-317- 
INSECT CONDITIONS IN FORTO EI GO DURING MAY, 1931. 
M. D. Leonard 
Insular Experiment Station, Rio Piedras, Porto Rico. 
Infestation counts of a sugarcane scale ( Aspidiotus sac c liar i Ckll.) 
obtained from examining 100 cut pieces of cane each in four parts of a 
small experimental planting of BH 10-12 at Naguabo on May 9-10 showed 
an average of 11.25 per cent infestation. Some pieces had several nodes 
quite thickly encrusted. Many scales had "oeen hilled by a black fungus. 
(M.D.L. ) 
Adults of a scarabaeid beetle ( Dyscinetus barbatus Fab.) known to 
attack sugarcane were first noted in abundance at lights at Isabela on 
April 20 and became very abundant for a few weeks. On the night of 
May 17 only a few were present and a few nights later none was observed. 
(M.D.L.) 
The changa (Scapteriscus vfcinus Scudd. ) did about the usual amount 
of damage, approximately 15 per cent, to young tobacco plants in the 
field throughout November and early December, 1930, in the June os- Las 
Piedras section. This insect destroyed about 50 per cent of the young 
plants on a 1-acre planting of rice, the damage starting in April and 
continuing up to May 8. About 3 acres of rice planted in the same place 
in early April, 1930, were entirely destroyed by early in July of that 
year. (J. Gomez, Agricultural Agent at Humacao. ) 
Climbing cutworms were more injurious' to tobacco than' usual, about 
20 per cent of the young plants having been killed in the Juncos-Las 
Piedras section during November and December, 1930. (J.G. ) 
The melon worm ( Diaphania hyalinat a L. ) was found heavily infesting 
the foliage of melon and cantaloupe in a field near Aguadilla about the 
middle of May. (M.P.L. ) 
The lima bean pod borer ( Marv.ca testulalis Geyer) was absent in the 
last count of 100 lima bean pod's, although earlier in the month it had 
been present. (G. N. Wolcott.) 
A pod borer ( Etiell a zinckenella Treit. ) infested abou.t 12 to 15 
per cent of the lima bean pods during the month, but the last examination 
of 100 pods on May 29 showed no infestation at the I sab fe la Substation 
experimental plots. (&.N.W. ) 
The scarabee (Ease epos batatae Waterh. ) was found to be badly in- 
festing several sweetpotato tubers received by Sam.ua 1 Molinary at Caro- 
lina on May 18 for use as seed from the Federal Experiment Station at 
Mayaguez. Both adults and larvae were abundant in the tubers. (M.P.L.) 
