64 



years. In British Guiana, it has been a serious cane pest in 

 certain localities for a number of years, and in Trinidad it 

 is known to attack sugar-cane and bananas. It has also 

 been reported, as a pest of sugar-cane, from Surinam. It is 

 not known at present to occur in any of the islands north of 

 Trinidad, and every precaution should be taken to prevent its 

 introduction into any of these islands. If cane plants are to be 

 imported from any colony or country where this pest occurs, 

 only the tops should be admitted, and these should be care- 

 fully examined for any signs of the eggs or larvae at the 

 base of the leaves. Cane trash should never be imported, 

 on account of the possibility of introducing the eggs. Any 

 trash accidentally accompanying imported cane plants 

 should be rigorously burned. 



Control No satisfactory system of control has yet been 

 devised for the larger moth borer. Collecting the moths by 

 means of nets in the hands of children has given better 

 results than any other direct measure of control that has been 

 tried. Flooding the fields after the removal of the crop has 

 had a good effect in certain instances ; but this practice could 

 not be carried out in most localities in the Lesser Antilles. 



Natural Enemies. The larger moth borer, being a day- 

 flying insect, is largely attacked by many insectivorous birds, 

 and by lizards and toads. It is likely that the encouragement 

 of natural enemies in British Guiana will be found to have 

 a considerable influence in decreasing the numbers of the pest. 



THE WEEVIL BORER (Sphenophorus sericeus, Oliv.). 

 Coleoptera. 



The weevil borer has long been 

 familiar throughout the West Indies 

 as a pest of sugar-cane. It has also 

 been known under the name of lady- 

 bird borer, the term lady-bird 

 apparently being applied in the 

 West Indies to a considerable number 

 of weevils. This is rather unfortu- 

 nate, since in most other parts of 

 the world the insects referred to as 

 lady-birds are generally beneficial in 

 their habits, while the weevils are 

 Fig. 66. Weevil borer. a11 distinctly injurious. 

 Adult. Enlarged. (Imperial The weevil borer has been 

 Dept. Ayric.) . sufficiently abundant at times to 



