The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-09-10

is also known and gives trouble in Natal.
III was first noticed on la1staIta in June
1898. By August, 1885, it had spread with
alarming rapidly.
This Orthezia is one of the most ie-
structive scale-bugs known, and con-
fines its attention to Lan:ana, and is
equally destructive to many other spe-
#cies. When it is known that these spe-
cies includes Tea, Coffee both Arabian
and Liberian; Cinchona, ard the Tona-
to. It will be seen that the appearance
of the pest on Lantana. was viewed in
Ceylon. The Government and planting
community there were. justified In imme-
diateiy taking the most drastic steps to
stamp 1t out
: IT'S APPEARANCE ON The aA
WAIIAN ISLANDS.
During November, 1899, Mr.. G. P. Wild
er found the insect at Wailuku Maui.
Specimens of the insect were forwarded
to me at Sydney, N. S. W.. by Mr.. David
Haughs, with letter dated Nov. "a, 1899.
Mr.. Haughs wrote: 'I send you. by
same mail, sample of scale found by Mr.,
g. P. Wilder, preying on the I.antana on
Maui. He thinks that he has got the
Lantana destroyer for sure 1t is the
scale with a white body and black head.
He wants to know all about it, Cor he
claims that it Is killing the Lantana on
Maui. We were looking up your case of
scale-bugs. but could not find II He is
very anxious to hear from YOU on the
subject and asked If would send you a.
sample" / Immediately recognized the
Lantana scale, Orthezia Insignis, and ac-
cordingly requested Mr.. Wilder to have
the patches OF Lantana with the destruc-
tive scale insects burned. Informing him
fully Of the danger of this pest. This
letter had been acknowledged under date
OF Jan. IL, 1900. During the summer Of
the same year, Mr.. Wilder personally IN
formed me that he had the Lansana and
scale-bugs burned
On my visit to Maui. have been tn
formed by Brother Frank Of the Catholic
mission, that he first found the insect
near Japanese store. and brought the
same to a patch of Lantana near q river
where Mr.. Wilder had found 1t a few
months later.
In a recent article In the Maui News,
attention Is again called to the Lam
tana Blight" as being an effective enemy
to that plant, and We learn that the in
sect had been distributed over large
area
While on Kauai. I was repeatedly ask
ed to give advice as to whether the in-
prospect of destroying the Lantana plant
In every instance the parties were given
to understand that by SO doing they may
even see more dangerous pest than the
plant in question.
THE HABIT OF THE INSECT.
The first indication noticeable of the
presence Of the Orthezia upon Lantana
is decided black and smoothly appear
ance of the plants affected. As is the
case with many other Coecids. this Is the
result of the honey-dew exuded by them,
which adheres to the foliage and twigs
ard a black fungoid grows upon the
same. An Aleurodes found upon Lam
tana In the Kona district produces the
same effect. Owing to the black appear
ance Of the infected plants the Lantana
blight can be seen q long distance of.
On closer examination the Orthezia
can be seen In enormous numbers at
tached to the under side Of leaves. the
twiss and branches OF plants. To tho
naked eye the general effect IL a macs
Of dirty-white insects. The body Of tho
insect fs Of a dark browntsh or olive
green 1t has three pairs Of we'll deyel-
oped legs, and its beak is situated be-
tween the front pair. There Ia q row
Of short white conical processes along
the middle OF the back, and q fringe OF
similar but shorter appenda4es round tho
margin, gradually increasing 10 length
towards the hinder part OF the insect.
From below the posterior extremity of
the body proceeds stout white cyiin-
drical appendage. huted above, smooth
below varying In length according 70 the
age OF the insect, reaching Ia some In
dividuals to nearly four times the length
of the body. broad at base. and very
gradually tapering to extremity which Ia
Slightly upcurved. This is the ovisac, and
contains a vast number OF eggs that re-
main until they have Matched when they
make their exit through an aperture at
its extremity. If one Of these egg-cases
be broken open, 1t will generally be found
TO be filled with eggs and young insects.
The eggs at the base of the tube are OF
a very pale creamy color having been
Just laid; while lower down they become
bright yellow. orange, and then greenish.
and the young insects ready to emerge
from the tube are olive green. A woolly
secretion fills up the crevices between the
eggs. These white appendages are very
fragile and easily broken. I found the
mature male insects were bred from CO
coons found In large numbers under
stones. amongst leaves and rubbish on
the ground at the Peradeniya Gardens
On my first visit to that place Mr.
Green has described the same as follows
ut is a delicate little fly; slaty gray in
color; antennae very long and slender
ten-jointed. the two basal joints very
short, the others greatly elongated: legs
long and slender: a single pair of wings
rather opaque, busted with grayish pow.
der; tuft of long silky fllaments at the
end of body. Eyes black, with numerous
facets, The adult male insect has nc
mouth, and consequently takes no food
In this stage"
It is evident that the insect has ap-
peared on Maui some two years since
and up to date has paid its attentions
only to the Lantana plant. In no In.
stance has it been observed by me to ap
pear upon any of its many known food
plants, and as far as 7 could learn, nc
one has, as yet. observed the same out.
side of the Lantana.
fTSo ha