Circular No. 165. issued December 27, 19ie. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 



L. O. HOAVARD, Entomologist and Chief of Bureau. 



INSECTS LIABLE TO DISSEMINATION IN SHIPMENTS OF 



SUGAR CANE. 



By T. E. Hollo WAY, 



Entovmloyical Assistant. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The danger of introducing injurious insects into the United States 

 tlirough the importation of promising varieties of sugar cane is so 

 great and so often overlooked that a word of warning seems to be 

 necessary. However desirable it may be to introduce new varieties 

 of cane, the fact that injurious insects will probably be disseminated 

 at the same time should be given due consideration. There is also a 

 risk, though not so great, in transporting cane from one place to 

 another in the United States, as is often done for grinding or planting 

 purposes. All the sugar-cane insects in this country seem to be of 

 only local distribution, so that any injurious insect may easily be 

 spread over a larger area by shipments of cane. Sugar cane intended 

 for grinding is probably not so perfect a medium for transporting 

 insects as is cane which is to be planted, but if the cane for grinding 

 is left waiting for some time it is probable that the insects within may 

 emerge and infest standing cane near by. An injurious insect may 

 in this way obtain a foothold in a new region. 



To avoid the introduction of a new pest with a shipment of cane 

 it is desirable to obtain the cane, if possible, at a point where injurious 

 insects are not known to occur, and to grow the cane for the first 

 year under the inspection of an entomologist. Shipments of sugar 

 cane coming into the United States should be carefully examined at 

 the port of entry, but sometimes there are borers within the cane 

 \\hich can not be detected unless the stalks are cut open and conse- 

 quently spoiled. Gases which are ordinarily very efficient for fumi- 

 gation seem to be unable to penetrate a stalk of cane, but it may be 

 that dipping the cane in certain solutions will be found to be satis- 

 factory. Experiments along these lines are now in progress. 



1 



