The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-02-27

LII E, FeDTuary 2l.-The Garden
Island says: The destructive cane
horer which for years past has levied
its annual tax of hundreds of thou
sands Of dollars upon our cane plant.
ers, and which has successfully baf-
fed all attempts to destroy it, has,
in the recently imported Tacninid Fly.
met IN enemy that marks the first
step towards it's ultimate extermina-
ton
1t is not our intention to go into
full details leading up to locating
and importing this fly from it's far
away home, suffice to say it required
patience and perseverance almost be-
yond imagination to meet the re-
peated failures covering a period of
more than four years in landing them
safely on our shores. The point we
wish to make, is this: that a colony
was sent to the manager of the Kilau-
ca plantation who has kindly allowed
us to photograph the propagation
house, also given us much very
valuable data for which we are very
grateful.
The Tachinid Fly, whose home is
on the Island of Amboina, very much
resembles a common, ordinary house
fly, a slight difference being notice
able however, in the position of its
wings while resting.
The female fly deposits her eggs on
the cane at the aperture made by the
female cane borer, where her eggs are
deposited. These fly eggs soon
develop into small maggots which
follow up the borer tunnel into the
care until they locate the larvae of
the 'borcr which they attack and
enter, remaining therein until the
larva assumes the chrysalis stage of
its life, when he succumbs to the
raYages of the enemy and dies. The
enemy emerges in the shape of a
mature maggot and Immediately goes
into its chrysalis form from which the
fly matches in about one week
For some time after the importation
OF this fly into Honolulu, propagation
was conducted at the planters ex-
detrimental station under the direct
supervision of an expert, with such
satisfactory results that it was de-
cided to supply some of the pIanta-
lions with a small colony as a further
experiment.
Late in September, such a COLONY
was sent to Manager Myers of the
Kilauea plantation, who constructed
a propagating house along original
IDEAS, which brought about such sue
cess as to warrant the accompanyine
that others contemplating
such procedure might have the adj
vantage of saving time in improvising
plans for a suitable house.
For breeding purposes Mr.. MYERS
first constructed a house seven feet
square, sided and covered with mos
quito netting
One hundred stalks of cane were
then cut and placed in this house
The borer larvae or grub was then
obtained from cane field boxes where
they We're boxed and propagated for
this special purpose.
Inc cane stalks in the house where
che end was driven into the ground.
are then extensively punctured so as
10 accommodate a thousand or more
Of these grubs In the meantime. the
fly pupsria or eggs, are kept in a
moss filed glass jar, until the flies
match. Immediately the fly is hatch.
ed, 1t is liberated in the house pre-
pared for it, and at once locates the
puncture in the stalk and forthwith
deposits its eggs which, within a few
minutes-as above stated-become
little wriggly maggots whose chief OBJ.
Iect is to pursue their host, and the
cycle continues.
From four to nine fly eggs are
found in the borer larvae which are
attacked.
In about forty days from the time
the flies are liberated in the house
The cane therefrom is taken out, cut
into small pieces, placed in boxes pro
-ected from the attack of ants, and
these are distributed in the cane fields
where the flies hatch and find the
borer in its natural haunts.
By this method Manager Myers
figures that much time will be saved
in covering the entire area Of his
THE TANK ~ ruIcT