REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTAXIST. 237 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



5, 6, 11, 12 and 13, there is beneath each segment a series of small ventral tubercles 

 on each side of the medio-ventral line. The thoracic feet are shiny, black, white at 

 jtints, and almost ringed at the base with a narrow shiny black band, which is open 

 on the oute# side. The prolegs are concolorous with the ventral surface. All the feet 

 bear short haii's. 



When full-grown the caterpillars spin light cocoons among the leaves, two or 

 three of which they gather together. The pupal period of specimens bred during the 

 past season was about nine or ten days. 



The moth, which, in a superficial way, closely resembles the well known Oblique- 

 banded Leaf-roller, measures from three-quarters of an inch to very 

 nearly an inch in expanse of wings, and in greenhouses there are 

 several broods in the season. The colour of the upper wings is a pale 

 brown, crossed obliquely by three bands of a much darker shade, the 

 central one of w^hich is clearly defined at its margins. The other two 

 bands fill up the apical and basal areas of the wings. In many speci- „. . _ _^ 

 mens the basal band is almost obliterated. The whole wing surface is ' parallela. 



loosely reticulated with indistinct basal- lines. Under wings paler (After Prof. O. 

 than the upper. ^"^^^^-^ 



Although rather smaller, this moth resembles the Oblique-banded Leaf-roller very 

 much in general appearance, but it will be seen by the above description of the larva 

 that these two insects are very different indeed in the caterpillar stage of their exist- 

 ence. The larva of the Oblique-banded Leaf-roller may in general terms be described 

 as a green larva with a very dark brown, almost black, head, while that of the above 

 is a blackish green caterpillar, with a yellowish head, and haying the body conspicu- 

 ously dotted with white tubercles. 



Owing to their habits, the caterpillars are rather difficult to reach with remedies. 

 Spraying with Paris green and water was tried to a limited extent, but it was not 

 thought to have a sufficiently beneficial effect to continue the applications. This 

 failure, it was claimed, was due to the way in which the caterpillars protect them- 

 selves. There is no doubt, however, that many of the larvae were destroyed, and 

 doubtless more would have been killed if the spraying had been continued longer at 

 short intervals. In the above houses only two applications of Paris green were made, 

 and as this did not appear to have good results, the caterpillars were left to themselves, 

 and no further treatment was appjied to the foliage. Late in the season (September) 

 the moths were very numerous, and hand-picking of the \arvsc was resorted to, a good 

 sharp boy being sent through the houses early every morning to pick the caterpillars 

 from the bushes. All the larva- obtained in this waj' were burned. 



Remedies. — As regards remedial treatment, of course, hand-picking of the cater- 

 pillars has certainly some beneficial result ; but, as I. have pointed out in the case 

 of the Greenhouse Leaf-tyer, the carrying out of such work carefully and properly, 

 takes up too much time, especially if large houses have to be gone over. If the infesta- 

 tion is light, hand-picking will probably be all that is necessary, but when the insect 

 is at all abundant in large houses, spraying or dusting with poisonous mixtures or 

 fumigation with hydrocyanic acid gas are the most effective remedies. Fumigation 

 with this gas, however, must be done carefully and strictly according to instructions, 

 and if such treatment is adopted by any one to destroy greenhouse insects, unless they 

 are fully posted on the matter, communication should previously be entered into with 

 this Division, when full information will be cheerfully given. Hydrocyanic acid gas 

 is now largely used to destroy greenhouse insect pests, but its very dangerous nature 

 must not be overlooked. 



