﻿143 
  

  

  (Saissetia 
  nigra) 
  is 
  a 
  serious 
  pest 
  at 
  times, 
  but 
  over 
  small 
  areas. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not 
  parasitised 
  to 
  anything 
  like 
  the 
  same 
  extent 
  in 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  as 
  in 
  

   Barbados, 
  where 
  the 
  Chalcid, 
  Zalophothrix 
  miriwi, 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  

   more 
  efficient 
  check 
  on 
  the 
  scale 
  than 
  in 
  other 
  islands. 
  For 
  several 
  

   years 
  past 
  a 
  small 
  bronze 
  beetle 
  has 
  attacked 
  young 
  cotton 
  in 
  St. 
  

   Vincent 
  and 
  the 
  Cays, 
  eating 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  probably 
  causing 
  a 
  certain 
  

   amount 
  of 
  injury 
  to 
  the 
  plants. 
  

  

  Coconut 
  pests. 
  Though 
  present 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island, 
  scales 
  and 
  

   whitefly 
  only 
  occasionally 
  occurred 
  in 
  such 
  abundance 
  as 
  to 
  indicate 
  

   any 
  great 
  damage 
  being 
  done. 
  The 
  Bourbon 
  scale 
  (Aspidiotus 
  

   destructor), 
  the 
  tessellated 
  shield 
  scale 
  {Eucalymnatus 
  tessellatus), 
  and 
  

   occasionally 
  the 
  black 
  lime 
  scale 
  (Ischnaspis 
  longirostris) 
  occurred 
  in 
  

   some 
  numbers. 
  The 
  Euccdymnatus 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  well 
  controlled 
  by 
  

   the 
  fungus, 
  Cephahsporium 
  lecanii. 
  Two 
  species 
  of 
  whitefly 
  occurred, 
  

   Aleurodicus 
  cocois, 
  Curtis, 
  and 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  Aleurodes, 
  which 
  frequently 
  

   is 
  found 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  it. 
  If 
  remedial 
  measures 
  become 
  necessary, 
  

   cutting 
  out 
  the 
  old 
  leaves 
  and 
  spraying 
  the 
  remainder 
  with 
  a 
  contact 
  

   insecticide 
  would 
  seem 
  the 
  best 
  course 
  to 
  follow. 
  Judging 
  from 
  some 
  

   small 
  trials, 
  " 
  Scalo 
  " 
  appears 
  of 
  value 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  Every 
  injury 
  

   or 
  cut 
  in 
  a 
  coconut 
  palm 
  should 
  be 
  tarred 
  immediately 
  to 
  prevent 
  egg- 
  

   laying 
  by 
  the 
  palm 
  weevil. 
  This 
  weevil 
  {Rhynchophorus 
  palmarum) 
  

   occurs 
  generally 
  throughout 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  and 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  greatly 
  on 
  

   the 
  increase. 
  The 
  clearing 
  of 
  land 
  for 
  cotton 
  -growing 
  is 
  responsible 
  

   for 
  this. 
  Among 
  the 
  growths 
  cleared 
  were 
  gru-gru 
  palms 
  (Acrocomia 
  

   lasiospatha) 
  which 
  were 
  ordinarily 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  larvae 
  of 
  the 
  palm 
  

   weevil 
  after 
  a 
  few 
  slashes 
  ^^dth 
  a 
  cutlass 
  had 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  the 
  trunk 
  

   to 
  aid 
  the 
  female 
  weevil 
  to 
  gain 
  access 
  to 
  the 
  soft 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  egg-laying. 
  All 
  plantations 
  of 
  coconut 
  palms 
  must 
  be 
  

   carefully 
  watched 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  first 
  sign 
  of 
  attack 
  the 
  grub 
  must 
  be 
  dug 
  

   out 
  and 
  the 
  wound 
  treated 
  with 
  an 
  application 
  of 
  tar. 
  The 
  softer 
  

   portions 
  of 
  the 
  stem 
  of 
  the 
  gru-gru 
  and 
  coconut 
  palms, 
  cut 
  in 
  lengths 
  of, 
  

   say, 
  3 
  or 
  4 
  feet, 
  and 
  split 
  in 
  half, 
  might 
  be 
  used 
  in 
  coconut 
  plantations 
  

   as 
  traps 
  for 
  the 
  palm 
  weevil. 
  They 
  should 
  be 
  collected 
  after 
  some 
  

   four 
  or 
  five 
  weeks 
  and 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  a 
  new 
  lot 
  put 
  down 
  for 
  traps. 
  

  

  Arrowroot 
  pests. 
  The 
  arrowroot 
  in 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  seemed 
  to 
  

   be 
  healthy 
  and 
  not 
  injured 
  by 
  insects. 
  The 
  most 
  common 
  and 
  best 
  

   known 
  pest 
  is 
  the 
  arrowroot 
  worm, 
  the 
  larva 
  of 
  a 
  " 
  Skipper 
  " 
  butterfly, 
  

   Calpodes 
  ethlius. 
  In 
  St. 
  Vincent 
  the 
  worms 
  are 
  searched 
  for 
  in 
  the 
  

   rolled 
  leaves 
  and 
  when 
  found 
  are 
  crushed 
  with 
  the 
  fingers. 
  The 
  

   rhizomes 
  of 
  arrowroot 
  are 
  often 
  attacked 
  by 
  some 
  insect 
  which 
  tunnels 
  

   into 
  them, 
  forming 
  cavities 
  which 
  fill 
  with 
  soil 
  and 
  cause 
  much 
  extra 
  

   work 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  starch. 
  

  

  Lime 
  pests. 
  In 
  all 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  citrus 
  trees 
  are 
  attacked 
  by 
  

   scale-insects 
  ; 
  black 
  blight 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  on 
  practically 
  every 
  citrus 
  

   tree, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  cases 
  in 
  considerable 
  abundance. 
  The 
  

   green 
  scale 
  (Coccus 
  viridis) 
  and 
  the 
  white 
  scale 
  {Chionaspis 
  citri) 
  are 
  

   most 
  frequently 
  seen, 
  while 
  purple 
  scale 
  {Lepidosajolies 
  heckii) 
  is 
  

   unusually 
  rare. 
  Green 
  scale 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  and 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  parasitised 
  

   by 
  the 
  Cephahsporium 
  fungus 
  to 
  such 
  a 
  degree 
  as 
  to 
  prevent 
  its 
  becom- 
  

   ing 
  a 
  serious 
  pest. 
  

  

  Ground-nut 
  pests. 
  The 
  Pentatomid 
  bug, 
  Edessa 
  meditabunda, 
  

   attacks 
  ground-nuts 
  in 
  St. 
  Vincent. 
  The 
  author 
  does 
  not 
  know 
  

   whether 
  spraying 
  would 
  be 
  profitable, 
  but 
  suggests 
  that 
  experiments 
  

  

  