HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 373 



visiting Ceram, Muir proceeded to New Guinea, which yielded 

 both the weevil and its parasite. Owing to the shortness of the 

 life-cycle of the Tachinid and difficulties attending the breeding 

 of it in small cages, it was found desirable to establish intermediate 

 breeding stations in Australia and in Fiji. After further difficulties 

 and delays a supply of parasites reached Fiji and sufficient stock 

 was bred from them to be conveyed to Honolulu. The first 

 examples reached Oahu in 1910, and by 1913 the Tachinid was 

 firmly established in the Islands, and noticeable reduction, not 

 only in the number of borers in the field, but also in loss of the 

 crop harvested, resulted. At the present day it would seem that 

 the Tachinid has attained its maximum efficiency, and Swezey 

 (1928) states that losses from the borer are negligible over the 

 greater part of the sugar cane area. In certain districts, which 

 have heavy rainfall and high winds coupled with a variety of cane 

 that lodges, the effectiveness of the Tachinid is much less marked. 

 In such areas the borer gains the ascendancy, and notwithstanding 

 efforts made in other lands to discover further enemies of the borer 

 beetle, the Tachinid remains as its most efficient controlling agency 

 {vide Williams, 1931). 



In the case of the Lamellicorn beetle, Anomala orientalis 

 (Waterh.), a remarkably complete degree of control has been 

 achieved. It was probably introduced along with potted plants 

 prior to 1910, but fortunately the infestation had only assumed 

 local proportions before it was checked. When abundant this 

 species nearly, or quite, kills out the cane, and was causing an 

 annual loss of £10,000 to two plantations. Attempts were made 

 to control the beetle by various parasites, but success was not 

 achieved until Muir obtained the solitary wasp Scolia maniliw 

 Ashm. in the Philippines. Introduced in 1916, it increased so 

 rapidly that within two years the damage caused by the Anomala 

 was reduced to a remarkable extent. The Scolia appears to have 

 effectively checked the spread of the beetle find there are now only 

 occasional local outbreaks, not of a very serious character. 



Another remarkably complete example of biological control 

 within a short interval of time is afforded by the avocardo 

 mealybug {Pseudococcus nipce Mask.) which affected, besides 



