The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-08-20
MOSQUITOES IN HAWAII.
BY D. L. VAN DINE.
Gu. S. Bulletin
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lis predaeeous in both the young and
the adult forms; the young dragon-Hy'
an aquatic insect, feeding on the lar
vac of the mosquito in the water and
the adult preying on the winged insect
in the air This highly beneficial,
strong flying and beautiful insect is
met at all elevations. The writer has
seen it on the top of Mt. Tantalus as
we'll as the other elevations between
that point and the beach at Waikiki.
Among our fish we have two efficient
enemies of mosquitoes in the ponds,
rice-fields, taro-patches and bitches.
They are the gobies, locally known as
''oopu and the goldfish. In answer
to a letter from the writer in regard
to introducing into these Islands the
top-minnow, DR. David Starr Jordan
says under date of January q, 1908:
THE only fishes that you have that
feed upon mosquitoes in the small
ponds. are the different species of go
bies locally known as oopu, and the
goldfish. The different species of oopu
are found in all the streams, but
whether they feed on the larvae or not
must be determined by dissection.
1.-The top-minnows are entirely IN
represented in Hawaii. They are very
easily transported, being extremely
hardy. There are, however, none of
them in California, and they would
have to be brought either from the Mis-
sissippi Valley, or from Mexico. The
best species for your purpose could be
found in the streams of Central Mexi-
co, but it would be little costly to
send man down to get them. Next
to these, I would recommend trying
the Gulf States or Florida.
These fish belong to the family of
Poeciliidae, and there are many spe-
cies is common in rice bitches in the
extreme South of Japan and probably
feeds on larvae
After careful observations, the writer
is convinced that among the fishes,
hardly more efficient enemy could be
found than goldfish. A single gold
fish in an aquarium ate over one hun
dred and fifty larvae in twenty-four
hours time. Other specimens placed
in pools containing mosquito larvae
were afterwards dissected and the
stomach contents were found to con-
sist almost entirely of the remains of
the bodies of the larvae. From these
experiments. goldfish were placed in
watering tanks and pools, with
the result that the young of mosquitoes
did not develop in these places. Search
was made for larvae in .lily-ponds and
fountains where goldfish occurred and
conditions verified the above expert
ments.
The introduction of insectivorous bats
to feed upon adult mosquitoes was sug-
gested. The matter was referred to
Mr. VIM. A. Bryan, Curator of Ornitho-
logy of Bishop Museum and Inspector
of Birds and. Animals for Hawaii. Mr..
Bryan replied:
''Vesperugo, the commonest of the
British bats is found about old build
ingS, in creeks, rocks, etc. It's food is
said to be gnats (mosquitoes). 1t will
readily eat meat in captivity and be-
comes a nuisance in houses. / would
not advise the promiscuous introduce
ton and liberation of any Species
Concerning natural enemies in his
book on Mosquitoes Dr. Howard has
the following in regard to Hawaii:
Mr.. Albert Koebeie informs me that
he imported into Hawaii from Califor-
MIA a large number of the western sal
amander which were liberated in the
upper part of the Makiki stream in the
hope of reducing the large number of
breeding everywhere in
small pools and ro-patches.''
Mr.. r. H. Petit of the Michigan Sta
ton mentions Especial Bulletin II.
Michigan Experiment Station.] a fun
gus. Entomophthora, as destructive to
adult mosquitoes about pools in timber
lands. Theobald mentions another fun
gus disease, Empusa culicis, which also
destroys Culex both in Europe and
America" /
Efforts have been made to determine
some artificial method of arraying ma
tural enemies against the mosquitoes
but, with the exception of the fish, lit
tie has been accomplished. In this con-
nection, DR.. Howard informs the writer
that lin the matter of control not much
can be done with natural enemies. Fun
gus disease has never amounted to any
thing.
METHODS OF CONTROL.
A tropical country is an out-of-door
and the mosquito problem be-
comes at once a serious question. Here
tofore the only effort directed against
the mosquito nuisance in these Islands
mas been to secure protection from the
adult by screening the houses, the use
Of nets over beds at night and the
burning of buhach or insect-powder
These methods are more or less sue
,essful in obtaining individual relief
out in no manner do they lessen the
numbers of the pest or remove the
source of the nuisance. conservative
based on figures furnished the
writer by the wholesale importing
Houses of Honolulu, places the sum an
lually spent in these Islands for insect
powder, wire mosquito-cloth and mos
Iuito-netting at $27,243.00, of which
7,o0S.00 is for insect-powder, SO, 1850
or wire mosquito-cloth, and $40, 10000
or mountaineering. These figures are