The Sugar-Cane Mealy-Bug

Abstract

I HAVE just received a very interesting paper on the sugar-cane mealy-bug (Pseudococcus sacchari Ckll.) from Mr. W. J. Hall, of the Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt. He describes the insect as being so injurious that “the whole future of the industry hangs in the balance.” When I was recently in Madeira I examined the sugar-canes wherever I went, and found only a sparing and local infestation by P. sacchari. I had no microscope with me, but the determination was confirmed by Mr. E. E. Green. The insects may be found on the canes near the cliffs below the new road, a short distance west of Funchal. It is certainly worth while to determine why the pest is so serious in Egypt, and scarcely noticeable in Madeira. It may be that there is more damage in Madeira than I thought, but probably some efficient parasite will be found there. By collecting a quantity of the white material and placing it in a box, the parasites might be bred. That there is a parasite we know for certain, as my first sending from Funchal to Mr. Green could not be positively determined, consisting only of a mass of waxy secretion with fragments of the coccid, along with larvae and pupae of a parasitic Dipteron.