Amblypelta
p. 86 · Read in the full issue
Parasite War On Amblypelta Combatting Nutfall in BSI
From Our Own Correspondent HONIARA, April 30.
MX*. B. A. O’CONNOR, Fiji Govern ment entomologist, is expected to arrive in the British Solomon Islands in May to investigate the pos sibility of establishing a parasitic fly on Amblypelta cocophaga, the bug which is responsible for premature nutfall of coconuts.
The fly, Trichopoda pennipes, was im ported into Fiji from Florida in Decem ber last year and is being bred in the laboratory at Suva. Main reason for its importation was to attempt its es tablishment in the Solomons to control Amblypelta. The parasite lays its eggs on bugs which act as host for hatching eggs and are destroyed in the process, and it is hoped that it will lay them on Amblypelta. Secondary object of this research is to see if the parasite fly will lay eggs on another bug, Axiagastus campbelli, which would offer a useful host for it in areas where Amblypelta is not plentiful and enable a constant sup ply of hatching, mating and breeding parasites to be maintained as an in surance against Amblypelta. Axiagastus occurs in considerable numbers on coco nut spadices in nutfall areas on Guadal canal, and other islands.
Mr. O’Connor may begin his research on Fairymead’s Baimunu plantation on Malaita.
With Mr. R. Leach, plant mycologist from Cambridge, he visited the Solomons in 1948 on behalf of Lever’s. A summary of their report on nutfall was published in the PIM during 1948.