﻿57 
  

  

  Bodkin 
  (G. 
  E.). 
  A 
  New 
  Insect 
  Pest 
  of 
  Coconut 
  Palms 
  in 
  British 
  

   Guiana, 
  Castnia 
  daedalus, 
  Cramer. 
  — 
  J 
  I. 
  Board 
  Agric. 
  of 
  Br. 
  Guiana, 
  

   Demerara, 
  vii, 
  no. 
  2, 
  Oct. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  87-90. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  states 
  that 
  in 
  a 
  coconut 
  pahn, 
  well 
  advanced 
  in 
  growth, 
  

   the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  this 
  moth 
  is 
  easily 
  detected, 
  the 
  signs 
  of 
  

   attack 
  consisting 
  of 
  deep, 
  irregular, 
  longitudinal 
  scars 
  or 
  furrows, 
  

   running 
  up 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  palm 
  in 
  continuous 
  lines, 
  often 
  3 
  to 
  4 
  feet 
  

   in 
  length. 
  The 
  larvae 
  themselves 
  live 
  in 
  the 
  burrows, 
  which 
  they 
  

   make 
  between 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  tree 
  and 
  the 
  broad 
  and 
  thickened 
  

   bases 
  of 
  the 
  leaves. 
  In 
  cases 
  of 
  severe 
  attack, 
  the 
  trunk 
  of 
  the 
  palm 
  

   immediately 
  beneath 
  the 
  crown 
  may 
  become 
  so 
  weakened 
  that 
  a 
  

   strong 
  gust 
  of 
  wind 
  will 
  cause 
  the 
  head 
  to 
  snap 
  off. 
  Frequent 
  cases 
  

   of 
  this 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  observed 
  on 
  the 
  Demerara 
  River. 
  The 
  financial 
  loss 
  

   occasioned 
  by 
  this 
  pest 
  is 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  serious 
  matter, 
  especially 
  as 
  

   the 
  adult 
  insect 
  is 
  winged, 
  and 
  capable 
  of 
  sustained 
  and 
  powerful 
  

   flight. 
  Descriptions 
  of 
  the 
  various 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  follow, 
  but 
  as 
  

   regards 
  the 
  Ufe-history 
  little 
  is 
  known 
  at 
  present, 
  any 
  close 
  investi- 
  

   gation 
  being 
  an 
  exceedingly 
  difficult 
  matter. 
  The 
  moths 
  themselves 
  

   are 
  entirely 
  nocturnal, 
  and 
  may 
  at 
  times 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  wing 
  at 
  dusk. 
  

   Drastic 
  measures 
  are 
  necessary 
  to 
  prevent 
  further 
  damage 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   of 
  a 
  heavily 
  infested 
  palm. 
  All 
  the 
  lower 
  leaves- 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  carefully 
  

   removed 
  by 
  cutting 
  them 
  away 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  securing 
  the 
  larva. 
  

   In 
  this 
  way 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  19 
  larvae 
  and 
  pupae 
  of 
  Castnia 
  daedalus 
  have 
  

   been 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  single 
  palm. 
  Palms 
  in 
  an 
  infected 
  district 
  should 
  

   be 
  examined 
  at 
  regular 
  intervals 
  for 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  this 
  pest, 
  and 
  to 
  

   this 
  end, 
  the 
  low^er 
  and 
  older 
  branches 
  should 
  be 
  regularly 
  removed, 
  

   and 
  the 
  tree 
  kept 
  generally 
  clean. 
  No 
  natural 
  enemies 
  have 
  been 
  

   discovered 
  so 
  far, 
  but 
  C. 
  daedalus 
  does 
  not 
  appear 
  to 
  infest 
  palms 
  

   inhabited 
  by 
  the 
  so-called 
  " 
  Kop-Kop 
  " 
  ants. 
  

  

  Sugar-cane 
  Pests 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana. 
  — 
  Agric. 
  News, 
  Barbados, 
  16th 
  k 
  

   30th 
  Aug. 
  1913, 
  pp. 
  226 
  & 
  282. 
  

  

  The 
  large 
  moth 
  borer 
  {Castnia 
  licus) 
  was 
  present 
  on 
  most 
  estates 
  in 
  

   1912, 
  the 
  grand 
  total 
  of 
  insects 
  captured 
  in 
  all 
  three 
  stages 
  on 
  seventeen 
  

   estates 
  being 
  1,018,901, 
  as 
  against 
  2,384,430 
  for 
  1911. 
  This 
  decrease 
  

   is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  nine 
  months' 
  extreme 
  drought, 
  and 
  to 
  the 
  

   excellent 
  work 
  of 
  collecting 
  in 
  1911. 
  The 
  conclusions 
  regarding 
  methods 
  

   of 
  control 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  Long-continued 
  drought 
  affects 
  the 
  insect 
  

   adversely 
  ; 
  (2) 
  the 
  peristent 
  and 
  vigorous 
  collecting 
  of 
  caterpillars 
  

   and 
  pupae 
  in 
  the 
  stools 
  of 
  canes 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  efficient 
  method 
  of 
  fighting 
  

   this 
  pest 
  ; 
  (3) 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  moths 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  useful 
  practice 
  ; 
  

   (4) 
  birds 
  may 
  be 
  encouraged 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  perches 
  in 
  the 
  cane-fields, 
  

   and 
  these 
  are 
  useful 
  aids 
  in 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  Castnia 
  ; 
  (5) 
  continued 
  

   warfare 
  must 
  be 
  kept 
  up 
  against 
  this 
  pest 
  until 
  it- 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  very 
  

   small 
  numbers 
  over 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  years 
  ; 
  a 
  decrease 
  for 
  one 
  year 
  should 
  

   not 
  be 
  taken 
  as 
  a 
  reason 
  for 
  ceasing 
  control 
  operations 
  ; 
  (6) 
  continued 
  

   efforts 
  on 
  one 
  estate, 
  or 
  on 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  estates 
  may 
  result 
  in 
  practically 
  

   freeing 
  them 
  from 
  Castnia 
  liens, 
  although 
  in 
  localities 
  near 
  by 
  the 
  

   pest 
  may 
  be 
  abundant 
  ; 
  in 
  such 
  cases, 
  however, 
  the 
  numbers 
  can 
  be 
  

   kept 
  down 
  only 
  by 
  persistent 
  effort 
  year 
  after 
  year. 
  The 
  most 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  sugar-cane 
  pests 
  in 
  British 
  Guiana 
  are 
  the 
  small 
  moth 
  borers 
  

  

  (Cll) 
  Wt.P.ll/12— 
  26.3.13. 
  1,500. 
  2.14 
  B&F.Ltd. 
  G.ll/3.^^^s^ 
  ^ 
  

  

  