147 



is ready to come out of the egg that the uaattacked borer eg^s show a 

 slightly black colour. It should therefore be possible, by looking at a 

 patch of eggs, to say whether the eggs will yield caterpillars or para- -, 

 sites. 



Caterpillars. — On hatching, the caterpillars ("worms") walk down 

 the leaf and, in young canes, on reaching the base they either bore 

 into the leaf sheath or pass down between the leaf sheaths. For 10 

 days or more they feed on the outer layers of the stem, and theu bore 



The Moth-borer caterpillar, seea from the side as It 

 appears when taken out of the cane. Twice 

 the natural size of a full grown specimen. 



into the centre of the young cane, destroying about three inches of the 

 heart of the cane near the base In old canes, the caterpillars make 

 tunnels in the joints, eating out the solid 

 substance of the cane. After a little 

 over a month (33 to 35 days) when the 

 caterpillars are about 1 inch long, they 

 make a hole to the outside of the cane 

 and then change to the chrysalis. 



Chrysi-lis. — The chrysalis is brown? 

 and is unable to move ; it lies in the 

 cane near the hole made by the cater- 

 pillar, and is transformed into the moth 

 in five to seven days. 



During this time the structure of the 

 caterpillar undergoes changes resulting 

 in the formation of the wings, legs, 

 eyes, and other parts of the moth, be- 

 sides almost completely new internal 

 organs. 



Moth. — The moth is greyish in colour 

 and lives two days only. During the 

 day it is inactive, but at night the fe- 

 male flies and lays eggs. One female 

 will lay upwards of 150 eggs, distri- 

 buted over a number of plants. 



The Moth does not appear to be 

 capable of flying far or against the wind : 

 it may be carried for some distance by 

 the wind, but the eggs are laid, in all 



probability, on plants scattered over a rp. Tit ^x. u 



^ n 1 ^ • n X 1 in The Moth as it appears when 



small area, and especially to leeward of at rest with the wings closed, 



the older canes. Twice the natural size. 



The Moth-borer Chrysalis 

 seen from the side. Twice 

 the natural size. 



