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  The 
  cotton-stem 
  weevil 
  {Pempheres 
  qffinis) 
  does 
  considerable 
  damage 
  

   to 
  exotic 
  cottons 
  in 
  the 
  Coimbatore 
  district, 
  to 
  which 
  at 
  present 
  this 
  

   pest 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  confined. 
  The 
  larva 
  bores 
  into 
  the 
  stem 
  just 
  above 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  causing 
  a 
  swelling 
  and 
  weakening 
  of 
  the 
  stem, 
  so 
  that 
  

   heavy 
  wind 
  or 
  rain 
  often 
  cause 
  it 
  to 
  snap 
  across. 
  No 
  successful 
  

   methods 
  of 
  combat 
  have 
  been 
  devised. 
  

  

  Caterpillars 
  of 
  Stenachroia 
  elongella 
  were 
  found 
  webbing 
  earheads 
  

   of 
  cholam 
  at 
  Hagari 
  ; 
  several 
  cases 
  of 
  swarms 
  of 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  

   Spodoptera 
  mauritia 
  on 
  paddy, 
  fodder 
  grass, 
  etc., 
  were 
  reported. 
  

   Nymphula 
  depunctalis 
  was 
  found 
  attacking 
  paddy, 
  mostly 
  in 
  Malabar. 
  

   Agrotis 
  ypsilon 
  was 
  reported 
  as 
  causing 
  great 
  damage 
  to 
  potato 
  plants 
  

   in 
  Yucaud 
  ; 
  spraying 
  with 
  different 
  insecticides, 
  collection 
  by 
  hand 
  

   of 
  the 
  caterpillars, 
  trapping 
  caterpillars 
  and 
  moths, 
  and 
  laying 
  down 
  

   attractive 
  bait 
  were 
  all 
  tried 
  ; 
  but 
  although 
  large 
  numbers 
  were 
  killed 
  

   the 
  attack 
  remained 
  so 
  severe 
  that 
  about 
  80 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  was 
  

   lost. 
  Investigation 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  is 
  being 
  continued. 
  The 
  semi-looper 
  

   moth 
  (Acha 
  melicerta) 
  was 
  taken 
  on 
  castor 
  ; 
  sporadic 
  outbreaks 
  of 
  

   this 
  pest 
  were 
  checked 
  by 
  handpicking 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillars. 
  Azygophleps 
  

   scalar 
  is 
  was 
  found 
  attacking 
  Bengal 
  daincha 
  plants. 
  Caterpillars 
  of 
  

   Euplexia 
  conducta 
  were 
  the 
  cause 
  of 
  damage 
  to 
  safflower 
  ; 
  spraying 
  

   with 
  lead 
  chromate 
  was 
  ineffective, 
  but 
  spraying 
  with 
  lead 
  arsenate 
  

   quickly 
  checked 
  any 
  further 
  damage. 
  The 
  caterpillars 
  of 
  Chilo 
  

   simplex 
  were 
  found 
  boring 
  in 
  cholam, 
  etc., 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  Diatraea 
  sp. 
  

   in 
  sugar-cane. 
  

  

  Coffee 
  in 
  the 
  Nilgiris 
  was 
  badly 
  attacked 
  by 
  the 
  Pentatomid 
  bug, 
  

   Antestia 
  cruciata. 
  Scale-insects 
  infested 
  Babul 
  (Acacia 
  arabica) 
  at 
  

   Coimbatore 
  ; 
  predaceous 
  enemies 
  were 
  present, 
  but 
  these 
  in 
  their 
  

   turn 
  were 
  attacked 
  by 
  black 
  ants 
  (Camponotus 
  compressus). 
  Isolation 
  

   of 
  the 
  affected 
  trees 
  by 
  cutting 
  away 
  branches, 
  etc., 
  in 
  contact 
  with 
  

   the 
  ground, 
  and 
  painting 
  a 
  ring 
  of 
  tar 
  and 
  crude 
  oil 
  emulsion 
  (half 
  and 
  

   half) 
  round 
  the 
  stem 
  kept 
  away 
  the 
  ants, 
  when 
  the 
  natural 
  enemies 
  

   quickly 
  checked 
  any 
  further 
  increase 
  of 
  the 
  scales. 
  The 
  rice-bug 
  

   (Leptocorisa 
  varicornis) 
  was 
  observed 
  attacking 
  paddy 
  on 
  a 
  Coimbatore 
  

   farm 
  ; 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  by 
  experiment 
  that 
  small 
  hand-nets 
  were 
  more 
  

   effective 
  than 
  large 
  bag-nets 
  for 
  control 
  of 
  this 
  pest. 
  Aleurodes 
  

   bamhiisae 
  attacked 
  giant 
  bamboo 
  at 
  Coimbatore. 
  A 
  Fulgorid, 
  

   Pundaluoya 
  simplicia, 
  caused 
  severe 
  but 
  local 
  injury 
  to 
  cholam 
  at 
  

   Coimbatore 
  in 
  August 
  ; 
  as 
  the 
  insect 
  lives 
  protected 
  inside 
  the 
  leaf- 
  

   sheaths 
  and 
  only 
  sucks 
  the 
  juice 
  of 
  the 
  plants, 
  measures 
  such 
  as 
  spray- 
  

   ing 
  are 
  useless 
  ; 
  cutting 
  the 
  affected 
  plants 
  for 
  fodder, 
  or 
  flooding 
  the 
  

   field 
  seem 
  the 
  only 
  practical 
  methods 
  of 
  control. 
  

  

  In 
  November 
  and 
  December 
  1912, 
  a 
  blue-bottle 
  fly 
  bred 
  in 
  large 
  

   numbers 
  in 
  the 
  fish-offal 
  along 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  South 
  Kanara 
  and 
  Malabar. 
  

   These 
  flies 
  flew 
  inland 
  and 
  congregated 
  on 
  the 
  spathes 
  of 
  the 
  toddy- 
  

   palms, 
  sucking 
  up 
  the 
  toddy 
  as 
  it 
  exuded, 
  and 
  discolouring 
  the 
  little 
  

   that 
  remained 
  with 
  their 
  excrement. 
  The 
  flies 
  also 
  infested 
  the 
  shops 
  

   of 
  toddy-sellers, 
  causing 
  considerable 
  nuisance. 
  A 
  leaflet 
  in 
  English 
  

   and 
  in 
  Kanarese 
  on 
  methods 
  of 
  protecting 
  the 
  collecting 
  pots 
  on 
  the 
  

   trees 
  from 
  access 
  by 
  the 
  flies 
  is 
  being 
  prepared. 
  

  

  Termites 
  (Odontotennes) 
  were 
  found 
  attacking 
  young 
  coconut 
  palms 
  

   at 
  Quilandi, 
  Malabar. 
  The 
  case 
  was 
  interesting 
  because 
  the 
  species 
  

   doing 
  the 
  damage 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  identical 
  with 
  that 
  reported 
  as 
  

  

  