of Beetles

Crows as Destroyers of Beetles

Letter to the Editor A RECENT PIM says that Rhino ceros bettles are threatening coconut palms in Fiji.

I am very well acquainted with the Dynastid beetles. These comprise the Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Atlis beetles. All work the same way, and one is as bad as the other.

During the Expro. Board days in New Guinea, when many of the plantations were coming into bear ing, gangs of “monkis” (young boys) were used to destroy the pest, which bores in to the trunks of the palms. This was done by using a piece of hooked fence wire, which was driven through the beetle down in its hole, and the beetle was then pulled out of its burrow, and the hole plugged with tarred coconut fibre.

The Dynastid beetles did no end of damage and, if the burrows were not plugged, Palm Weevils (R.

Ferrugineus ) entered and laid their eggs. I have counted over 150 larvae from a palm crown. That palm, of course, was ruined. It was then cut down, split, and used as a trap. The “monkis” went around the traps every morning and collected the adult Palm Weevils.

The foregoing method is out of the question to-day. Labour is scarce and expensive, and climbing tall palms is slow and very tiring work; Dynastid beetles do not, to my knowledge, lay their eggs in the holes they make. They bore those holes to get at the soft heart of the crown, which is the food they like. Their breeding-places are in sago swamps—in decayed timber and preferably in the dead and rotting sago palms. The clearing of such places would be a very

expensive undertaking.

During inspections which took me to most of the plantations, I noticed the absence of Dynastid beetles where crows were present.

I have seen the crows pulling the beetles out of their burrows and eating them. They seem to love those big Dynastids.

I note that large sums of money have been subscribed to fight this pest, and I suggest that inquiries pe made on the practicability of importing and breeding crows, and letting them loose in the affected areas. Crows are just as fond of the larvae as they are of the adult beetles, and will destroy them in their breeding-places among rotting vegetation.

It would be necessary to engage scientists and to go about this business seriously. There are millions of crows west of the main

range in Australia, and the cow and sheep men would be delighted to have someone take a few of them away - Except for eating fowls’ eggs, the crow is never likely to become a menace in the Islands, such as he is in Western Queensland and

Nsw.

I observed the crow in action over a period of several years and the foregoing is my solution of the beetle problem, and I know that it is good. If it applies in New Guinea there is no reason why it should not serve also in Fiji T ..

J. am. etc.,

Old Planter.

Rabaul, August 9 , uguSTi y -

I C LaDour troubles at Swains

Suva Sep 1

TOURING August, the East Samoa Government’s vessel Manu’a Te te made a special voyage to Swains Island, north of Samoa, with the Attorney-General and the Secretary of Native Affairs, to dis cuss some Jabour trouble that had developed there. Swains is owned by the Jennings family, „ “ Travelling north per Wairuna in July were the following passengers to Join Che Cable Co. staff at Fanning Island: Medical Officer Dr. B. E. Kiraly, cable technicians G - A - M. Scott (with Mrs. Scott and ’ an 4 J - Ne y lon (with Mrs.

Neylon and two children.