SUGAR 163 



and the contained larva or chrysalis secured and placed 

 in a tin. Fourpence a hundred is generally paid for the 

 grubs and chrysalides, though this price, of course, 

 fluctuates according to the abundance of the pest. Three 

 hundred are usually collected by one individual during 

 the day. Cutting out cannot be employed after the 

 canes are four months of age. 



During 1913, 25,583,987 caterpillars and chrysalides 

 were thus destroyed. The collection of the egg masses 

 of this pest has recently been commenced on some 

 estates. The eggs are light yellow in colour, oval in 

 shape, and are deposited overlapping one another in the 

 mass. Though somewhat difficult to discern at first, with 

 practice it is possible to collect quite a fair number during 

 the course of the day. A small gang of specially trained 

 children are employed in the work, and are well paid. 



Two species of egg parasite of the small moth borer 

 are commonly met with, and one T rich o gramma minutum, 

 Riley, has a world-wide reputation, as it is known to- 

 parasitize the ova of many species of Lepidoptera in many 

 parts of the world. 



Several species of external Hymenopterous parasites 

 occur, one Dipterous parasite, and a fungus parasite, a 

 species of Cordyceps. The larva of an Elaterid beetle 

 also preys on the early stages. 



These parasites, especially the egg parasites, perform 

 excellent work in the control of this pest, and lines of 

 investigation have recently been commenced with a view 

 to increasing, if possible, their utility. 



Other Pests. 



Other more important pests include the so-called 

 weevil borer (Meiamasius hemipterus), which at times 

 damages the stools and rooting system of the cane. 



The larvae of two Noctuid moths, Remigia repanda and 

 Laphygma frugiperda (known in the United States as 

 the fall dung worm), feed on the leaf-blades of the cane, 

 and at times occur in enormous numbers, stripping whole 

 fields of their foliage, and leaving nothing but the hard 

 midribs. These are destroyed by collecting the cater- 

 pillars in buckets containing paraffin and water. They 



