72 
Brackartona catomntka . — This moth is a serious pest of coconut 
palms. The motli is very small, only measuring 16 mm. across tlie 
expanded wings or a little less than f inch. The limited time at my 
disposal does not permit a full description. 
By the time the fourth generation lias hatched the insects have 
multiplied so considerably that a local epidemic is formed. After 
the fifth or sixth brood, but this varies according to the development 
of the insects’ own enemies and only two broods may appear, the 
pest disappears “ having become abundant enough to let its own 
enemies or parasites multiply in excess.” The parasites of 
Brackartona , among* which the most important is a fungus. Botrytis 
sp., and second in importance a Phorid fly, die off when the pest is 
nearly exterminated or suppressed and after three years (I have 
evidence to show that three years, not two years, as stated elsewhere, 
is the interval of time) Brackartona reappears as a pest in the same 
locality. It appears that on eacli occasion of the reappearance of the 
pest in one locality the enemies of Brackartona develop with 
increased rapidity reducing the number of broods and therefore the 
injury caused by the pest. It is early to be quite sure of the facts 
in this connection but the evidence obtained so far points in this 
direction. My experience had been that spraying with either 
kerosene emulsion or London purple as advised by Pratt, or any 
other insecticide besides being extremely expensive is of little or 
no value in eradicating the pest. 
The following remedial and preventive measures were adopted 
on one plantation and had the desired result. All the lower leaves of 
the palms which have been badly eaten,, and on which many 
thousands of the insects were pupating (still in the chrysalis stage), 
were cut off and burnt. The lowermost leaves of the trees 
throughout the area in which the flight, had been observed were cut 
off and piled in heaps for burning, this was done to destroy the eggs 
laid by the moths. The’ leaves were cut away and destroyed to 
decrease the numbers of the larvae which would have developed had 
the lowermost leaves been left, the greatest number of eggs being 
laid on the lower leaves. 
As soon as the caterpillars (hatching out from the eggs) 
appeared and commenced to feed a uumber of coolies were told off to 
singe the leaves with torches. The torches were made of long* poles 
with a portion of a coconut husk fixed to one end of each. The husk 
was soaked in kerosene and lighted. passing the torches along the 
under sides of the leaves the caterpillars were either killed by the 
heat or they dropped to the ground. Immediately the caterpillars 
fall they endeavour to make their way back to the leaves by crawling 
along the ground and up the stems of the palms. A ring of tar and 
grease was painted on the stems about a foot and a half above the 
ground to catch the caterpillars, and prevent them from again reaching 
the leaves. This was highly successful, thousands of caterpillars 
