The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-11-18

subject to the attacks OF some insect
pest for which he desires to find "A
check, spreads the sheet underneath
it's boughs, and beats its branches
vigorously with his stick. Then he
gets down on his knees, and with the
miscrocope to his eye makes a careful
scrutiny OF the insects he has dis
lodged. Should he find an interesting
specimen tnat he thinks worthy Of
| further study, he places it in his in
sect case When sure that a parasite
or predaceous foe of some injurious
{ insect has been found, he ar
ranges for the transportation of
specimens to the California State
Insectary, at Sacramento, where
Acting Superintendent Maskew sub
jects them to further scrutiny. If
satisfied that the new insect is un-
questionably beneficial in its opera
tions, Mr. Maskey takes steps to breed
large numbers in the insectary. These
are then divided into colonies, for free
distribution throughout the State
wherever there is need of such ser
vices as this particular species is fitted
to render.
1t is believed by entomologists that
every form of life has its natural
check, in the form OF either a para
site or a predatory foe. Nature, it
appears, has made careful provision
| for the destruction of life as for the
reproduction of life. So, in it's natural
habitat, no insect ever becomes a real
! ly dangerous pest, because nature pre-
serves the equilibrium between the
various forms of life, preventing any
particular form from becoming re-
dundant. But when man takes a tree
or plant from Japan, or Australia or
South America and plants it in Cali,
fornia, or Florida or New York, he is
/ very likely to take with it some insect
| that feeds upon it's fruit, or bark or
| leaves, and not to take with it the
natural check that preys upon it and
prevents it from becoming redun-
dant In its new environment, with
no natural enemy to prevent it's in
definite multiplication, the imported
insects thrives amazingly; and, with
the enormous reproductive powers
common to nearly all forms of insect
life, develops into a pest that devours
all before it.
California, with its vast area and
its great range of climate and altitude,
is adapted to the growth of every fruit,
vegetable and tree of temperate eli
mates, and many of tropical origin. 1t
now boasts of greater variety OF
farm, garden and orchard products
than can be found in any similar area
on the earth's surface. 1t is therefore
not strange that it is cursed with a
greater number and variety of insecU
pests than any similar area in the
world. Insects from every tropical
and temperate country have been in
! troduced; and, in the absence of any
natural checks, an amazing number OF
these have developed into ruinously
destructive pests. That is why this
State is compelled to keep an expert
entomolOgist always on the search fol
insects to act as natural checks to the
vast number of imported pests. Othel
States might follow CALIFORNIA; ex
ample to their own advantage; bu
their necessities are not so great, and
as a rule, they leave the whole burden
to the Bureau of Entomology of tn,
. National Department of Agriculture
Now it might be thought that to fin,
{ the natural check to any particula
form of insect life would not be dill
5 ticult, but this is not the case. Cor
/ slider the purple scale, for example
: an importation from China, that, for
time, was almost as serious a menac
e to the orange groves as to the cotton
: cushion scale itself. In regions i
e China where the purple scale abounC
= ed, it was useless to look for il
= natural check. The very abundanc
t of the pest proved that no natural pi
j. rasite was present. Then when a r,
+ giOn was found where the scale an
e its parasite both existed, it was nel
e to impossible to capture the almost il
S visible wasp that used the scale as
a host, and transport it to America
e form in which it was likely to prov
useful. The method adopted wit
Il success gives a good idea of the so
t OF eXpedients the scientific bug huntt
n must adopt.
J. Several small lemon trees heavil
y infested with the injurious scale we