﻿208 
  w. 
  a. 
  lamborn. 
  — 
  the 
  agricultural 
  pests 
  

  

  Insects 
  Attacking 
  Coffee. 
  

  

  Only 
  one 
  leaf-eater 
  of 
  any 
  importance, 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  Drepanid 
  moth, 
  Metadrepana 
  

   glauca, 
  Hmp. 
  (Plate 
  xvii, 
  fig. 
  4), 
  was 
  found, 
  and 
  this 
  solely 
  at 
  Agege. 
  The 
  caterpillar 
  

   is 
  dull 
  green, 
  with 
  a 
  lighter 
  coloured 
  bulbous 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  thorax, 
  and 
  a 
  long 
  

   black 
  whip-like 
  tail. 
  

  

  The 
  Coreid 
  bug, 
  Riptortus 
  tenuicomis, 
  Dall., 
  previously 
  recorded 
  as 
  a 
  pest, 
  

   was 
  not 
  in 
  evidence 
  this 
  year 
  on 
  coffee, 
  though 
  it 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  on 
  

   a 
  small 
  low-growing 
  Leguminous 
  plant. 
  

  

  Various 
  scale-insects, 
  Stictococcus 
  in 
  particular, 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  young 
  shoots, 
  but 
  

   by 
  no 
  means 
  in 
  abundance, 
  and 
  were 
  protected 
  by 
  the 
  Oecophylla 
  ant. 
  

  

  Maize 
  Pests. 
  

   leaf-eaters. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  important 
  pests 
  attacking 
  maize 
  in 
  the 
  leaf 
  were 
  Lepidopterous 
  larvae. 
  

   The 
  life-history 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these, 
  Prodenia 
  litura, 
  F., 
  was 
  worked 
  out. 
  The 
  female 
  

   parent 
  deposits 
  her 
  eggs 
  en 
  masse 
  on 
  the 
  underside 
  of 
  a 
  maize 
  leaf, 
  protecting 
  and 
  

   concealing 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  downy 
  material 
  composed 
  of 
  hairs 
  and 
  scales 
  from 
  her 
  

   abdomen. 
  The 
  larvae 
  hatch 
  in 
  three 
  days, 
  and 
  immediately 
  commence 
  to 
  eat 
  away 
  

   the 
  superficial 
  layers 
  of 
  the 
  leaf 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  exhibits 
  translucent 
  patches 
  and 
  becomes 
  

   withered 
  ; 
  they 
  then 
  gradually 
  scatter 
  and 
  as 
  they 
  become 
  stronger 
  eat 
  away 
  the 
  

   whole 
  thickness 
  of 
  the 
  leaf. 
  When 
  about 
  two-thirds 
  grown, 
  at 
  the 
  13th 
  to 
  the 
  16th 
  

   day, 
  the 
  larvae, 
  which 
  are 
  brown, 
  show 
  a 
  tendency 
  to 
  conceal 
  themselves 
  in 
  the 
  

   heart 
  of 
  the 
  plant 
  ; 
  this 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  as 
  showing 
  a 
  possible 
  step 
  towards 
  the 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  actual 
  boring 
  habits. 
  It 
  is 
  at 
  this 
  stage 
  that 
  most 
  damage 
  is 
  done, 
  for 
  often 
  

   the 
  only 
  indication 
  of 
  their 
  presence 
  is 
  the 
  withering 
  up 
  and 
  ultimate 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  

   growing 
  shoot, 
  which 
  on 
  examination 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  eaten 
  through 
  towards 
  the 
  base. 
  

   When 
  full-fed, 
  towards 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  week, 
  the 
  larva 
  buries 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  

   ground 
  and, 
  forming 
  an 
  earthen 
  cocoon, 
  pupates, 
  the 
  fully 
  developed 
  insect 
  appearing 
  

   about 
  eight 
  days 
  later. 
  

  

  The 
  larva 
  of 
  the 
  Noctuid 
  Cirphis 
  loreyi, 
  Dup., 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Plusia 
  were 
  

   found 
  frequently 
  on 
  maize 
  leaves, 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  quite 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  other 
  species 
  

   not 
  sufficiently 
  numerous 
  to 
  be 
  considered 
  pests. 
  Two 
  species 
  of 
  Lymantrid 
  cater- 
  

   pillars 
  devote 
  their 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  silk, 
  eating 
  it 
  away 
  flush 
  with 
  the 
  apex 
  of 
  the 
  

   cob, 
  an 
  attack 
  which, 
  if 
  it 
  occurs 
  before 
  fertilisation 
  has 
  taken 
  place, 
  must 
  lead 
  to 
  

   total 
  failure 
  of 
  the 
  cob. 
  The 
  earwig, 
  Elaunon 
  erythrocephalus, 
  Oliv., 
  was 
  responsible 
  

   for 
  some 
  damage 
  to 
  green 
  maize. 
  The 
  species 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  gregarious 
  habit, 
  isolated 
  

   specimens 
  being 
  rarely 
  found, 
  and 
  their 
  attack 
  on 
  a 
  plant 
  produces 
  a 
  very 
  characteristic 
  

   appearance, 
  which, 
  when 
  once 
  seen, 
  can 
  always 
  be 
  detected 
  at 
  a 
  glance. 
  The 
  growing 
  

   shoot 
  loses 
  tone, 
  droops 
  and 
  becomes 
  withered, 
  and 
  on 
  separating 
  the 
  leaves 
  one 
  

   finds 
  earwigs 
  congregating 
  in 
  and 
  about 
  holes 
  bored 
  into 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  stem. 
  This 
  

   leads 
  to 
  the 
  plant 
  dying 
  back 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  recover 
  and 
  recommences 
  to 
  

   grow, 
  and 
  as 
  the 
  new 
  leaves 
  attempt 
  to 
  force 
  their 
  way 
  through 
  the 
  holes 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  

   ones, 
  they 
  become 
  restrained 
  and 
  distorted. 
  These 
  earwigs 
  actually 
  breed 
  on 
  the 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  no 
  uncommon 
  thing 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  female 
  parent 
  brooding 
  over 
  a 
  batch 
  

   of 
  ten 
  to 
  fifteen 
  light 
  yellow 
  eggs, 
  or 
  much 
  agitated 
  at 
  the 
  prospect 
  of 
  danger 
  menacing 
  

   the 
  young 
  family 
  over 
  which 
  it 
  mounts 
  guard 
  with 
  exemplary 
  solicitude. 
  

  

  