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the rhinoceros beetle in its ravages in coconut plantations. It is 

 indigenous to the Seychelles and to Madagascar, and efforts should 

 be made in Madagascar, where the insect fauna has not been disturbed 

 on the same scale by bush fires as in Seychelles, to find its natural 

 parasites. At present the larvae, which attack coconut stems only, 

 are dug out and burnt. Diocahndra jrumenti and Eugnoristus 

 braueri damage the leaves of coconut. They have not spread to all 

 plantations as yet, but the attacked leaves should be removed from 

 the tree, on which they remain for a long time, and burnt. These 

 weevils, the latter of which is endemic, are not considered to be 

 dangerous pests. Scale-insects infest coconuts in Seychelles to a 

 considerable extent. Fortunately most of them are likely to become 

 parasitised by fungi when the weather conditions are suitable, but 

 periods of drought such as that which occurred from 1904 to 1911 

 check the spread of these fungi. Eucalymnatus tessellah^s is killed 

 out by Cephalosporkmi lecanii, even in the low country. Chionaspis 

 inday, which also attacks areca nut palms, was being destroyed in 

 1917 by some parasite, not yet identified. This scale is one of the 

 oldest known enemies of coconut in the Colony. It attacks both the 

 leaves and the husks. Necrobia rvfipes is still doing damage to copra 

 that has been stored for a long time, and Silvanus siirinamensis to 

 coconut cake. 



Vanilla is rather free from insect attack, except by an aphis, 

 CeratapJiis lataniae, which is fostered by ants at the base of the flower- 

 stalks. It is however never found in any numbers. 



The leaves of Para rubber {Hevea hrasiliensis) are attacked on a 

 small scale by Saissetia {Lecanium) nigra and Hemichionaspis 

 aspidistrae, but the former is kept in check by a fungus. 



Limes, oranges, and other citrus trees are attacked by a number 

 of scales, including •.—Coccus {Lecanium) viridis ; Lepidosaphes beckii 

 (Mytilaspis citricola), which has been found to be kept under control 

 by the red fungus, Sphaerostilbe coccophila ; and Chrysomphalus 

 aonidum, which is certainly parasitised, as it disappears from plantations 

 as suddenly as it makes its appearance. Spraying with cheap fish- 

 oil soap, made locally, is necessary to combat scale-insects. 



Rose bushes are attacked at night by Adoretus versutus and in the 

 day time by Oxycetonia versicolor. Both these beetles are very 

 common, but could be destroyed by Scoliid parasites, if it is decided to 

 introduce the latter from Madagascar. 



Papaws {Carica papaya) are badly attacked by Aulacaspis (Diaspis) 

 pentagona, a very common scale-insect in the Colony. Whitewashing 

 the stem of the trees every ,"« months gave excellent results as a 

 measure against this pest at the Botanic Station. 



Breadfruit {Artocarpus incisa) and jak fruit {Artocarpns integrijolia) 

 are attacked by Chrysomphalus aonidum and Icerya seychellarum.. 



Custard apples {Anona squamosa and A. reticulata) and soursop 

 {Anona muricata) are attacked by Icerya seychellarum, Asterolecanium 

 pustulans var. seychellarum, and Saissetia hemisphaerica. 



Coffee {Coffea liberica) is attacked by Coccus viridis, Saissetia 

 hemisphaerica and Ischnaspis longirostris. 



The oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) is also badly infested with the 

 latter scale. Scorching the palms with, kerosene blast torches combined 

 with judicious pruning is being tried. It has been found impossible 



