227 



{Bactrocera) zonatus (peach fly) showed an insignificant percentage of 

 parasitism. Carpomyia vesuviana was reared from fruits of Zizyphus 

 jujuba and was found to be extensively parasitised ; attempts will 

 be made to introduce the parasite in question into Italy. In order to 

 test the efiect of poisoned sprays on fruit-flies, large numbers, reared 

 in the Insectary, were fed with a solution composed of lead arsenate, 

 2| to 5 oz., gur, 2| lb., and water, 4 gals. It was found that a strength 

 of 3 to 5 oz. of lead arsenate killed the flies in about 36 hours. 



Odontotermes assmuthi, the largest of the five termites known to 

 occur at Pusa, has been reared from the egg to the adult under obser- 

 vation. It is believed that this is the first time this has been done in 

 the case of the true earth-dwelling Termitidae. Experiments in the 

 preservation of wood against termite attack were continued, Micro- 

 ternies obesi {anandi) being the species experimented with. "Powellized" 

 wood failed almost wholly wdthin four years. " Sideroleum," tested 

 as a preservative of wood against termites, also failed, but further 

 tests are being made. Testing of "Microlineum" was begun. Creosote 

 was used in the hopes of making sugar-cane sets immune to termites 

 without interfering with germination, but these experiments failed. 



The second part of this paper deals with work in the Provinces. 



In Madras an extensive campaign against Colemmiia sphetiarioides 

 (Deccan grasshopper) was planned, but owing to climatic causes the 

 outbreak in 1914 was insignificant. Experiments in the control of 

 mango hoppers {Idiocerus) were made in the Salem district, the trees 

 being sprayed with crude oil emulsion and with fish-oil soap ; successful 

 results were attained. Experiments with light-traps for the control 

 of the rice stem- borer {Schoenobius) showed that other means must be 

 sought for combating this most serious pest ; this result is identical 

 with that reached at Pusa and in Bombay. 



In Bombay light-traps were found fairly successful in the control 

 of the Arctiid, Amsacta tnoorei, 9,062 moths, of which 1,732 were egg- 

 laden females, being caught in about three weeks, with the result that 

 the succeeding attack by caterpillars was insignificant. The moths 

 and egg-masses were also hand-picked, but few were obtained by this 

 method. The regular picking and destruction of first-attacked shoots 

 was found successful in preventing attack of cotton bolls by Earias. 

 Some experiments were made on the preservation of seed from insect 

 attack and the results indicated that thorough drying in the sun for 

 three days or fumigation M'ith carbon bisulphide gave the best results. 



In the Central Provinces, the chief event was the outbreak of 

 Nephotetiix bipimctatus referred to in the first part of this report. 

 Borers in sugar-cane were also studied and of these Scirpophaga is the 

 worst pest, but experiments proved that its ravages can be reduced to 

 a minimum by planting cane in October and November instead of in 

 February and March as has been the practice hitherto. 



In the United Provinces, successful experiments were made in the 

 storage of seed wheat by the use of naphthaline. 



In the Punjab, the Dermestid, Attagenus undulatus, is the most 

 important of the insects infesting stored wheat and its life-history was 

 worked out. The removal of dead-hearts in young sugar-cane was 

 found satisfactory as a control measure against borers. 



In Bihar and Orissa, the campaign against Agrotis ijpsilon has already 

 been dealt with [see this Review, Ser. A, iv, p. 95]. As regards 



