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the cane borer. Egg parasites of the leaf hopper were found. The cane borer remained a serious problem. Frederick Muir a son-in-law of the famous English Entomologist Dr. David Sharp of the University of Cam- bridge and himself a well trained entomologist, began in 1906 to consider the question of leaf hopper parasites and possible cane-borer parasites. we will tell simply the story of the cane borer work.
But
Muir studied hard to find the distribution of the beetle borer. He discovered that it existed in most of the Pacific islands to New Guinea and Tenimber, the latter being the most westerly point where it had been found. He consulted the experts, the European museums, and the museum at Buitenzorg in Java. He started from Honolulu for the Orient in July, 1906. The first six months were spent in southern China. The beetle borer was not found. Then several months were spent in the Federated Malay States and java. Still the borer was not found. In Java he discover- ed related weevils in banana trees and in palms, but he could find no direct parasites. Then he went to New Guinea. The borer was known to exist in British New Guinea, where it was supposed to have been introduced; it was known that allied weevils were numerous there, and it was thought likely that some of their parasites had transferred their attention to the cane borer. But this was not so.
Muir then went to West Borneo and spent some time there, and after consulting the Sarawak museum he decided that the beetle did not occur in Borneo. He returned to Java and sailed for the Moluccas. Many weeks were spent there in search, and finally in November and December he discovered the borer in great numbers in the sugar-cane and in two varieties of palms. At that time of the year the sugar-cane had been cut, but some stalks remained in the ground and showed the beetle's work. one variety of palm, known as the pinang palm, he found that the beetle bores in the soft centre of the tree; indeed he came across one old palm that was infested from the root to the crown, some forty feet, and contained many thousands of empty cocoons. No traces of parasites were discovered.
In
But he had learned a new fact and that is that the sugar-cane borer attacks palms in certain places. He went to Amboina and found the borer in sago-palms, and there he learned that it was attacked by a Tachinid parasite! Now the problem was to get the parasite from Amboina to Hono- lulu alive. There was then no line of steamships through the Moluccas to Australia, and Muir though of trying a sending from Amboina to Macassar, thence to Hong Kong and then to Honolulu via Japan. But an experiment showed that the fly would die if it were transported in cold storage. Another man, Mr. F. W. Terry, was sent from Honolulu to Hong Kong to receive the flics sent from Amboina and to try to breed them there. But this was a failure, since the connecting boat at Macassar did not call regularly and some shipments were delayed over a month on the voyage. Muir, started, himself, to take a lot of the flies to Hong Kong, and he managed to keep many of them alive until twenty-four hours from his destination, where they all died from no perceptible cause.
Then
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It now became necessary to return to the Moluccas and to try some other way.
So in November Muir left Hong Kong, accompanied by Mr. J. C. Kershaw. In the meantime he had received a specimen of the borer from Southwest New Guinea, and he went there and to Fort Moresby, Papua, where both beetle and parasite were found. It was decided to stock some cages with beetle larvae, expose them to the attacks of parasites, transfer them to cages, and convey them to Honolulu via Australia. The first part of the programme was carried out, but before leaving Fort Moresby, Muir came down with a fever
and the specimens all died
before they reached Honolulu.
But he
When he recovered from his fever, Muir returned to Honolulu. It was then decided to establish breeding stations in Australia and also in Fiji, in order to relay the insects from Papua to Hono- lulu. In January 1910, the indefatigable Muir left Honolulu, this time for Brisbane, where he had a struggle with the quarantine officials to get them to allow him to import his parasite material from Papua. succeeded, and establishing a station at Mossman, Queensland, he went on to Papua. Living parasites were taken by him to Fiji. He recovered (from a fever), and on August 10 arrived in Honolulu with the material bred in Fiji. Many flies hatched out, cages were stocked, Mr. Kershaw arrived in Honolulu a month later with other material, and the main object was accomplished. The breeding of the parasites in cages went on in Honolulu and the parasites were established in all plantations affected by the beetle borer. And this work was successful. The work of Muir and his assistants during four years brought about results of tremendous financial value to the Hawaiian sugar-planters, and it is pleasing to note that at present Muir is residing, although in bad health, in the south of England, and that he receives a substantial pension from the Hawaiian people."
Readers will have seen with deep regret, since the above paragraph was written, the death of Dr. Muir. By his death the study of the elimina- In this tion of injurious insects by parasitic control suffers a great loss. branch he was almost a pioneer worker.
Hong Kong entomologists will remember that Mr. Terry, when he came to Hong Kong on his mission mentioned in the above account, gave us a lecture on some of the local insects.
We can hardly close this review without saying that insect control to be effective requires, like afforestation, long periods of time with consider- able expenditure from which no immediate return can be expected, but which if properly applied is amply justified. It has of course, therefore, to be undertaken largely by Governments and such industrial and mercantile organisations as look into the future. But it ought not on this account to be neglected, and every effort ought to be made to have Hong Kong equipped immediately with some entomological geniuses of the type of Dr. Muir.
We can heartily recommend this book to everybody in the Colony who is interested in the insect problem.
The Hong Kong Naturalist.
May 1932.
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