Solomons

Nut-Fall In The

Dr. Phillips on Chances of Treatment

AN interesting note is to hand from Dr. J. S. Phillips, of Kenilworth Court, Hagley Road, Birmingham, England. He is the skilled entomologist who discovered the cause of nut-fall in the Solomon Islands, and who told the fascinating story of his search in his book. “Coconut Quest”. (See “PIM”, February. 1941).

“The ‘PIM’ reviewer,” says Dr. Phil lips, “is the only reviewer of my book who has grasped that the key factor in this problem of immature nut-fall is the change of ant population in the planta tions, brought about by the accidental introduction of Fido (Pheidole oceanica).

“In the note at the end of your review, you suggest a remedy: ‘Why cannot something else be introduced to deal with Fido?’

“This suggestion, I agree, offers the best, perhaps the only, way of stopping immature nut-fall in the Solomons. But the chance of findipg such a ‘control’, and establishing it successfully, is very, very small. The control would have to be another species of ant, and I doubt whether any could be found capable of driving Fido out of the plantations, espe cially as the selection would be limited to tree-nesting species, as ground-nest ing ones would not protect the spadices from the coconut-bug.

“And even if such a creature could be found, it would take many years to spread into ail the nut-fall areas—well over 20,000 acres.

“Oeco. the indigenous tree-ant, which formerly protected the nuts from attack, seems able to maintain itself against Fido in the bush. One might therefore imagine that by allowing plantations to revert to bush conditions, Oeco would re establish itself and force Fido out again.

Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case. There are estate areas on Guadalcanal and Malaita, which have been ‘let go’; but Fido remains the dominant ant there.”