Pests

Attack On Coconut

Success in Fiji, New Hebrides and New Guinea

IT was stated in a Sydney newspaper on June 3 that pleurotropis parvalus parasites, introduced into New Heb rides and New Guinea by Mr. C. B.

Depertuis, had substantially reduced the coconut pest promecotheca in both Ter ritories.

Mr. Depurtuis said that, following the example of Messrs. Paine and Taylor, Fiji entomologists, he had supplies of the larvae of the parasite brought from Java to Vila in the freezer of the liner “Maetsuycker”, and they duly hatched out, and, spread through the New Heb rides plantations. They quickly cleaned out the pest, so that a very great im provement had taken place in the out put of the plantations.

This statement was commented upon by Mr. George H. Murray, Director of Agriculture in New Guinea, who is at present in a private hospital in Sydney.

“I do not think that Mr. Depurtuis has been quite fair to the Department of Agriculture in New Guinea and to Sir Walter Carpenter”, he said.

“In the first place, in 1933, Mr. T. H.

C. Taylor brought the parasite, pleuro tropis parvalus, from Java to Fiji, via Rabaul, and I told him that, when they were established, I would be greatly ob liged if the Fijian Department of Agri culture would assist us in getting a colony from Fiji to New Guinea. It was not until the end of 1936 that it was proved that the parasites were a success in controlling promecotheca on the Lau Group, Fiji.

“As soon as I got word of this suc cess, a radio was sent to the Director of Agriculture in Fiji, asking him if he could send a colony of the parasite from Suva to Rabaul, by one of the W. R. Carpenter boats, and stating that the journey would take about 12 days.

I received a reply that the Lau Group is not easily accessible, and at that time they had no officer to do the collecting, and send the parasites.

“Early in 1938, the Department of Ag riculture in New Guinea obtained a col ony of the parasites from the New Hebrides, to which they had been in troduced: but, on arrival, they were all dead. But. with the assistance of Sir Walter Carpenter, a further colony was obtained from Fiji, and brought to New Guinea direct from Sydney by ’plane.

“From that colony many millions of them have been bred in the insectories of the New Guinea Department of Ag riculture in Rabaul, and distributed on numerous plantations in New Britain.

“It was after these were successfully established that Mr. Dupertuis, who had been engaged by Burns, Philp and Co.

Ltd., also to obtain parasites, brought a further colony from Java: but the para sites had been thoroughly established in our Territory before Mr. Dupertuis’ ar rival. Nevertheless, he received the co operation of the Department of Agri culture.

“Messrs. Paine and Taylor were en tomologists from the Imperial Institute of Entomologists, on loan to the Fiji Government, and when they had com pleted their work, they were withdrawn and sent to other parts of the Empire.

“Promecotheca is one of our two worst pests”, concluded Mr. Murray, “the other being Sexava. Both of these pests have probably been in New Guinea since there were coconut trees. In recent years,

with the growth of plantations, the in sects have multiplied. I do not want to belittle Mr. Dupertuis’ work, but I think it unfair that he should be given full credit for the introduction of the parasite into New Guinea”.