Oct. 2, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
235 
ENEMIES OF TEA : 
MOSQUITO BLIGHT OR TEA BUG. 
There is no call for alarm, or even uneasinesg" 
at the heading of our article. No cuUivaticn 
is without its enemies and the minor peets aliejt- 
ing tea have long been the objaot of inquiry 
in India, while in Ceylon they nave also from 
time to time been notioed by our planters. 
\Va direct special attention to the timely and im- 
portant letter of the Director of the Royal Botanic 
Gardens, and we trust Dr. Trimen's advica will, 
at once, ba taken, by a systematic campaign being 
started for the esterminaiion of hclopeltis antonii 
from the Oeylon tea districts now a^ected by it. 
Our cacao planters got a pretty intimate acquaint- 
ance with this insaot pest in 1883-4-5, and only 
by the oulciyation of shada trees were they able 
to get rid of the attacks of the enemy though 
its numbers were greatly reduced by follow- 
ing Dr. Trimen's counsel " to catch and kill 
them." Shade cannot be thought of in the case 
of tea, and therefore, there la nothing for it, but 
to set a campaign of capture and extermination 
on foot throughout the tea districts referred to. We 
may be told that only isolated estates are affected 
by this " tea-bug "; but as was the case with 
cacao-fields when onoe examination and seaich 
for the insect take place, it is very possible that 
it may be found more generally prevalent than is 
at present realized. To enable tea planters the 
better to judge for themselves, we quote from the 
Tropical^ Agriculturist the portions of Dr. Trimen's 
Report dated 9th September 1«84: — written pri- 
marily for the benefit of caoao planters — that 
more particularly baar on the deaoriptioa Oiiid 
identification of ttie insect ; — 
Helopeltis itself belongs to the true Hemipiera, 
being a member of tbe tribe Cuspidoi all of wbiob are 
destructive to plants (ooe especially so to raspberry 
fruite) and ore partly obaracteiized by their com- 
paratively active runuing habits of the geuus, several 
species have beeu tlesoribed by naturalists ot which 
tne present insect H. Antonii Lynt, is the best known. 
In tbe adult state this can scarcely be mistaken for 
any other insect, and may be recognized by tbe 
foUowiog description. The narrow boiy is less than 
i iuoh (6 mm.) ia length, but tbe greyish wmgs pro- 
ject beyond the abdomen aad thus locrease the length 
to nearly ^ inch (8 mm.) ; tbe thorax is browuish- 
red in coluur and ends lu a alendei red neck, from 
its centre arises the singular erect rigid pin-like pro- 
caes which gives the gonus its soieniific name (hilos 
— a nail). Tbe head is small and black, and a 
characteristic feature are tbe anteDase quite f inch 
(10 mm.) long spreading, 4-jointed, and ourvea. Ou 
turning the iubecC over, tbe abuomen ia seen to 
be blaclr, but io tha female this is crossed about thu 
middle by a broad band of white. The formidable 
beak or probosois, fully 2 mm. long, can be seen beueaCb 
the thorax, to which when not in use it is pressed. 
The insect is lon^-legged aud aotivo and can fly well, bat 
so far as I bavu seen does not make auy loug flights. 
Before arriving at the imago state, the Hclo- 
peltis passes through several stages, but the cbauges 
(48 ia all the bugs) are not so complete as in most 
lusects. ^ybeu lirdt hatched it ia about l-24th inch 
laay 1 mm ) loug, p^le yellowish olive in colour aud 
stmi-tranapareut, the eyes and some interual parts 
sbowiug red. Duriug its progress through the larval 
stage It. abeda its skin suveial times, and the little 
empty sloughs are oommouly foaud ou the oicao. 
The olive colour is maiutainud througa these obaages, 
and the insect is easily recognized by tbe thoracic 
Bpike wluoh is soon developed, the long antenu^i, 
aud the loug legs which raiae ihe body well oil" tUo 
sarface; the abuumea is sott aud pointed ami tamed 
up at the ead. Rudimeotary wings are pceoout iu the 
pupal stage but aru not matured for use uutil the fiual 
ohauge from thid to the perfect iuaeot, TbguKb tbu^i 
uoablo to fly, these immatnre creatures run about 
pretty briskly and their appearance is decidedly 
ant-like; apparently their wliole existenca is passed 
on the cacao P'aiii wh^ ra they were born. 
I regret that my opportuuities aud leisure have 
not permiileJ me to trace out the whole life his- 
tory of the iusect. I do not know the tirae oooupieJ 
from egg to imago nor ho* long the latter lives. I 
find thai the female contains from 8 to 12 eggs, large 
for the size ot the insect, and of a peculiar long fliHk 
shaped form provided at the truncate aud with two 
filaments h^lf its length. I have not succecdel in 
seeing fie actual deposition of the egg, but I have 
detected two in situ, one attaohed to a pnuctured 
ctvity io tbe leaf-atalk ; and the other in the tender 
shoot at the foot of a leaf-stalk these were railk white 
xith a tough skin. After a careful search I have not 
discoverd more than these two and my knowledge on 
the point is thus very defective ; so far as it goes 
it corresponds with that of Van Gorkom in Java who 
says that (in Cinchona) the eggs are laid in the 
ends of twigs and in leaf-stalks but are quite hidden 
and very diliicult to find. 
The little insects commence to suck the plant 
at once, and they continue to do so throughout 
their lives. Apparently they specially feed at night, 
and the amount of injury a single one is capable 
of effecting can be seen by any one who will place 
on in a cage with a fresh shoot for a night and 
examine the shoot in the morning. The underside 
of the mid-ribs of the very young leaves is alsjfca, 
favorite position for the punctures. It ma.) ff 9 
presumed that the perfect lemale insect does Sf le 
damage also by the deposition of the eggs. 
Tlio difficulty, however, of detecting sue imm™ar 
Helopeltis is well-known, so much so that both in Jav 
and Assam as now here, it ia difficult for planter 
to believe that such eerioaa mischief is wrought by 
a foe so nearly invisible. I theretore requested the 
superintendent to initiate systematic catching of thia 
insect, which he couaented to do. The results obtained 
corroborated my belief that Helopeltis ia really far 
more sbuadant than it appears to be Duriog the 
firat two days, indeed, thougn six coolies went over 220 
acres, only 311 epeoimens resulted ; bat so soon as 
the boys learned how to find the insect, the numbers 
iucreased. TbuH by the end of ten days 2,U11 bad 
been bottled, and in the forty-one days ending with 
Augnat 31st, aa many as 25,000 individuals (the greater 
proportion being immature ones) had been oaptared 
and deatroyed. 
Then as regards the remedy and in view of 
further investigation we quote : — 
As regards remedies, I have but one to recommend, 
that is to catch and destroy the insect. Nothing 
else that can be suggested ia so direct and radical 
as this. Tbe cooiy boys employed should be in- 
structed to go over tbe trees, one by one in order, 
carefully and exhaustively ; the larvas and pupie of 
Helopeltis being unable to fiy are caught easily enough 
wheu once seen, and even the perfect insects are 
not quick to escape. No doubt, a promised reward 
for tne largest " bag " at the end of tbe day will 
stimulate the search. The superintendent of the 
estates to which this report refers ia of opinion 
that the practice has been of very great benefit ; 
and indeed it was evident on my last visit, that the 
latest " flush " of young shoots, brought out by recent 
very slight rains had passed through the critical 
period, and has " set " without much damage daring 
the time that the systematic catching of Heiopeltis 
was being pursued. If the attacks of this insect ceased, 
I believe that the trees would to a great extent 
recover. Thus experience here, so far as it goes, 
perfectly agrees vvith that iu Java, where the 
attacks of Helopeltis on cinchona produce almost 
precisely the same effects as here ou cacao. By 
constant watchfulness and the capture of all tbs 
individuals that can be detected, tbe pest has in tUo 
Government plantations beeu kept uudor aud in some 
nearly abolished. 
Did w<^ possosi more certainty as to the preoiaa 
poditiona where the eggs are laid aud a raady 
ueaua 0^ doteotjiug their |pt«aeo9«i « ttw«V lewoval 
