The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-09-28

Professor Koebele. the Government
entomologist. and as well-known, one
of the distinguished savants Of the
world, has made an exhaustive report
to Commissioner of Agriculture and
Forestry Taylor on his recent visit to
Puuwnawaa, Hawaii. The report Is
herewith published in full and will be
found OF intense interest to those who
have the future Of the Islands at heart:
Wray Taylor. ESQ, Commissioner Of Ag-
riculture and Forestry.
Sir: Az requested by you. have made
trip to Mr.. K. p. Lows ranch at Puu-
waawaa, Hawaii. to look into and report
on the depreciation OF insects on the for
est trees.
Within the last year or SO, icerya pur-
chasi, Markell. has been very destructive
to some of the trees. and chiefly to the
''Mamani." sophorn chrysophylla, but at
the present time this destructive scale in
sect has practically disappeared. Its for
midable enemy. the vedalia cardinals,
was found In full force. Owing to the
apart, 1t Is that this pest has at times be-
come numerous. as has been the case In
times como by at 'Kona, kohala and at
Hamakua-
At the present time the insect was no.
tlced all along the road from kailua to
Puuwaawaa, yet only in single, Individual
or small colonies, showing that the veda-
liza Is present throughout this district
The more the icerya becomes disseminate
ed, the less Is the Hanger of Its becoming
pest. as its enemy will follow wherever
II appears.
OF other insects, two species of leca-
MUM were found present in numbers: L..
nigrum Is the most numerous, attacking
a great variety of trees and shrubs; yet
1t Is badly parasiticed by chalcid flies.
Specimens were found upon a mulberry
tree. nearly every single individual de-
stroyed by the chalcid flies.
In addition to the par
TWO SPECIES asites, two species of
OF FUNGOID fungoid diseases are
ARE HERE. present, as all over the
Islands, having been in
troduced some six years since. 1t is ow-
ing to the want of sufficient moisture that
these do not develop sufficiently In the
Puuwaawaa district A few days of rain
and cloudy weather will Immediately
spread the deathly disease among them.
L. longulum was found also well repre-
scented. and. as the foregoing, 1t has suffi-
Client enemies to keep 1t in check.
Pulvinaria psdi. at one time threatening
the coffee industry of the Islands, Is
present here and there, yet always ac-
companied by its enemy, the cryptolae-
mus montrouzieri, which will make 1t i'm
possible for the pulvlnaria to ever again
become destructive pest When In Chi
ma last spring we collected and success
fully introduced to the Islands additional
enemies for this scale-one of these a
chalcid fly destroying the insect in It's
earliest stages. Is of great value.
One or two species of aspidiotus are
spread throughout the district upon Wild
and cultivated trees preyed upon by In
ternaI parasites. Nowhere has this been
seen to do any noticeable injury to plant
life, except upon n couple of cultivated
trees. which, with a little attention given
to the same, can easily be avoided More
over. we shall forward additional para
sites and predatious insects to this local
ity.
Dactyiopius ceEiferus. the common trop-
ical mealy bug, formerly SO numerous in
Honolulu. was found to infest some of
the "wiliwili."
Erythrina monosperma; here also the
cryptolaemus beetle was found to be
present and devouring the same.
All of the above insects are of foreign
origin. and, without the assistance of the
introduced predatious and parasitic in
sects. they would be detrimental to plant
life.
IT Is different with the
INSECTS EAT various Indigenous forms
OF THEIR of insects preying upon
OWN KIND. forest trees. All these
have their parasites. and
are In consequence hardly detrimental to
the particular trees they prey upon, since
most Of them have existed for thousands
of ye:&
According to the observations of Mr..
Perkins. It IL the larva of scotorhythra
icolias span worm. found on all the ISL
ards. that almost annually denudes the
koa trees or their leaves; doubtless these
conditions have not always existed. In
former times the koa trees have had a
dense underbrush consisting of various
young trees, and especially ferns, keeping
the ground and the base of the trees con-
tinually moist; the scotorhythra larve in
pupating come down to the ground; then
il is that most of them are destroyed by
a fungoid disease indigenous to these ISL
ands. and requiring moisture for Its de-
veiopment. the same disease 30 success
fully made use of against the depreda-
tons of the japanese beetle
Since the total destruction CT under
growth in the koa forests. and the even
drying up of the ground. this disease Is
becoming less effectuaf, and naturally the
Insects more numerouBs II is put rev
weeks that the worms are numerous
enough to defoliate the trees; very soon
the new leaves reappear again ana no
trace of the worms Is noticed, this only
appearing periodically.
AS 10 the natural enemies of this geo.
metrtd larva, very little is known; we
have had no opportunity OF breeding the
same OF the very numerous specimens
of various Indigenous species. some doubt
less will prey upon them.
The Asiatic chalis obscurata, Walk, DO
ing such splendid work on this Island
where 1t has just been introduced, has
been met with. as yet. not In large hum-