﻿INSECTS 
  IN 
  SUGAR-CANE 
  PLANTATIONS 
  IN 
  FIJI. 
  37 
  

  

  end 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  month 
  mating 
  has 
  ceased 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  males 
  are 
  dead. 
  The 
  females 
  

   hibernate 
  for 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  weeks 
  during 
  August 
  and 
  September, 
  and 
  then 
  they 
  

   reappear 
  and 
  commence 
  nest-building. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  a 
  desirable 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  Fijian 
  fauna, 
  because 
  it 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  useful 
  

   check 
  on 
  many 
  pests. 
  The 
  writer 
  has 
  observed 
  the 
  hornets 
  feeding 
  pieces 
  of 
  cater- 
  

   pillars, 
  flies 
  and 
  grasshoppers 
  to 
  their 
  larvae, 
  while 
  the 
  hornet 
  itself 
  has 
  been 
  seen 
  

   eating 
  full-grown 
  crickets, 
  young 
  grasshoppers, 
  army- 
  worms, 
  jumping 
  spiders, 
  flies 
  

   and 
  small 
  beetles. 
  

  

  The 
  sting 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  very 
  painful, 
  and 
  therefore 
  many 
  people, 
  losing 
  sight 
  

   of 
  its 
  value 
  as 
  a 
  predator, 
  have 
  passed 
  a 
  verdict 
  of 
  unqualified 
  condemnation 
  on 
  it. 
  

   While 
  it 
  is 
  true 
  that 
  labourers 
  and 
  others, 
  including 
  the 
  writer, 
  are 
  sometimes 
  

   badly 
  stung, 
  yet 
  it 
  is 
  fortunate 
  that 
  during 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  the 
  cane-cutting 
  season 
  

   the 
  hornets 
  are 
  hibernating, 
  and 
  so 
  the 
  labourers 
  can 
  work 
  without 
  fear 
  of 
  being 
  stung. 
  

   At 
  the 
  beginning 
  of 
  the 
  season 
  a 
  few 
  nests 
  are 
  met 
  with 
  and 
  towards 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   season 
  the 
  small 
  new 
  nests 
  begin 
  to 
  show 
  up, 
  but 
  even 
  then 
  the 
  danger 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  

   so 
  great 
  as 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  were 
  the 
  cane 
  cut 
  from 
  January 
  to 
  April, 
  when 
  the 
  nests 
  are 
  

   large 
  and 
  defended 
  by 
  numerous 
  individuals. 
  During 
  the 
  early 
  months 
  of 
  the 
  year 
  

   there 
  is 
  little 
  occasion 
  for 
  going 
  into 
  big 
  cane 
  at 
  Lautoka, 
  Karawai 
  and 
  Labasa 
  Mills, 
  

   and 
  so 
  the 
  labourers 
  do 
  not 
  generally 
  encounter 
  the 
  hornet 
  at 
  its 
  worst 
  ; 
  but 
  at 
  

   Nausori 
  Mill 
  the 
  position 
  is 
  different, 
  for 
  there 
  the 
  usefulness 
  of 
  the 
  hornet 
  is 
  distinctly 
  

   lessened 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  cane 
  is 
  trashed 
  during 
  the 
  season 
  when 
  the 
  nests 
  are 
  at 
  

   their 
  maximum 
  size, 
  and 
  considerable 
  expense 
  is 
  incurred 
  in 
  sending 
  special 
  labourers 
  

   (in 
  canvas 
  suits, 
  gloves 
  and 
  veils) 
  into 
  the 
  cane 
  to 
  destroy 
  the 
  nests 
  before 
  the 
  ordinary 
  

   labourers 
  can 
  enter 
  the 
  field 
  to 
  trash 
  the 
  cane. 
  The 
  trashing 
  of 
  cane 
  has 
  now 
  been 
  

   abandoned 
  at 
  the 
  other 
  three 
  mills, 
  being 
  regarded 
  as 
  an 
  unprofitable 
  measure 
  under 
  

   the 
  climatic 
  conditions 
  of 
  the 
  dry 
  districts. 
  

  

  The 
  Leaf- 
  Hopper 
  (Perkmsiella 
  vitiensis, 
  Kirk.). 
  

  

  This 
  pest 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  any 
  cane 
  field, 
  but 
  fortunately 
  it 
  does 
  little 
  damage, 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  kept 
  in 
  check 
  by 
  numerous 
  natural 
  enemies, 
  the 
  most 
  effective 
  of 
  these 
  being 
  

   the 
  egg-parasites 
  Ootetmstichus, 
  Paranagrus 
  and 
  Anagrus. 
  The 
  Stylopid 
  parasite, 
  

   Elenchus 
  tenuieomis, 
  Curt., 
  attacks 
  both 
  young 
  and 
  adults, 
  and 
  the 
  numerous 
  spiders 
  

   in 
  the 
  cane-fields 
  also 
  take 
  a 
  heavy 
  toll 
  of 
  this 
  pest. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  leaf-hopper 
  are 
  laid 
  beneath 
  the 
  epidermis 
  of 
  the 
  cane 
  plant, 
  usually 
  

   along 
  the 
  midribs 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  but 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  internodes 
  of 
  the 
  stalk, 
  or 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  

   leaf- 
  sheaths 
  ; 
  generally 
  three 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  in 
  each 
  cavity, 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   indicated 
  at 
  first 
  by 
  the 
  piece 
  of 
  white 
  wax 
  covering 
  the 
  opening 
  of 
  cavity, 
  and 
  later 
  

   by 
  the 
  reddish 
  discoloration 
  of 
  the 
  tissues 
  surrounding 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  leaf-hoppers 
  hatch 
  out 
  and 
  feed 
  on 
  the 
  cane, 
  sucking 
  the 
  sap 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   creting 
  honey-dew, 
  on 
  which 
  a 
  black 
  fungus 
  grows. 
  In 
  Fiji 
  the 
  writer 
  has 
  never 
  seen 
  

   the 
  leaf 
  -hopper 
  present 
  in 
  numbers 
  large 
  enough 
  to 
  stunt 
  the 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  crop 
  

   appreciably, 
  and 
  control 
  measures 
  are 
  unnecessary. 
  

  

  The 
  Mauritius 
  Bean 
  Bug 
  (Brachyplatys 
  pacificas, 
  Dall.). 
  

  

  This 
  little 
  black 
  Pentatomid 
  bug 
  occurs 
  wherever 
  Mauritius 
  bean 
  is 
  grown, 
  and 
  it 
  

   can 
  also 
  be 
  found 
  feeding 
  on 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  the 
  leguminous 
  weeds 
  that 
  flourish 
  along 
  the 
  

  

  