The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-05-18
INSECT PESTS OF HAWAII
PROFESSOR KOEBELE'S RE-
MARKS ON HORN FLY.
Has Been Here Little More Than a
Year-Its Habits--Proposed Rene
dial Measures.


Professor Koebele has furnished a re-
port to the Minister of the Interior up
on his work as Government entomoio-
gist which is of great interest to all
agriculturalists and stock owners OF
the horn fly which has been 50 injurious
to cattle, he says:
THE HORN FLY.
About the middle of April 9S my at
tenton was called to a troublesome iiy
upon cattle, and on the 26 of the same
month the first specimens were brought
to me by the Government veterinary
surgeon (Mr. RowaD. ON the 30th of
the same month, we visited the KANE
ohe ranch where the fly had already
boone very numerous. On May 18th a
few flies were already noticed at Lihue
Kauai, and during the summer it
spread over all the Islands. Much mas
been published in the various govern
mental reports in Washington about
the habits and life history of the insect
which had been introduced from Eu-
rope about 1856, and very likely in the
vicinity of Philadelphia. From here the
flies spread and during 1891, they were
reported from all the Eastern States,
Canada to Texas and West to the Mis-
sissippi valley.
APPEARANCE OF THE FLY ON
OAHU.
Mr.. j. p. Mendonca of the Kaneohe
ranch, noticed the flies first during Feb
ruary, 1898, and we may infer that at
| least two to three months should be al
| lowed before they became so numer-
Gus as to be noticed. The fly has with
out doubt come over with cattle from
the west coast Recently on return
trip from Hawaii, some cattle were
| brought out to the steamer at Hawai-
/ tt.l. fs, NN,fs.
to swim about half a mile; many of the
| flies were noticed to arrive with them,
| although only part of the head is above
| water during the distance, showing
how tenaciously they cling to their
| prey. AS late as IL p. m. several flies
were found around lights in rooms,
! even then rather active and hard to
| capture. 1t has been found in the
! States, that the eggs are deposited dur
| ing day time, chiefly between 8 a. m.
! and D. m, and more particularly dur
ing the warmer morning hours. They
are laid singly and usually upon their
sides upon the surface of wet dung the
! moment the latter is dropped.
Upon Matching the larvae descends
into the dung, and here, in about five
! to six days. becomes full grown. The
maggots have the usual bone color, are
about two-fifths of an inch in length.
The puparium is formed in the ground
/
elapsing from the egg to the adult is
( from ten to seventeen days, averaging
about two weeks, and it is supposed
| there are seven or eight generations
! annually. In the perpetual warm eli
mate Of the Islands we may reasonably
! expect twenty broo1s. The Characters
| tic habit of clustering about the base
| of the horn is developed only when the
| flies are quite abundant. When they
! average only a hundred or so compar;;-
| lively few will be found on the horn.
place the flies are partial to the spot
| between the head and fore
| shoulders, where they can be reached
by neither head nor tail.
- REMEDIAL MEASURES.
Everywhere in the States the injury
| of this pest has abated after the first
! two or three years in all localities
where it had appeared, and we may eX-
| pect the same conditions here Around
| Honolulu at least, the early stages of
! the fly are now almost entirely destroy
! ed by our small brown ant with its
large headed soldier. We found them
in large quantities in every dung hill
examined, and not single fly maggot
will escape destruction of these indus
! trial little insects.
1t is also claimed that the mynah
birds are destroying large numbers Of
the maggots. For the direct protection
! OIL cattle, the remedy most SeneTdllN
/ adopted. is the daubing of the parts
most affected with some sticky, often
| siVe substance to repel the flies. OF
! these, a mixture of fish oil or train oil,
and tar in equal parts is found one OF
! the most permanent and effectual.
| Train oil alone, is used with satisfac-
tory results. Axle grease and tar, in
equal parts, is also used with very good
results. Spraying with Kerosene emul-
! sion, or even pure Kerosene has not
! proved a success at the Kaneohe ranch
! where numerous experiments were car
| ried on. ~C.
For the destruction of the larvae,
| lime is spread daily over the dung hills
! in some parts of the States, and it is
claimed with good results. Here on the
| large ranches such remedy cannot be
thought of. Nor would the suggestion
to spread out the dropping of manure,
| by drawing bush across the fields, to
rapidly dry the same, be of much value
/ in the extensive field, more or less COW
cred by lantana and guava bushes.
| Such remedies could with advantage he
applied in small pastures, and around
| houses where the daily removal and
burial of the manure has been found of
great benefit. A machine for catching
flies from the backs of cattle, and so
affording the animals relief and COM
fort, has been invented by farmer IN
Madison county, Kentucky. The fly
catcher is a kind of covered pen or
| passage way, through which the animal
must walk to secure relief. A few feet
from the entrance there is a cupola, or
dome, in the roof of the passage way,
made of glass and arranged as a fly
trap. Beyond this the passage way Is
in darkness. The animal walks through
the machine, and just as it passes the
dome and enters the darkened part a
set of bushes sweeps off the flies, which
naturally rise into the lighted DOM.
The flies are retained in the dome trap.
The inventor has experimental with
his machine, and finds that animals
soon learn the value of the machine
and know enough to walk through 1t
when the flies begin to bite. The device
Is said to be patented, but a plan In
vOlving the same principles has been IN
use among farmers for the destruction
| of horn flies for year or two past
Denver Field and Farm, April %, 1880.
| Gnph or similar ms chino IN