The Hawaiian gazette., 1915-09-03
PLANTERSOUGHTI0 .
HAVEMORE EXPERTS
DR.. |. 0. Howard, Chief EntomoI-
ogiSt At Washington, Advises
Employing More Scientists
Big Gains To Follow Closer Study
OF Life History Of In r. \
sect Pests IA

Dr. l.. o. Howard while in Honolulu
last week discussed at some length the
relation of science to prac tise in insect
control NY means Of parasites. He took
ls his text the activities of two ogg
.,iaTRsites brought here to combat the
leafhOppPr. One of these tiny PARASITES
lays its own egg in the egg Of the pest.
The other parasite inserts. it's egg in the
avitiCs where the lady IeafhOpper has
deposited hers and the maggot when
I matches turns to and makes d square
meal on all the hopper eggs in sigh. Y
If the latter form could hunt out all
he loa1hopPer egg masses and feast on.
them 1t would be lovely. When the last
parasite had eaten the last leafhoppef
both would disappear. However IL does
NOT happen that way. The parasite
with the appetite for two dozen eggs
at one meal is not discriminating
Eggs is eggs, as far as his taste goes
80 he is just as liable to gobble a few
dozen eggs already occupied by the
one egg parasite as to hunt around for
a let marked strictly fresh.
Hawaiian luck
One of these parasites likes eyes,
any kind of eggs will do. The other
parasite, a little smoogin of a fly so
tiny that no one but an entomologist
can see him, must have leafhopper
&gg. He is no glutton-One is a plenty.
While he is little, he is loud. Some
times every egg in the cluster laid by
the hopper turns red, which is a sure
sign that the parasite has found it's
prey.
The bigger, gluttonous type of para.
site eats as many bad eggs as good ones
so that he keeps down the numbers of
the little, one egg parasite too.
DR.. Howard said that every parasite
ought to be studied very carefully and
scientifically, long time, before he is
brought into the country. Thus far.
luck has favored the planters, but if
they have not brought in bad parasites
with the good ones it is only luck and
nothing more. When an insect is once
set free in Hawaii there is no catching
up with him to head him off. The
climate is too entOmologically ideal for
that.
No Quarantine is Perfect
Irrespective of the very perfect
III anu III
Howard says Hawaii has the best in
in the world, new insects will keep
coming in. Two new wasps have ap
Pearcd from nowhere since 1912 Every
year the bug collectors find new flies
beetles, butterflies and bugs. Their
eggs come in packing cases of mer
chandisc, in hay or grain. Even d
key of nails may bring some entomo
logical stowaway to Hawaii.
Mostly, these stray immigrants arc
harmless fellows, scientifically inter
rsting to the collectors who like to
get new bugs and stick pins through
them so they can plaster on "A double
Iointed Latin name and practise other
rrueltes. Nevertheless these chance
importations are just as liable to turn
out bad as good. That is again a
matter of luck. One of the new
waspS hunts spiders, which is bad, be.
cause spiders do rmOre good than harm,
being hunters themselves. The other
new wasps eats caterpillars and is an
acquisition to the Territory, unless
he cnlarges his field to include the
catcrpilIer tractors. Professor Swe'
zey says this is unlikely.
More Time for Study
Drawing his conclusions from what
the United States department of agrlr