The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1905-02-23
BUG THAT EATS
GOBLIN MOTHS
BOON TO THE FRUIT GROWER
State Authorities are PrOpagating
the Parasite In CallfOrnia-HOw In
sect works.

tOm0l0glst or western Australia, and
discoverer of the parasite which feeds
upon the larva of the Goblin moth, is
busy at the office of the deputy COM
missioner of horticulture propagating
the insect for shipment to the various
counties of the state, says the San
Francisco Chronicle.
Already nine counties have been
supplied with the destroyer, and the
tenth jar went forward Friday.
Saturday, bronZed, unassuming, and
with the determined lines of the trav-
eler and patient investigator, Mr..
Compere talked naturally about his
great discovery ON Tuesday.
"By no other states, aside from
Western Australia and California was
any interest taken in this Goblin
moth parasitic" said he, when the
fact was made known. The entomo-
logists Of the various states of Austria
lila belittled the discovery and advised
their respective governments that
there was nothing in it. California
was the only state that Immediately
took action, by the cooperation of
that state and Australia, with the
result that we now have a parasite
that will add millions to pockets of
the fruit growers of California by
combating the deadly work of the
Goblin moth among the apple and
pear trees. We have already liberat-
ed great many colonies, and there
are several hundred more, as you see
in that jar, which viii be liberated
tomorrow morning. Now, in season
or two, they will have multiplied
enough to successfully cope with the
Goblin moth.
Mr.. Compere came to San Francisco
from Spain, where he discovered the
parasite, a wasp-like insect, bearing
the name Ephialtes Carbonarious, In
the deputy commissioners office was
a jar containing prepared apple limbs !
in which the codlin moth had placed |
their deadly larvae and upon which |
the parasites we're industriously work
ing, boring in with their ovipositors,
laying the egg and sucking out the
life of the larvae.
The scheme by which California
and Australia co-operated in the
search for destroyer of the Goblin |
moth was consumated in this city |
about year ago during Mr.. Com |
pere's visit He went to Brazil in |
search of the parasite of the fruit fly, |
for which he had made a trip around |
the world with varying success.
= II secured my .afornation during |
that first trip" he said. 81 discov-
cred the parasite of the fruit fly in
Brazil and took it with me personally |
to Western Australia and kept those
insects alive for 45 days, continu-
Gus journey, reaching Australia in
the dead of winter.
81 had always been under the i'm
preston that the Goblin moth para
site existed in Southern Europe.
Therefore, while | was in that coun-
try, paid particular attention to
that, Notwithstanding that | was
working on a separate and distinct in
sect from that at the time.
"Ihe parasite belongs to the ich-
neumon family, and these insects are
generally the enemies of all butter fly
and beetle larvae, each species hav-
ing their own particular species to
feed upon. 1t is member of very
large group Of insects.
'"The parasite searches over the |
bark Of the tree, and where it finds a
place whore the Goblin moth larvae
has grubbed under the loose bark of
the tree, it Immediately begins to
place itself over the spot, and with |
the ovipositor (egg tube), 1t feels
its way into the cocoon, and il the
worm is in the proper condition to
receive the egg, not having received
any egg before, the parasite immedi-
ately begins to loop her body under
meath, forming a derrick with her
feet. Then with great skill 81 o thrusts
her ovipositor into the Goblin moth
larvae which destroys the life of the
larva of the moth. Before she thrusts
out the ovipositor, she deposits an egg
upon the Goblin moth larva. This
egg is hatched by the warmth of the
Goblin moth larva. That egg generally
takes from "A to 36 hours to hatch,
when the young larva Immediately
proceeds to suck out the body juices
and the worm Immediately shrivels.
In the meanwhile the grub is grow
ing and after attaining full size it
transforms into pupa, and in this
state rests for short period, when
the adult parasite reappears to begin
the cycle again.
Edward M. Ehrhorn, deputy com
missioner of Horticulture, who had
been assisting in a test for the propa- !
cation of the parasites, said: '"Ihese
insects are going to be distributed az
fast as the issue from the material
which we receive permits 1t is my
idea to establish the parasite in the
state first by establishing large colon
les in the several counties whore
apple and pear growing is in vogue
If we succeed in establishing the par
asite in this manner, more remote
districts can be furnished with the
parasite from the California brood.
''The value of this insect, accord
ing to Mr.. Compere's report, is in
dicated by the fact that only per
cent Of the apple crop in France and
Spain is wormy, and they have three
species of the Goblin moth against |
our one.
''We lose 80 per cent sometimes |
more or less of the apple crop here
by the Goblin moth, notwithstanding
the artificial spraying it receives. !
The fruit growers viii be under no
expense for the parasites sent from
here.
If we are successful In introducing
the parasite in California, eliminating
the enemies which attack the parasite
in Europe, we should be able TO raise
an apple crop here with probably one
or two per cent infested with moths,
as against 80 per cent now, with all
spraying. 1t will double the profits
of the apple and pear crop"
A jar Of lively parasites that had
been propagated at the deputy's
office was taken to Sacramento and
shown Governor Pardee. who asked