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  control. 
  Though 
  it 
  has 
  only 
  been 
  found 
  on 
  one 
  occasion, 
  it 
  is 
  very- 
  

   destructive 
  to 
  the 
  insects 
  when 
  introduced 
  into 
  breeding 
  cages. 
  

   Insects 
  infected 
  with 
  this 
  fungus 
  left 
  their 
  group 
  and 
  probably 
  many 
  

   fall 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  when 
  attacked 
  in 
  nature 
  and 
  escape 
  notice. 
  

  

  Artificial 
  control 
  includes 
  very 
  careful 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  keeping 
  

   clean 
  of 
  plantations 
  and 
  spraying 
  with 
  kerosene 
  emulsion 
  as 
  soon 
  

   as 
  the 
  bugs 
  are 
  seen. 
  

  

  The 
  grey 
  moth 
  borer, 
  Characoma 
  stictigrapta, 
  Hamp., 
  confines 
  its 
  

   attention 
  solely 
  to 
  the 
  pods. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  near 
  the 
  stalk 
  of 
  the 
  

   pods 
  and 
  frequently 
  at 
  the 
  point 
  where 
  two 
  or 
  more 
  pods 
  are 
  in 
  con- 
  

   tact. 
  The 
  larvae 
  feed 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  pod, 
  eventually 
  

   burrowing 
  and 
  attacking 
  the 
  inner 
  fruit 
  walls, 
  and 
  occasionally 
  the 
  

   seeds. 
  The 
  larval 
  stage 
  probably 
  lasts 
  a 
  month. 
  The 
  grey- 
  white 
  cocoons 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  hidden 
  under 
  the 
  excrement 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  pod 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  branches. 
  The 
  pupal 
  stage 
  lasts 
  14 
  days. 
  The 
  actual 
  

   damage 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  borer 
  is 
  not 
  of 
  economic 
  importance, 
  but 
  there 
  

   is 
  serious 
  danger 
  of 
  fungus 
  infection 
  in 
  the 
  wounds 
  it 
  causes. 
  Adoretus 
  

   hirtellus, 
  Castn., 
  has 
  not 
  caused 
  serious 
  damage 
  during 
  the 
  year. 
  

  

  " 
  Cacao 
  Mosquito," 
  which 
  term 
  has 
  been^adopted 
  as 
  a 
  vernacular 
  

   name 
  for 
  the 
  Helopeltis, 
  was 
  first 
  recorded 
  by 
  Dudgeon 
  in 
  1909, 
  

   and 
  was 
  thought 
  to 
  be 
  nearly 
  related 
  to 
  H. 
  sclioutedeni, 
  Reut., 
  from 
  

   the 
  Belgian 
  Congo 
  (see 
  Bull. 
  Entom. 
  Research, 
  i, 
  p. 
  59). 
  It 
  is 
  now 
  

   reported 
  to 
  be 
  steadily 
  increasing 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  doing 
  considerable 
  damage. 
  

   The 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  in 
  14 
  days 
  and 
  the 
  n3m[iphs 
  begin 
  feeding 
  at 
  once 
  and 
  

   continue 
  to 
  feed 
  upon 
  the 
  young 
  leaves, 
  soft 
  stems 
  or 
  cacao 
  pods 
  

   (according 
  to 
  the 
  position 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  egg 
  was 
  originally 
  laid) 
  for 
  

   about 
  a 
  month. 
  Five 
  moults 
  occur 
  before 
  the 
  winged 
  stage 
  is 
  reached. 
  

   The 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  adult 
  stage 
  is 
  not 
  known, 
  but 
  specimens 
  have 
  fived 
  

   upwards 
  of 
  70 
  days 
  in 
  cages 
  on 
  cacao 
  pods. 
  From 
  experiments, 
  the 
  

   author 
  has 
  found 
  that 
  the 
  " 
  cacao 
  mosquito 
  " 
  is 
  able 
  to 
  five 
  for 
  at 
  

   least 
  seven 
  days 
  upon 
  a 
  great 
  variety 
  of 
  plants, 
  including 
  cacao, 
  

   guava, 
  peppers, 
  Solanum 
  spp., 
  Physalis 
  spp., 
  mango, 
  pomegranate, 
  

   breadfruit, 
  jackfruit, 
  Canary 
  banana, 
  sweet 
  potato, 
  tea, 
  yam, 
  avocado 
  

   pear, 
  and 
  many 
  others. 
  The 
  Gold 
  Coast 
  cacao 
  Helopeltis 
  seems, 
  

   therefore, 
  to 
  have 
  a 
  much 
  wider 
  range 
  of 
  food-plants 
  than 
  the 
  Ceylon 
  

   tea 
  species, 
  H. 
  antonii. 
  The 
  insect 
  failed 
  to 
  five 
  upon 
  coco 
  yam 
  [Cola- 
  

   casta), 
  tobacco, 
  coffee, 
  papaw 
  and 
  Clerodendron 
  sp. 
  As 
  the 
  Helopeltis 
  

   breeds 
  at 
  Aburi 
  during 
  the 
  harmattan 
  season, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  concluded 
  that 
  

   there 
  is 
  no 
  hibernation. 
  At 
  Aburi 
  the 
  only 
  natural 
  enemy 
  found 
  to 
  

   control 
  the 
  pest 
  are 
  Mantid 
  nymphs. 
  Artificial 
  control 
  measures 
  include 
  

   such 
  farm 
  operations 
  as 
  entail 
  the 
  maximum 
  amount 
  of 
  disturbance 
  to 
  

   the 
  insects, 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  food-plants 
  other 
  than 
  cacao, 
  collection 
  of 
  

   the 
  insects 
  and 
  spraying 
  with 
  contact 
  poison, 
  e.g. 
  kerosene 
  emulsion, 
  

   and 
  lastly, 
  the 
  breeding 
  and 
  distribution 
  of 
  effective 
  natural 
  enemies. 
  

   The 
  Ceylon 
  method 
  of 
  sending 
  coolies 
  into 
  the 
  cacao 
  plantations 
  

   armed 
  with 
  sticks 
  smeared 
  with 
  the 
  viscid 
  sap 
  of 
  the 
  Jack 
  tree, 
  might 
  

   be 
  useful, 
  as 
  an 
  expert 
  operator 
  wiU 
  catch 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  1,500 
  insects 
  

   per 
  diem. 
  Smearing 
  the 
  pods 
  has 
  been 
  tried 
  on 
  the 
  Gold 
  Coast, 
  but 
  

   without 
  much 
  success. 
  

  

  The 
  chief 
  insect 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  coconut 
  industry 
  in 
  the 
  Colony, 
  which 
  

   is 
  as 
  yet 
  in 
  its 
  infancy, 
  are 
  the 
  palm 
  weevil, 
  Rhynchophorus 
  pkoenicis, 
  

   and 
  the 
  coconut 
  scale, 
  Aspidiotus 
  destructor, 
  Sign. 
  The 
  latter 
  pest 
  

  

  