No. 3.] Notes on insect pests from the Entomological Section^ 125 



names recently invented. The name " Shaikh Chilli " appears to have taken a 

 firm hold in Sultanpur and " Bahadura " in parts of Fyzabad and Azamgarh. 

 . The insect, a small grey weevil, makes its home amongst the loose clods and 

 soil of newly-sown fields. It is reported that it is attracted by the smell of Kaitha 

 and Bel fruit and collects in large numbers near fragments of such fruit when 

 strewn over a field. It is then collected and destroyed by the cultivators. Irriga- 

 tion has this year been largely resorted to to destroy it often at so early a stage 

 <>n the growth of the crop that the young seedlings, especially of peas, have been 

 hurt. It is said never to appear again in irrigated land or after the cold weather 

 has fully set in. Th« young poppy is now springing up freely in fields on which 

 earlier sowings were destroyed. 



The damage done by this insect to poppy is so constant and extensive that the 

 discovery of a suitable insecticide for it would be a most valuable one. The insecti- 

 cide should probably be applied to the soil before the germination of the young 

 plants, as after germination they would be likely to be destroyed by the application 

 of an arsenical preparation or kerosene emulsion. Kerosene as procurable every- 

 where would be a suitable insecticide to experiment on. Cultivators of the valu- 

 able poppy plant would no doubt be glad to devote a considerable amount of 

 labour and to incur some small expenditure in kerosene and soap to secure their 

 sowings against damage, but the purchase of expensive apparatus is not possible 

 for them. If the Superintendent of the Indian Museum could suggest some 

 simple way of applying a kerosene emulsion or arsenical preparation to the 

 soil or even to the young plants, measures will be taken next sowing season to 

 experiment with them. Expensive measures are useless to the cultivators, and 

 the Department of Agriculture is itself not in a position to incur any large 

 expenditure." 



As regards preventative and remedial measures against this de- 

 structive insect the suggestions made were {;) deep ploughing of the 

 field in the summer to destroy or expose pupae that lie near the 

 surface ; (2) searching for the pupae and destroying them ; {3) at- 

 tracting the perfect insects to fires of dry wood or of refuse material 

 from the fields, since insects are known to be readily attracted by 

 light ; (4) sowing only seeds selected from plants that have resisted 

 the attack. 



Two force pumps and a small supply of *' London purple " v/ere 

 also despatched to the Director, Land Records and Agriculture, North- 

 West Provinces and Oudh, for experimental use against the pest. 



4. Araeoceriis fasciculatiis, Degeer 

 (Ord. Coleop. Fam. Anthribidae.) 



The areca-nut Beetle. 



Plate No. XI, fig. 2i a, larva \ b, pupa; c and d, beetle, dorsal 

 and side views ^ 



