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Recent years have seen a number of biological control successes in Hawaii. A sampling:
Three species of parasitic wasp, Ooencyrtus erionotae FerriŠre (Encyrtidae) from Guam, (an egg parasitoid), Apanteles erionotae Wilkinson (Braconidae) from Thailand and Malaysia, and Scenocharops sp. (Ichneumonidae) from Malaysia (both larval parasitoids), were introduced in late 1973 to 1974. Scenocharops sp. was not successfully reared in quarantine, and did not become established. Ooencyrtus erionotae and A. erionotae are credited with bringing the skipper under complete biological control in less than a year. By December 1975, the skipper population had been greatly reduced, and its status had changed from that of major to minor pest. Only trace to light infestations have occurred since 1976. Parasitization rates have been as high as 80% for O. erionotae and 99% for A. erionotae. |
BANANA
SKIPPER (Erionota thrax [L.]): This
hesperiid butterfly was first detected on Oahu in August
1973. Within a few years, the skipper had spread to the
other islands. A native of South and East Asia, the
larvae are leaf-rollers, cutting and rolling a leaf from
its tip, and forming a cigar-shaped shelter in which they
continue to feed. In heavy infestations, no leaf surface
at all may be left on young banana plants. At the height
of the infestation on Oahu, more than 80% of all banana
plants and leaves were damaged, and the skipper was
considered to be a serious threat to the banana industry
in Hawaii.