Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-08-24
VAN Dine WRITES
OF ENEMIES
Of THE MOSQUITO

Honolulu, Hawaii. Aug. 20, 1903.
Or. c. b. Cooper, President of Board Of
Health and Chairman OF Mosquito
Committee. Honolulu.
Dear Sir: --Something was said In
yesterdays meeting in regard to fun
gus which is parasitic to the mosquito.
! ] have taken the pains to look up the
subject and respectfully submit to the
committee the following available in.
formation. Theobald says: "a fungus
of the family Entomophthorae has been
recorded as attacking the adult stage
OF certain mosquitoes. The species is
/ Entomophthora spaerospera of Fres~
enius. According to DR.. ThaNter, this
fungus is peculiar III that II attacks
widely different insects except Or
| thoptera CcoC kroaches. crickcts, grass
hoppers, etcJ Amongst Diptera 1.-THE
true flies including mosquitoes It has
been especially noticed in the Culicidae
I tmosquitoesl, and has been known to
/ occur in an epidemic form"
The Michigan Experiment Station
made some observations on fungus
disease Of the mosquito belonging to
! this same genus. II, Ii. Petit. EntO-
mologist of the station, says in his re-
| port on the subject: ION August >.
! lgO2) Mr.. Barlow found a number Of
adult mosquitoes killed by "A fungus,
/ EntomophthUra sp. nov. They were
/ very numerous on the margins of one
of the pools in the north woods. some
times almost covering the soil and the
pieces of bark TO which they chung.
Some were just killed and showed lit.
! tie, il any, external growth, aud some
were covered with dense duh white
growth. All we're within few inches
OF the water and all faced away from ii.
Imagine thousands of mosquitoes all
headed away from the water as II they
were trying TO get away from It,
II would seem that the effect Of the
disease Is 20 draw the affected insects
TO the water, possible by creating a
thirst. after shaking which the insects,
in trying TO retreat, are caught and
stopped in their course by numerous
rhizoids or anchor ropes which are
sent out by the fungus In the body TO
lfasten the victim permanently to the
place where its i'll luck overtakcs it.
Unfortunately for the mosquito host
the diseased individuals die just in the
right place to infect their fellows as
they go 10 the pool to drink or to lay
eggs. This is case where the fungus
seems TO influence the host in such q
7 yFn n 1aa1 N fln GnranI nf tha
disease.
The appearance OF the mosquito fun
gus Is quite characteristic. The entire
body is swollen and covered with 4
dull white growth, sometimes almost
plumbeus. The body is fastened dowT
by many slender brownish ropes.
microscopic examination shows tn,
growth TO be made up Of fine thread.
(myceliumI bearing spores at theii
distal eXtremitles These threads are
, usually simple, though sometimes bear
ing few short branches.
The fungus also was found at the
same Zine ON several specimens Of
/ Museidae. on Choironomid. and on
. Diplax, probably d. rubicundula. At
, tempts were made to introduce The dis
ease into new regions, BUT WITH
LITTLE SUCCESS. In the laboratory
large piece of bark bearing mosqui'
toes killed by the disease was placed
in cage with many mosquito larva,
, and pupae. A few adults died after
emerging but not nearly all of them.
Various attempts have been made il
. the United states 10 check Injurious in
sects by the distribution OF infectious
diseases, but as yet such methods have
not attained economic Importance. TIL,
: most widely known attempt was peer
haps the work undertaken against th'
ChinCh-bug, Blissus lucopterus, witt
the fungus SpOrotrichum. The com
, mon grass hopper disease, Empust
( grill and E.mpusa musca, the disease
/. of the house-ny (Musca domestica
might also ben mentioned. Report
=. show that while experiments In III
, laboratory have given encouraging re
suits, the practical work in the fel
!. has not confirmed these results. b
, far the greatest natural check to tn
mosquito is tue Hsn WnltH l'eu on VI
. larvae and the dragonhy which dc
/ YOURS the mtosquito larvae in tn
:, nymph stage and the adult mosquit
when full-grown. We have here tn
: gold fish which ! have fully demon
|. strated by experiment and dissectio
d devour in great numbers the mosquit
larvae and also the gobies, local
: known as oopu and nowhere hay
: / seen the dragon-hy in create
y numbers than here reall
think that II would be almost In
!: possible 10 live in the Waikiki distri'
'; were 1t not for the presence of Il
;. dragon-ny in such unusual number
There Is a species Of fish which,
r. they could be brought here, would
IS OF great value In Riding permanel
K ponds and pools Of the larvae Of mo
u Quitoes, This is species common
known as top minnows'. They fee
l. normally at the surface and live In Il
d smallest streams and pools. Since O..
X larvae must come 10 the surface