The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1902-10-17
FARMERS
FIGHT EN-
The Insect Pests and
BIights of
Hawaii.

Following is the address OF ID. l.. van
Dine. entomologlst of the L. 5. EXpdi-
ment Station, before the Y. W. c. a.,
on Insect Pests of Hawaii:
The subject as announced for this paIsr
was "Blights and Pests of Hawaii" /
have taken the liberty to change it 10
Insect Pests of Hawaii with just void
on blights A blight" using the term
in its correct sense, IS plant disease
caused by a fungus growth. These parast =
ic fungi belong to plant life and ate
similar To the insect enemies of plants
only I'm that tney are detrimental to platt
growth The methods used to combat
| them are also similar In n general wal.
that is, precautionary measures in Cull-
vation and the use of poisOns to prevett I
their becoming established or check them
III they have already become cstabshol
a familiar example of blight is found IN
Hawaii in the potato blight" The gerrns
of this disease are widely distributed ovtr
the Islands and render the raising of pp-
tatoes in certain localities next to an i'm
possibility. The germs of fungi are DIS
Itributed by the wind and other agencies
and may survive in the soil for several
years waiting proper conditions under
which to develop. This blight here is
similar disease to the potato blight known
in other parts of the country as black
rot" The scientific name of the disease
is Fusarium. The so-called lantana
blight which is in evidence on the Isl
and of Maui and found in lesser guam
titles elsewhere, is not blight at all but
a true insect, belonging to a great group
known as scale-inSeCts The name of this
particular one is Orthezia insignus. If l
We're to enumerate all of the pests of Ha-
wall the list would be n long one there
fore without going into details on blights
II will conine my remarks to the insect
lpests.
That great class of creatures that sur
rounds us in such countless numbers, the
insect world, plays too important a part
, in the well being of a community to re-
main unobserved They stand before us
under two heads; our friends and our
foes the beneficial and the injurious.
When we remember that all animal life
depends directly or indirectly on plant life
and realize the good or damage that can
be wrought by insects when present in
sufficient numbers, the importance of an
economic study is obvious. Before speak
ing of the pests | wish to dwell for just
| a moment on the beneficial insects for 1t
would be far from right to have you go
away with the impression that this class,
the pests, was the only one which affect
ed our pocket books. Certain ones in the
fertilization of flowers perform a most
sons that the bright color of the flowers
and the brilliant markings of insects eX
list but to please his eye. Their mission
in life is equally as serious as his. The
flowers and certain insects are intimately
related The insect attracted to the flow
er either by the odor which so many
times draws us also to them, or by color,
in return for the feast placed at their
disposal in the nectary of the flower,
gather on their hairy bodies the grains
Iof pollen and in the journey from fiow-
Ter to flower bring about cross-fertiliza-
ton This is necessary to insure the pro
Iducton of seed. We are all acquainted
| "Ith the honey-bee that specimen of in
,dustry which so often furnishes text for
a sermon to the spendthrift Insects are
also many times beneficial in the destruc-
tion of injurious species. A scale insect
the cottony-cushion scale, threatened at
one time large share of the fruit trees
of the fruit districts of California. In
some cases orchards We're all but ruined
Its natural enemy, small beetle, one OF
the lady-bugs, was introduced and prac-
ticaly wiped the orchards clean of the
pest.
| Now finally we come to insect pests
Injurious insects may be separated into
the following classes: % those feeding
on the external parts of the plant, the
foliage, buds. flower or bark. In this
beetle, the poko worms, mealy bugs. plant
lice, scale insects, grasshoppers, and 9TH
ers. illustrations of beetle and cut
lwormsD Much of the destruction of vege-
tation is done by insects i'm the larval or
young stage. In them We do not always
recognize the adult. We little dream that
the beautiful moth butterfly is the
adult of the crawling worm of yesterday
that destroyed our plants. (Show illus
trationS from HollandD
| (2) Those feeding on the internal parts
OF plants. This class is well illustrated
here by the -borer. The cane-borer
is the larva of n beetle (Sphenophorus
Iobscurus). The beetle lays the egg in the
stalk OF the cane after first making n hclc
with her long beak or proboscis The larva
matches from the egg and burrows into
the cane eating and growing as II goes.
FINALLY when fully developed II changes
To a pupa after first making for itself a
cocoon OF the fibre of the cane. From this
cocoon emerges the adult beetle.
CD Those feeding beneath the surface
OF the ground, The root lice, etc. Phyl-
loNera Of the grape vine.
HD Insects living as parasites on ami
mails Ticks, fieas. etc
6) The various household pests. Among
the last class we find such pests as the
ant cookroach, beu-bug, certain flies, and
the mosquito. This last pest is perhaps
| '"Hp''S"Hlt hs wen us the oi'
demanding the most serious attention,
screening the houses is practically the
ohly method adopted here TO combat this
pest II has several natural enemies here
most conspicuous of which is the dragon
ny 'show illustrations from Howard)
LlFE HISTORY OF THE MOSQUITO,
The eggs Of the mosquito are laid AT
hlth' hy the female ON the surface OF still
sal'r They occur IN small raft like
mass winch contains several hundred eggs
lIhr 'niirv mass Ii about onc-fourth inch
~ lrnglh and is dark In color The eggs
arr fastened snuEy together In rows and
10y lhr female Tor depositing the eggs are
su'h places ln which water has been lefl
slahHlhH ponds, dllohes, waier-tanks
luhh rlr Tho ,EEs undrr favorable CON
llllnns halch in about one days time
Ilh" lalNHr require about a week fuI