19, 



insects among ants has been alluded to above, but in this case the ants 

 are the greatest offenders, and the following remedy should be ap- 

 plied to them. 



Remedies 



Spray the nest with a weak solution of oarbolic aoid and water, and 

 rub off any mealy bugs that may be attached to the plant. 



(4) Termites] 



In connection with ants may be mentioned the Termites, insects that 

 generally go by the name of " White Ants," or " Duck Ants." These 

 are not true ants, but belong to a family called Termitida*. As pre- 

 viously mentioned, their attaoks are to be feared in oases where the 

 borer has been at work, or from some other cause, a part of the woody 

 tissue of the tree has become injured, and in consequence, decay set up. 

 In such cases they will often gain an entrance to the trunk, and in 

 time eat away the whole of the inner tissues, leaving hardly more than 

 the outer bark to support the tree. 



Remedies. 



A common and successful remedy against these pests is the use of a 

 little calomel or arsouic applied to the nest, when it will be well to crush 

 a few of the ants in the poison, allowing them to remain in the nest, 

 or anywhere where the others can get at them, when they will start 

 eating them, and then eating up one another, tilt the entire colony will 

 be destroyed. Jeyes' disinfectant has also been used with success 

 against duck ants. 



Asa preventive against boreis and duck ants, it is very necessary 

 that a coating of tar or diluted carbolic acid ba applied to any part of a 

 tree where the wood has become exposed by pruning, or any other 

 cau«e. The tar not only keeps away b >rers and duok ants, but tends to 

 prevent moisture from penetrating the woody tissues, which would ac- 

 celerate deoay. 



(5) Caterpillars. 



Of the larvae of Lepidopterous insects, or the caterpillars of moths and 

 butterflies that feed on the leaves of the orange and lemon trees, may 

 be mentioned the larvae of a brown or chocolate coloured butterfly, 

 called Achylodes philemon, Fabr belonging to the family Hesperidae or 

 " skippers " But no special account will be taken of this insect here, 

 as, hitherto, the presence of the larva on Citrus trees has not proved of 

 any economic importance. It is not a voracious feeder, and its occur- 

 ence is rather rare. A full account of its life, history and habits have 

 been given by the writer in a paper on some Jamaica Hesperidae, which 

 will be found in the Journal of the Institute of Jamaica, Vol. II, No. 

 5, page 435. 



(6 ) The Bag Worm. 



Larvae of a species of bag worm, probably Oiketicus abbottii, Grote, 

 have lately been sent to the Botanical Department, the correspondent 

 stating that they^were found attacking a young sweet orange tree, and 

 had eaten nearly all the leaves off the tree. 



The real food plant of this insect is the Almond tree, on which they 

 are found commonly about Kingston Their presence on orange trees 

 has not been recorded before, and is probably only occasional, and of 

 no general importance. 



