia. 

 Phthorimaea operculella (tobacco leaf-miner) caused damage to young 

 plants in nurseries. 



Oranges were punctured by a fruit-piercing moth, probably 

 Othreis fuUonica, L., which oviposits on the leaves of Erythrina indica, 

 the larval period occupying 21, and the pupal, 17 days. The eggs 

 are parasitised by Chalcids, while a black ant devours the eggs, larvae 

 and pupae. The so-called hornets {Polistes hebraeus) also attack the 

 full-grown larvae. Attacks of Chionaspis citri (orange snow scale) 

 and Chrysomphalus (Aspidiotus) aurantii (California red-scale) were 

 reported, but these pests are easily controlled by spraying with lime- 

 sulphur solution. A fruit-fly, Dacus passiflorae, was occasionally 

 found attacking mandarins, but the damage being insignificant, no 

 special treatment is necessary. An unidentified fruit-fly attacked 

 kavika fruit {Eugenia sp.). 



A Sphingid moth was found destroying the leaf surface of Colocasia 

 antiquarum. If attacks, which occur from June to October, become 

 serious, they should be easily controlled by arsenical sprays. 



Euscepes {Cryptorrhynchus) batatae, Waterh. (sweet potato weevil), 

 caused considerable damage to sweet potatoes {Ipomoea batatas) on 



