PEOCEEDIXGS OF THE TIJIRU EXTOilOLOGICAL MEETING 797 



The manufacturers should insist on purchasing stick-lac which contains 

 a smaller proiDortion of lac-dye than one which has been collected before 

 swarming has taken place and is consequently rich in colouring matter. 

 This will effectively put an end to the unscientific method of gathering 

 lac thereby consigning to death a huge number of larvae which would 

 otherwise have produced lac. No doubt, to hasten the adoption of the 

 change recommended, active demonstrations would have to be made on 

 an extensive scale before the cultivators could be expected to give up 

 the practice which has rather become engrained in them. 



With the establishment of nurseries for the distribution of healthy, 

 broodlac, and improvements in the methods of collection, the question 

 of parasites and predators on lac has to be carefully gone through. From 

 what is knowai now Eubleinma amabilis is the v,-orst enemy of lac on the 

 trees. The caterpillars devour the females and pupate within silken 

 galleries made in the encrustations. In some places the moth is so bad 

 that it is impossible to grow lac. The predaceous cateri^illars appear 

 in hordes and destroy the females with the consequence that no lac is 

 produced. In one p'ace I found that, from a dozen broodlac ^ticks, 

 each 12' to 15' long, as many as 4.35 Eub'emtnci amcibi is moths were 

 bred out. (Plate 127) It was from this place that large quantities 

 of broodlac were sent out far and wide and it is no wonder that the pla2e 

 should have been the means of d'stributing the predator along with th3 

 host. In some places the predator forestalled the ho^t with the result 

 that no lac could be grown. This aspect brings to the fore the question 

 or rather the necessity of establishing broodlac nurseries, in any scheme of 

 extension of lac cultivation in India. No cloubt before any such scheme 

 is mooted an accurate survey will have to be mide of the locality or 

 localities, which if not altogether free from the parasites and predators, 

 are comparatively immune from the attacks of these disturbing factors. 

 Besides Eublemma amabilis, the question of parasitic Chalcididfe will 

 have to be studied in greater detail than has been attempted in the past. 

 Species that are parasitic on Eublemma caterpillars will have to be 

 differentiated from those which are primarily pari^sitic on the lac insect. 

 If there are any hyperparasites, these will have to be studied sej^arately 

 and assigned a place in the scheme adopted to check the undue in- 

 crement of the primary parasites. The role of Holcocera pulverm will 

 tave to be determmed specifically as regards the lac on trees as well 

 as stick-lac in storage. The question of Storage so as to avoid the stick- 

 lac getting blocky will have to be studied. But what appears to be in 

 keeping with the present conditions, it is advisable to wash the stick-lac 

 and treat it with monohydrated Sodium Carbonate. This will free the 

 resin of the colouring matter adhering to the innermost walls of the cells 



