﻿106 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  cotton 
  worms 
  in 
  the 
  field 
  were 
  rare, 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  possible 
  to 
  test 
  

   these 
  experiments 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  in 
  the 
  open. 
  The 
  method 
  that 
  would 
  

   be 
  adopted 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  would 
  be 
  to 
  disseminate 
  the 
  disease 
  by 
  artificial 
  

   spraying 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  with 
  w^ater 
  containing 
  infected 
  larvae. 
  

   Investigations 
  were, 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  writing, 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  complete 
  to 
  

   make 
  it 
  possible 
  to 
  say 
  what 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  climate 
  would 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  

   infective 
  power 
  of 
  the 
  disease, 
  but 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  rainless 
  

   climate 
  of 
  Egypt 
  would 
  facilitate 
  its 
  dissemination 
  by 
  spraying. 
  

  

  Peacock 
  (A. 
  D.). 
  Entomological 
  Pests 
  and 
  Problems 
  of 
  Southern 
  

   Nigeria. 
  — 
  Bull. 
  Entom. 
  Research, 
  London, 
  iv, 
  pt. 
  3, 
  Nov. 
  1913, 
  

   pp. 
  191-220, 
  2 
  figs., 
  6 
  pi. 
  

  

  This 
  report 
  deals 
  with 
  the 
  investigations 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  in 
  

   Southern 
  Nigeria 
  in 
  1911-1912. 
  Insects 
  attacking 
  cotton 
  are 
  the 
  

   cotton 
  stainers 
  {Dysdercus 
  superstitiosus, 
  F., 
  and 
  Oxycarenus 
  diidgeoni, 
  

   Dist.) 
  ; 
  boll-worms 
  {Diparopsis 
  castanea, 
  Hmp., 
  Earias 
  hiplaga, 
  Wlk., 
  

   and 
  Chloridea 
  obsoleta, 
  F.) 
  ; 
  leaf-rolling 
  caterpillars 
  {Sylepta 
  derogata, 
  

   F., 
  and 
  Zebronia 
  phenice, 
  Cram.) 
  ; 
  cotton 
  aphis 
  (Aphis 
  gossypii, 
  Glov.) 
  ; 
  

   leaf-eating 
  beetles 
  (Coccinellidae 
  : 
  Epilachna 
  chrysomelina, 
  F., 
  

  

  E. 
  similis, 
  Muls. 
  ; 
  Lagriidae 
  : 
  Lagria 
  villosa, 
  F., 
  and 
  L. 
  vindipennis, 
  

  

  F. 
  ; 
  CuRCULiONiDAE 
  : 
  Siderodactylus 
  sp. 
  ; 
  Chrysomelidae 
  : 
  Sya- 
  

   grus 
  calcaratus, 
  F., 
  Plagiodera 
  circumcincta, 
  Sahib., 
  Ootheca 
  mutabilis, 
  

   Sahib., 
  and 
  Nisotra 
  uniforma, 
  Jac.) 
  ; 
  leaf-eating 
  caterpillars 
  (Euproctis 
  

   sp., 
  E. 
  lyonia, 
  Swinh.) 
  ; 
  scale-insects 
  {Pulvinaria 
  jacksoni, 
  Newst., 
  and 
  

   Riper 
  sia 
  sp.). 
  

  

  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  Red 
  Cotton 
  Stainer 
  {Dysdercus 
  superstitiosus) 
  

   occupied 
  considerable 
  attention 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  worst 
  pest 
  of 
  Southern 
  

   Nigerian 
  cotton, 
  and 
  does 
  an 
  immense 
  amount 
  of 
  harm 
  both 
  to 
  the 
  seed 
  

   and 
  to 
  the 
  lint. 
  It 
  is 
  widely 
  distributed 
  in 
  the 
  Colony, 
  being 
  mostly 
  

   in 
  evidence 
  during 
  March, 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  ripening 
  and 
  shedding 
  of 
  the 
  

   seed 
  of 
  the 
  silk-cotton 
  tree, 
  and 
  from 
  September 
  to 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  Novem- 
  

   ber, 
  during 
  the 
  ripening 
  of 
  the 
  cotton 
  bolls. 
  The 
  bugs 
  suck 
  the 
  juices 
  

   of 
  the 
  rich 
  oily 
  seeds 
  of 
  the 
  cotton. 
  Hibiscus 
  and 
  silk-cotton 
  tree, 
  and 
  

   stain 
  the 
  white 
  lint 
  of 
  their 
  food-plants 
  with 
  yellow 
  excretory 
  juices. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  clusters, 
  the 
  average 
  number 
  in 
  each 
  being 
  about 
  63. 
  

   The 
  breeding 
  period 
  lasts 
  for 
  about 
  9 
  to 
  10 
  weeks 
  ; 
  the 
  newly 
  hatched 
  

   young 
  soon 
  become 
  active, 
  and 
  crawling 
  up 
  the 
  cotton 
  stalk, 
  swarm 
  

   upon 
  the 
  opened 
  bolls 
  and 
  suck 
  the 
  cotton 
  seed 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  five 
  moults. 
  

   Natural 
  enemies 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  discovered. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  great 
  importance 
  

   to 
  keep 
  the 
  plantations 
  free 
  from 
  all 
  weeds, 
  etc. 
  ; 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  the 
  

   silk-cotton 
  tree 
  has 
  also 
  been 
  shown 
  to 
  be 
  prejudicial. 
  Collecting 
  the 
  

   stainers 
  is 
  best 
  undertaken 
  early 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  season. 
  A 
  collecting 
  

   net 
  suitable 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  is 
  described 
  and 
  figured. 
  The 
  planting 
  of 
  

   trap-crops 
  to 
  entice 
  the 
  stainers 
  away 
  from 
  the 
  cotton 
  plants 
  is 
  sug- 
  

   gested, 
  but 
  was 
  not 
  tried. 
  General 
  measures 
  are 
  recommended, 
  such 
  

   as 
  gathering 
  the 
  cotton 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  ripe, 
  sunning 
  it 
  well, 
  and 
  

   constantly 
  turning 
  it 
  over, 
  which 
  causes 
  the 
  stainers 
  to 
  crawl 
  away, 
  

   and 
  the 
  burning 
  of 
  old 
  cotton-stalks, 
  which 
  harbour 
  the 
  pest. 
  Some 
  

   foreign 
  cottons 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  liable 
  to 
  attack 
  as 
  the 
  native 
  varieties, 
  but 
  

   th^ 
  lint-bearing 
  qualities 
  are 
  not 
  so 
  good. 
  

  

  The 
  Black 
  Cotton 
  Stainer 
  {Oxycarenus 
  dudgeoni) 
  is 
  also 
  widely 
  

   distributed 
  ; 
  it 
  appears 
  in 
  November. 
  The 
  insect 
  feeds 
  and 
  breeds 
  

  

  