Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-05-23
Nest Serious Cane Pests.

Nest Serious Cane Pests.
az. What are the most serious in
sect pests in other cane countries.
specifying countries as far as possible?
II is think. safe to say that almost
every country which grows cane ex-
tensively. has bad pests, which are at
present quite unknown in these Islands.
| Those chiefly to be guarded against
are the various bOrers which might
easily be introduced in imported cane.
The word "boIer" has been applied in
discriminatory to utterly different in
sects. so that the "borer" of one sugar
country often belongs to an entirely
different class 10 that Of another. Con-
sequently the "bcreIs' may be divided
into two classes:
A. Beetles. to which belongs the
cane-borer of these Islands. Allied to
our cane-borer are % Calandra palma
rum, West Indies, Queensland, Louis
lana. ~ RhyncophOrus ferrugineus.
Java. go SphenophOrus seriCeus (sac-
charD the lady-biTd borer Of West In
dies and British Guiana. with these
may be included Xyleboru. Performs, u
minute beetle, the "shot-borer" of the
West Indies. We have many species
of Xyleborus in these Islands. both
indigenous and imported, but none, so
far as know. that attack cane.
b. Caterpillars Of moths, which
should be called "mOth-bCIers." To
tHfH OIL lt.1 h.,
traea. The literature al my command
does not enable ne 10 determine the
identity Of the mOth-burers Of various
sugar countries. but they are found in
the West Indies. Java, Australia, Brit
lsh India. Louisiana. etc. We have
nothing in these Islands that represents
these destructive insects.
To these may be added other cater
pillars called top-borer the nature OF
which Is sufficiently explanatory and
you will know better than myself tho
chances Of introducing these.
Remedies fer Pests.
II is certain that two or three larvae
Of the pests that live in the stem Of the
cane might serve TO populate these Isl.
ands in a few years with countless
numbers Of their species. What effect
the remedies you adopt in treating inn
ported cane would have On the larvae
hidden from sight In the heart of the
stem do not know, but | would sug-
gest that you experiment with these
remedies on island cane infested with
the island borer in different stages Of
growth. believe that stick OF cane
containing few small larvae Of Dor
ers would show little or no external
sign of being affected. yet these would
be quite sufficient 10 stock The Islands.
Therefore all cane imported should be
rigidly treated and in such a way as to
make sure that boTers or theiI larvae
concealed in the heart would be de-
stroyed, and al the same time the cane
should be uninjured by the means
adopted. The cane Of these Islands
being at the present time free from so
many injurious foreign rorers II is OF
the utmost importance 10 keep them
free.
Most Injurious Pstts.
The other most injurious pests OF
cane which would be likely TO be in
troduced are species # that class 10
which the japanese beetle Of these
Islands belongs. Such are the we'll
known Lepidoderma lLepldiota) albo-
hrta OF Australia, the Apogonia de-
structor Of Java. etc. Some of these
species not only DO great damage by
/ devouring the roots OF the cane as lar.
vac. but like the Japancse beetle de-
foliate the surrounding trees, as ma
ture beetles. Insects OF this class are
much more likely 10 be introduced
with other plants from Injected dis
tricts than with cane Itself
No doubt the list Of insects Injurious
20 these Islands could be Increased by
special observations and more definite
information about many of them would
! be desirable. My own work during the
. ..... 900. 5000. 900