388 



half as large as tlie Microgaster, make their appearance. Very few 

 holes for egress are made, and often all issue from a single one. A few 

 hundred may be bred from the chrysalis of the cane-borer moth, and as 

 the life history, as far as is known, is of brief duration, this parasite is 

 nearly if not wholly as valuable as the first in keeping the borers down. 

 As may be inferred from analogy, this Chalcidid will not only be found 

 l)reying upon this i3articular chrysalis, but on a great variety of Lepi- 

 dopterous chrysalids, as is the case with related American forms. 



In addition to those parasites numerous small ants of two species, were 

 observed to form colonies in and around the burrows, and wherever 

 these were present it was but very rarely that either larvte or chrysalids 

 could be found, and often dead larvae or chrysahds and remains of such 

 were found that were destroyed by them. 



Numerous Carabid beetles were also present on the ground at the 

 base of the plants and no doubt assist materially in reducing this pest. 



SCARAB^ID LARV^. 



Varies species of Scarabasid beetles are always present in cane fields 

 and especially so in recently cleared ground. Of these a species of 

 Anaplognathus, commonly called " Christmas Beetle," was most numer- 

 ous and is often plowed up both in the larva and imago state. Two 

 other species of large Scarabieid larviB were found behind the plow, as 

 well as a species of Heteronyx, together with larvae and pupae, no doubt 

 of the same species. 



The larvae of the beetles are injurioiis by eating the roots of various 

 plants, and as their transformation is very slow they remain a longtime 

 in the ground, and in the absence of any other roots they naturally 

 attack those of the sugar cane. If numerous they will become a serious 

 pest, as insects of this sort often devastate whole fields. 



As a remedy it is suggested in the first place that diligent search be 

 instituted for the larvaj and beetles while plowing and harrowing. This 

 could be done by children. The mature insects, which come out chiefly 

 at night, may also be found in the daytime feeding on the leaves of 

 Eucalyptus trees, which are often defoliated by them. By shaking the 

 trees in the early morning the beetles will drop to the ground and re- 

 main motionless for some time, when they can be gathered and destroyed. 

 They are also readily attracted by lights and may be collected with 

 traps consisting of a bright light iilaced over a tin or other vessel about 

 a foot deep by two feet wide with perpendicular sides and with about 

 two inches of water in the bottom. Many such simple traps could be 

 placed over the fields in December and January, when the beetles are 

 on the wing. Dark nights are best for attracting insects. Without 

 doubt the presence of toads, if these were introduced, would have a 

 remarkable effect in diminishing the numbers of these as well as many 

 other injurious insects. 



