ENTOMOLOGY 235 



destroying this insect, since those remaining on the stalks are killed 

 in the process of milling, and the remaining forms on the discarded 

 stalks and leaves in the field are destroyed by the fire. 



Miscellaneous Insects Affecting Sugar Cane in Hawaii. An 

 aphis is occasionally injurious to sugar cane. In some districts where 

 the cane fields are situated in moist locations, a mole cricket is some- 

 times abundant enough to be injurious. Another species of mole 

 cricket is a most important pest of sugar cane in the island of Porto 

 Rico. Regarding the work of the Hawaiian mole cricket, Prof. 

 Koebele reports as follows : 



A species of mole cricket has appeared in very large numbers in 

 some of the moist valleys on Oahu. It is likely another Asiatic intro- 

 duction. As a rule these crickets are found around the muddy bor- 

 ders of shallow ponds and watercourses where they live in burrows re- 

 sembling those of moles, and, like that animal, their food consists 

 chiefly of earth worms and the larva of various insects. The opin- 

 ions as to its habits are as yet divided ; whilst some authorities claim 

 that it is beneficial, others place it amongst the injurious insects. 

 Specimens kept in confinement here with pieces of sugar cane would 

 hardly touch them, yet they readily devoured a large number of the 

 larva of the Adoretus or Japanese beetle, as well as those aphodius 

 and a number of earth worms, all within 24 hours. 



The ground infested by these crickets was examined and found 

 to be very wet and completely riddled with the burrows down to a 

 depth of three and even four feet. As many as three and four speci- 

 mens were brought to light in a single shovel full of the soil. In 

 such localities there is no question as to the injurious effects of the 

 crickets on young cane plants, wherever they were numerous almost 

 all of the seed cane was destroyed ; they would burrow into the seed 

 from all sides, destroying all the eyes; where the plants had made a 

 growth of a couple of feet the cricket would burrow in below the 

 ground and eat to the center, killing the plant. This is the only 

 instance so far observed of the depredations of these crickets here. 

 In rice and taro fields no damage has been observed as yet, and the 

 only damage that is likely to occur to cane is when it is planted in 

 wet swampy land, as the tfricket can only live and thrive in such 

 places, and is not found in ordinary arable land; even in the swamp 

 where the cricket was very numerous, it did not attack the old cane 

 but paid its attention solely to the newly planted seed and very young 

 plants. 



This cricket although living in marshy land, cannot live under 

 water, yet it is a good swimmer; the only remedy that can be rec- 

 ommended at present is to flood the land with water and collect the 

 crickets as they come to the surface, destroying them by placing them 

 in a vessel containing kerosene and water. The fungoid so conta- 

 gious to many insects and larva here, does not seem to have any effect 

 on this lively cricket, nor will he have anything to do with poison 

 given in the style of bran, sugar and arsenic. Certain army worms 

 and cutworms are occasionally known to strip fields of young oano. 



