32 Annals Entomological Society of America [Vol. IX, 



of which has a botanic garden or experiment station, and the 

 officers in charge of these gardens or stations assist in the local 

 entomological work. 



The chief lines of entomological investiagtion are associated 

 with the principal crops grown on the islands, namely, sugar 

 cane, cotton, cacao, Hmes and cocoanuts. A large number of 

 new crops are being tried and these will naturally introduce new 

 lines of entomological inquiry. The islands have suffered the 

 fate of all new regions into which new crops have been intro- 

 duced. The crops grown at present are practically the same 

 as they were ten years ago, the principal difference being the 

 standing of the cotton industry which was then in an experi- 

 mental stage. Now it has been established as a profitable 

 industry and as a result of the rapid increase in the acreage of 

 cotton, insects which previously were not recognized as pests, 

 and in some cases were unknown to science, have assumed an 

 important role as serious pests. For example, the flower-bud 

 maggot of cotton {Contarinia gossypii Felt) first made its 

 appearance in Antigua in 1907; the leaf blister mite Eriophyes 

 gossypii Banks, first occurred as a pest of cultivated cotton in 

 Montserrat in 1903 and soon afterwards was found in all the 

 other islands of the Leeward and Windward groups. The black 

 scale {Saissetia nigra Nietn.) was formerly a serious pest of 

 cotton, but at present it attracts little attention owing to the 

 control brought about by the parasite {Zalophothrix mirum) 

 which was first reared in 1907. Important injuries are caused 

 by certain hemipterous cotton stainers of the genus Dysdercus, 

 and a serious internal boll disease or rot now under investiga- 

 tion, occurring in certain islands appears to be associated with 

 the attacks of these cotton stainers. 



One of the most serious classes of injurious insects occurring 

 in the West Indies, particularly in fields of sugar cane and corn 

 (maize), are the Melolonthid larvae known as white grubs on 

 this Continent; these insects are popularly known as hard 

 backs on the islands, the chief species being Ligyrus tumulosus. 

 On certain of the islands recent investigation has shown that a 

 noticeable control is exercised by several insect parasites of these 

 larvae. Among the control measures recommended are the 

 planting of trap crops and hand picking the larvae which 

 measure cheap juvenile labor renders possible. Lepidopterous 



