The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-06-19
PESTS

EthlltAAtU WHO HNdlt ludl lNIullltS
came from California there is reason
TO think that they came from China
In the forties and ffties most of the
hard wood furniture used on these
Islands came from China, and the wood
'eatin~ ant came along with it. This
ant chiefly attacks extremely hard
wood, attacking the interior and leav-
ing an outer envelope which is easily
crushed in by the pressure of the fin
ger.
The attacks of the insect here are
nothing like the accounts given of it in
India, where it hollows out the in
terror of a piece of wood completely,
leaving nothing but shell. The Ha-
waiian termites cut galleries in the
wood, generally close to the surface,
and leave considerable patches I'M
touched, in between.
The judiciary building has been
troubled with them for years. There
used to be mahogany topped counters
in the office of the Board of Educa-
ton, but over ten years AGO they had
to be removed and oak was substituted.
This has never been attacked, on the
other hand the floors have been seri-
Ously affected by these insects.
The Capitol building has also been
attacked by them, notably the hard koa
and other native woods which oran-
ment the principal staircase. How far
they may have attacked the floors one
cannot say, they work under the mat
ting and the damage they do is not no
ticed till the mating comes IN, and the
boards, carved by the termites are dis
played Jr ..
These insects are the special enemies
of old mahogany and koa furniture
There is a great fad for buying this
style of furniture at the present time,
and purchasers should examine such
articles carefully. If only slightly at
tackled the ants may be got rid Of but
if thoroughly honeycombed nothing
can be done with the furniture except
to burn it.
AS far as ordinary houses are con-
cerned the carpenter bee is far more
destructive than the Hawaiian variety
of the termite. The carpenter bee at
tacks veranda posts and the under
pinning of houses and in time makes
these supports absolutely unsafe. Such
determined war has been waged upon
the carpenter that he is much reduced
in numbers now.
But it is the agriculturalist more
than the householder who is troubled
with pests, and if the former had not
the assistance of trained scientist like
Professor Koebele. to help him to fight
his enemies he would be very much
handicapped indeed. In speaking yes
terday of the lack Of lime trees in the
city, it was forgotten that a few years
ago the cottony cushion blight cleared
off many of these trees which were in
fine bearing. Eventually, through the
efforts of Professor Koebele, the cush-
iony cotton scale was eaten up by it's
natural enemy, colonies of which were
introduced here. But before Professor
Koebele had been engaged considerable
destruction had been done, and many
lime trees were completely destroyed,
while others never recovered from
their set back. The agriculturalist
fights with a legion of pests but in
time he will overcome them. BY the
introduction of birds, the introduction
of other insects inimical to those now
present, the war is carried on t. favor
the tiller of the soil.
1t is a hard thing to guard against
insect pests, because though small, |
fhaU co
stantly finding them doing us far more
damage than we ever dreamed of. Take !
the mosquito for instance. War is now
declared upon that pernicious insect
because it is the propagation of malaria. |
1t has even been charged with carrying
other diseases and there can be no
doubt that insects do carry disease from
one human being to another. The flea
is stated to be capable of transmitting
plague.
Poor mankind, he is apt to be be-
wildered with his pests. His house and
his furniture is at their mercy. His
crops are devastated by them his fruit
trees are destroyed, and his very body
inoculated with virulent disease by
them. But all this is as nothing. He
can see the 'termite and drown him in
kerosene. He can Supply the mosquito
with buhach, and defy him with net
ting. He can catch the jumping flea
and crack his defensive armor, like the
celebrated Miller of the Dee, and he can
hire Professor Koebee to hunt up
enemies against various forms of in
sect blight. All this he can see for
himself, but the festive bacillus is
ahead of him. He is a modern horror
added to ancient pests.