﻿670 
  

  

  De 
  (M. 
  N.). 
  Instructions 
  for 
  Rearing 
  Mulberry 
  Silkworms. 
  — 
  Agric. 
  

   Research 
  InsL, 
  Pusa, 
  Bull. 
  no. 
  39, 
  1914, 
  25 
  pp., 
  4 
  pis., 
  3 
  figs. 
  

  

  Trycolyga 
  bombycis, 
  which 
  according 
  to 
  Villeneuve 
  is 
  a 
  synonym 
  of 
  

   the 
  widely 
  distributed 
  T. 
  sorbillans, 
  Wied., 
  causes 
  great 
  havoc 
  among 
  

   silkworms 
  ; 
  one 
  female 
  may 
  lay 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  350 
  eggs, 
  one 
  on 
  each 
  

   larva. 
  These 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  in 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  days, 
  and 
  the 
  larva 
  enters 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  the 
  caterpillar, 
  feeding 
  upon 
  the 
  tissues 
  of 
  the 
  host, 
  which 
  

   dies 
  in 
  10 
  or 
  12 
  days. 
  Against 
  these 
  flies 
  the 
  only 
  preventive 
  measure 
  

   that 
  can 
  be 
  adopted 
  is 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  larvae 
  when 
  they 
  emerge 
  from 
  

   the 
  body 
  of 
  their 
  hosts. 
  The 
  flies 
  may 
  be 
  prevented 
  from 
  entering 
  the 
  

   rearing-room 
  by 
  small-meshed 
  wire 
  gauze 
  nets 
  or 
  bamboo 
  chicks 
  in 
  

   doors 
  and 
  windows. 
  

  

  Patteeson 
  (W. 
  H.). 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  Entomologist. 
  — 
  Rept. 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  

   Agric. 
  Dept. 
  for 
  1913, 
  Accra, 
  1914, 
  pp. 
  18-27. 
  [Received 
  20th 
  

   October 
  1914.] 
  

  

  This 
  report 
  is 
  chiefly 
  occupied 
  with 
  pests 
  of 
  cacao, 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  ones 
  being 
  three 
  Capsid 
  bugs, 
  Sahlbergella 
  singularis, 
  Hag., 
  

   S. 
  theobroma, 
  Dist., 
  and 
  the 
  cacao 
  Helopeltis 
  [H. 
  bergrothi, 
  Reut.]. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  of 
  S. 
  singularis 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  generally 
  deposited 
  in 
  woody 
  

   tissue 
  and 
  may 
  be 
  laid 
  in 
  branches 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  1| 
  inches 
  in 
  diameter, 
  

   occasionally 
  in 
  herbaceous 
  stems 
  and 
  leaf 
  stalks. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   S. 
  theobroma 
  the 
  nymphs 
  appear 
  in 
  14 
  days, 
  but 
  S. 
  singularis 
  appear 
  to 
  

   require 
  three 
  weeks. 
  The 
  nyniphal 
  period 
  occupies 
  about 
  a 
  month 
  and 
  

   there 
  are 
  five 
  moults. 
  As 
  a 
  rule 
  these 
  insects 
  do 
  not 
  feed 
  during 
  the 
  day 
  

   and 
  avoid 
  sunlight. 
  Feeding 
  generally 
  begins 
  about 
  5.30 
  p.m., 
  but 
  

   in 
  dull 
  and 
  wet 
  weather 
  somewhat 
  earlier, 
  and 
  if 
  the 
  morning 
  be 
  sun- 
  

   less 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  at 
  work 
  as 
  late 
  as 
  10 
  a.m. 
  When 
  not 
  feeding 
  

   they 
  remain 
  quiescent 
  on 
  the 
  branch, 
  sometimes 
  in 
  groups 
  of 
  as 
  many 
  

   as 
  13. 
  Isolated 
  specimens 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  scattered 
  over 
  the 
  tree, 
  

   hiding 
  in 
  crevices 
  of 
  the 
  bark 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  shoots 
  which 
  have 
  

   withered 
  as 
  a 
  result 
  of 
  their 
  attack 
  at 
  an 
  earher 
  date. 
  Adults 
  live 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  months 
  and 
  breed 
  on 
  cacao 
  throughout 
  the 
  year. 
  No 
  

   other 
  host 
  plant 
  has 
  yet 
  been 
  found. 
  The 
  chief 
  damage 
  is 
  done 
  to 
  

   plants 
  from 
  three 
  years 
  of 
  age 
  upwards. 
  Young 
  branches 
  present 
  

   a 
  somewhat 
  gnarled 
  appearance 
  when 
  attacked 
  and, 
  especially 
  in 
  

   dry 
  weather, 
  the 
  leaves 
  wither 
  and 
  the 
  branches 
  are 
  easily 
  broken 
  by 
  

   the 
  wind. 
  In 
  damp 
  weather 
  very 
  few 
  branches 
  are 
  broken 
  and 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  the 
  pest 
  is 
  overlooked 
  until 
  severe 
  damage 
  has 
  been 
  done. 
  

   The 
  epidermis 
  dries 
  up 
  round 
  each 
  puncture 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  and 
  splits 
  

   open, 
  and 
  various 
  saprophytic 
  fungi 
  appear 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  

   invaded 
  area. 
  When 
  older 
  branches 
  have 
  been 
  attacked 
  the 
  bark 
  

   does 
  not 
  always 
  split, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  by 
  cutting 
  into 
  the 
  bark 
  of 
  un- 
  

   healthy 
  trees 
  that 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  these 
  insects 
  is 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  brown 
  dead 
  

   cortex. 
  (This 
  brown 
  tissue 
  must 
  be 
  distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  claret 
  

   or 
  purple 
  colour 
  caused 
  by 
  " 
  wet 
  " 
  canker.) 
  

  

  Natural 
  control 
  is 
  assisted 
  by 
  lizards 
  and 
  spiders 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   found 
  to 
  prey 
  upon 
  these 
  bugs, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  some 
  evidence 
  for 
  thinking 
  

   that 
  the 
  red 
  tree 
  ants, 
  Oecophylla, 
  also 
  destroy 
  them. 
  In 
  two 
  cases, 
  

   the 
  larvae 
  of 
  an 
  unidentified 
  dipterous 
  parasite 
  were 
  bred 
  from 
  this 
  

   pest. 
  A 
  white 
  fungus 
  may 
  play 
  an 
  important 
  part 
  in 
  the 
  natural 
  

  

  