The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-11-02
THE NOODPECKER DANGER
WARNING AGAINST PROPOSED
IMPORTATION.
r. c. l.. Perkins Says They Are Likely
TO do Infinitely More Damage Than
Good-Points out the Reasons.

As a remedy for the injuries to forest
trees occasioned by the attacks OF
"borers" il has lately been proposed to
introduce certain species of woodpeck-
ers, birds which elsewhere are well
known to feed on such insects. Such
suggestion shows only too clearly the
utter Ignorance of the condition of the
fauna of these islands on the part Of
those who make IL, and before it Is too
late il may be said that If this impOr-
tation be made and the birds thrive
they may prove "A pest more serious
than any hitherto established. Whether
American WOOdpeckers VIII attack ha-
waiian borers, most of which nave no
resemblance whatever to those inhabit-
ing their native country, Is in itself a
matter of speculation, but the injury
which they are likely to do in destroy
ing some Of the most beneficial insects
must far outweigh any good that they
can possibly perform. The Hawaiian
borers may be divided into two classes
% those which belong to the beetle
family CD insects which are not beetles.
The latter class may be passed over, as
i'm these islands their attacks follow on
those of the beetles, or else are confined
to trees already dead or dying. 1t Is
therefore only the beetles that can be
accused Of injuring the forests by their
work Probably not less than 1000 spe-
cies of beetles are now known to inhablt
these islands and of these some % per
cent may be reckoned as borers, since
they feed either on the bark or wood OF
trees OF the remainder the greater
part live on the ground and are preda-
cious, feeding on other living creatures.
Leaf-eating beetles of which IL is es-
timated that $4,000 to 100000 distinct
species inhabit the world, and which in
clude many of the most destructive IN
sects, are entirely absent from the ma
tive fauna and are represented by one
foreign species only, carelessly imported
and well-knoWn to farmers here as IN
furious to the eggplant. OF the borers
as per cent feed only on dead wood and
of the remainder scarcely any Will at
tack a healthy tree, but only such az
are in the natural course Of events
about to die, or such as have been In
some way injured
In undisturbed forests of the island
where neither cattle nor axe have IN
terfered, borers are almost absent, and
can only be found where some tree has
been blown down, or is in feeble con-
dition from natural causes, as from Ole
age Such a tree is generally attacked
at once, but so far from being Injurious
in such cases the borers must be con
sldered as actually beneficial. Through
the holes and galleries made by them
water quickly penetrates, so that the
now useless tree is rapidly converted
into rich vegetable mould and makes
room for those Of young and vigorous
growth.
on cattle ranges, however and in dis
tricts over which fire has passed borer'
become much more numerous and des'
tructive. On the former not only are
the roots injured by the trampling oI
cattle, but the destruction of fern anC
underbrush exposes them to the heal
of the sun, while previously they Wer'
kept shaded and damp. The condition
induced by these changes is at once
perceived by the beetles sometimes
even before it becomes perceptible tC
man, and they simply perform theil
part in attacking such timber while tn
real blame for the destruction tina
ensues is to be attributed to man, wht
interferes with nature in putting stool
on lands where they should not be
Such deplorable results are never seel
in the forests where no cattle have eve
ranged and which have not been open
ed or otherwise injured. In burned dis
tricts the raVages of borers are SUI
more evident Thus little while sine
a considerable area of forest land wa
burned on this island. back of Waialua
MANY trees were not killed outright
hut after the fire had passed. nearl!
every one of those injured was attacked
by such multitudes of borers, that rev
IL any could possibly recover. 1t l
probable that in the lately burnt dls
trict of Hamakua If any trees Il
the area of the fire survived, they WI
ali succumb to the attacks of borin
beetles. Were their introduction other
wise safe it is possible that woodpeck
ers might in such cases be OF som
assistance but from the facts given be
low such an experiment would be dan
gerous in the extreme.
One of the most remarkable feature
of the Hawaiian fauna Is the nunlper =
its peculiar wasps the young of whic
are fed entirely on various kinds o
caterpillars stored up by the mothe
wasp. OF these wasps about 100 dis
tinct species are known to the writer
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