The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-10-15
FARMERS
FIGHT EN-
The Insect Pests and
BIights of
Hawaii.
ddEl(l

1
The subject as announced for this paper
was "Blights and Pests of Hawaii" /
nave taken the liberty to change it to
insect Pests OF Hawaii with just word
on blights. A blight using the term
in its correct sense. is a plant disease
caused by fungus growth. These parasit-
nc 1ungi belong to plant life and are
similar to the insect enemies of plants
only in that they are detrimental to plant
CROWN. The methods used to combat
| them are also similar in a general way,
that IS precautionary measures in culti-
Vatlon and the use of poisons to prevent
their becoming established or check them
II they have already become established
familiar example of blight is found in
Hawaii in the potato blight The germs
OF this disease are widely distributed over
the Islands and render the raising of po-
tatoeS IN certain localities next to an i'm
possl bllity. The germs of fungi are dis
tributed 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 a
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-calIed Iantana
blight which is in evidence on the Isl
and of Maui and found in lesser guam
titles elsewhere, is not blight at all bat
true insect, belonging to a great group
known as scale-insects The name of this
particular one is Orthezia insignus. If L
were to enumerate all of the pests of Ha-
wall the list would be long one there
fore without going into details on blights
viii confine my remarks to the insect
pests.
That great class of creatures that sur
rounds us in such countless numbers the
insect world, plays too important part
in the well being of 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 ali 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 l wish to dwell for Just |
moment on the beneficial insects for it |
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 !
important part. Man in his conceit rea-
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 serious as his. The |
flowers and certain insects are intimately |
related The insect attracted to the flow |
er either by the odor which so manyj
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 !
of pollen and in the journey from flow
er to flower bring about cross-fertiliza-
ton. This is necessary to insure the pro-
duction of seed. We are all acquainted |
with the honey-bee, that specimen of in
dustry which so often furnishes a text for |
a sermon to the spendthrift. Insects are |
also many times beneficial in the destruc-
ton Of injurious species. 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 were all but ruined.
Its natural enemy, a small beetle, one of
the lady-bugs, was introduced and prac-
tically wiped the orchards clean OF the
pest.
Now finally we come to insect pests.
Injurious insects may be separated into
the following classes: ID those feeding
on the external parts of the plant, the
foliage buds, flower or bark. In this
class we find here in Hawaii, the Japanese
beetle, the poke worms, mealy bugs, plant
lice, scale insects, grasshoppers, and 9TH
erS. illustrations of beetle and cut
worns) Much of the destruction of vege-
tation is done by insects in the larval or
young stage. In them we do not always
recognize the adult. We little dream that
the beautiful moth or butterfly is the
adult of the crawling worm of yesterday
that destroyed our plants (Show Illus
trations from HoIland)
(2) Those feeding on the internal parts
Of plants This class is well illustrated
here by the cane-borer The cane-borer
is the larva of a beetle (Sphenophorus
Dbscurus) The beetle lays the egg in the
stalk of the cane after first making a hole
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 it changes
10 pupa after first making for itself a
cocoon of the fibre Of the cane. From this
cocoon emerges the adult beetle.
go Those feeding beneath the surface
If the ground. The root lice, etc. Phyl-
oxera of the grape vine.
"a Insects living as parasites on ami
mails. Ticks, heas, etc.
90 The various household pests. Among
he last class We find such pests as the
mt, cockroach, bed-bug, certain flies, and
he mosquito. This last pest is perhaps
he most troublesome as well as the one
demanding the most serious attention.
Screening the houses is practically the
My method adopted here to combat this
,est. 1t has several natural enemies here
most CONSPICUOUS of which is the dragon
". (Show illustrations from Howardl
LIFE HISTORY OF THE MOSQUITO.
The eggs of the mosquito are laid at
light by the female on the surface of still {
water. They occur in small raft-like {
mass which contains several hundred eggs.
The entire mass is about one-fourth inch
n length and is dark in color The eggs {
re fastened snugly together in rows and
re arranged end Up. The places, selected
" the female for depositing the eggs are
UGH places in which water has been left
tanding, ponds, bitches, water-tanks,
ubs, etc. The eggs under favorable con-
itions haten in about one days time :
rhe larvae require about a week for
-rowth, feeding meantime on the floating
ARTICLES OF organic life TO be found in the
water. The pupal stage follows which is
much shorter, the adult mosquito issu-
ng in about two or three days. The pupal
tage is a period of transformation when
he creature changes from larya to the
.dult or from an aquatic insect to one
living in the air. The larvae and pupae
living in theewater, require air,
md must therefore come to the surface
o get it. The Iarva breathes by means
~r7b CF The I