319 



ENTOMOLOGICAL NOTES. 



From the Diz'isioii of Entomology, Board of Agriculture and 



Forestry. 



By Jacob Kotinsky. 



THE RECENTLY INTRODUCED DUNG FLY PARASITE. 



(Eucoila impatiens, Say.) 



In his search for useful insects for the Territory Air. Koebele is 

 now concentrating his attention on the horn fly, taking enemies of 

 our other pests, as Avocado pear scale and cut worms, incident- 

 ally. Nearly every steamer from the coast brings a large con- 

 signment of these insects for breeding and distribution. On the 

 5th of May, of this year, the ''Alameda" brought, among other 

 things, a box vvith dipterous pupae collected in dung. They were 

 packed in sphagnum moss and kept at about 40° F. aboard the 

 steamer. In the laboratory they were gradually brought to our 

 normal temperature and then segregated and put away for breed- 

 ing. A little less than a month later males and females of the 

 above named parasite began to issue. They were immediately 

 supplied with a large jar full of cattle droppings well stocked with 

 dipterous larvae and pupae habitually inhabiting it. As fast as 

 other specimens of the parasite issued they were placed in this 

 jar. Twenty-five days later a large brood of the parasite made 

 its appearance in the jar and systematic distribution among ranch- 

 men on the Islands and at the heads of the valleys in the vicinity 

 of Honolulu immediately commenced. A portion of the brood 

 was retained and tw^o fresh jars stocked with it for further 

 breeding anl distribution. So far as we are aware all stock 

 breeders on the Islands, with the exception of a few, have by now 

 been supplied with colonies of the useful insect. The material 

 from which this lot of parasites was bred was collected by Mr. 

 Koebele in the vicinity of Alameda, but it has also been bred from 

 pupae more recently received which Mr. Koebele sent from 

 Nogales, Arizona. 



For naming the fly we are indebted to the U. S. Bureau of 

 Entomology, Washington, D. C, where it was named by Dr. 

 Wm. H. Ashmead. 



