Pacific Entomologist 1925-1966
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RECOLLEcnONS OF A Pacific Entomologist 1925-1966 WITH PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR R.W. Paine Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research Canberra 1994 The Australian Centre for Intemational Agricultural Research (ACIAR) was established in June 1982 by an Act of Ihe Australian Parliament. lis primary mandate is 10 help identify agricultural problems in developing countries and to commission collaborative research between Australian and developing country researchers in fields where Australia has special competence. Where trade names ore used this does not constitute endorsement of nar discrimination against any product by the Centre. This peer-reviewed series contains the results of original research supported by ACIAR, or malerial deemed relevant 10 ACIAR's research and development objectives. The series is distributed intemationally, with an emphasis on developing countries. © Australian Centre for Intemational Agricultural Research GPO Box 157 t Conberra, Australia 2601 . Paine, R.w. 1994. Recollections of a Pacific Entomologist 1925 - 1966. ACIAR Monograph No 27. 120pp. ISBN 1 86320 106 8 Technical editing and production: Arowang Information Bureau Ply Ltd. Canberra Cover: BPD Graphic Associates, Canberra in association with Arawang Information Bureau Ply Lld Printed by The Craftsman Press Ply Ltd. Burwood, Victoria. ACIAR acknowledges the generous support of tihe Paine family in the compilation of this book. Long before agricultural 1920s was already at the Foreword sustainability entered forefront of world biological common parlance, or hazards control activities. Many of the associated with misuse of projects studied by Ron Paine pesticides captured headlines, and his colleagues are touched environmentally friendly on in his delightful and biological control of introduced evocative reminiscences. pests was being pursued in several countries by a tiny Some projects were highly band of amateur and successful, such as the professional naturalists. In classical eradication of the Australia, we are all familiar Levuana moth attacking with the biological control of coconut palms, whereas prickly pear by the introduced others, such as that on the Cactoblastis moth, and of the banana scab moth, have not European rabbit by the yet succumbed to biological introduced myxoma virus. control. Although the There are a further 50 or so essential scientific facts of the success stories here, and investigations are mostly many others elsewhere. documented in various publications and reports, the AClAR, from its formation in horrendous logistics and other 1982, has sought to re-kindle problems of those days are lapsed interest in biological scarcely mentioned. These control in the western Pacific induded considerable and, more recently, to personal hardships; absences augment the considerable of means of speedy momentum already generated communication; lack, for long in Southeast Asia. It is periods, of professional noteworthy therefore that, interactions and access to even before successful control scientific literature; and was achieved of prickly pear, lengthy sea voyages from work based on Fiji in the late Southeast Asia to Fiji to 3 deliver the rapidly dwindling a valuable insight into the stock of natural enemies. All historic setting in which the these and many more were investigations took place, but accepted as part of a day's also biological information work: far fewer obstacles than that is not available elsewhere them would be daunting to and which deserves a place in most biological workers today. the published record. Thus 'Recollections of a D.F. Waterhouse Pacific Entomologist Canberra, 1994 1925-1966' provides not only 4 Contents Foreword 3 Preface 6 PARTI-1925-1934 9 Starting in entomology 10 Fiji and the 'Levuana Campaign' 16 Ladybirds for coconut scale control 27 Australia, Solomon Islands and home leave 30 The search for coconut spike moth parasites in Java 33 Parasites of coconut leaf-mining beetle 39 Introducing Megarhinus, a predatory mosquito 44 Shipment of parasites to Fiji, 1931 48 Home leave, 1932 54 Return to Fiji, via Singapore and Java 57 INTERLUDE-1935-1955 A market gardener in Scotland 68 PARTII-1956-1966 Return to the Pacific 74 The search for banana scab moth parasites in New Guinea 78 Parasites for coconut flat moth 88 Fiji and home leave, 1958 91 A new contract - work in Singapore, Malaya, and Indonesia 93 The Graeffea Project 10 1 The Rhinoceros Beetle Project 106 A last farewell to the Pacific 119 Publications: R.W. Paine 120 5 This is an account of the years) I had only fringe contact Preface travels and experiences of an with entomologists, although applied entomologist between these were certainly 1925 and 1966, mostly in the enlivening. In 1956 I Inde-Pacific region. I was, for re-embarked on Pacific field the most part, based in Fiji, entomology for three and my job was to travel to contracts with the Fiji other parts of the Indo-Pacific Government (mostly at the region to seek, collect, and U.K. taxpayers' expense) and send back to Fiji natural one for the South Pacific enemies of insect pests Commission (SPC) threatening Fiji's main crops. terminating in 1966. During these years, transport for My work in these biological personnel was almost entirely control campaigns was by air, as well as, in small spread over two very distinct parcels, for insect parasites. periods. The first, 1925-34, involved surface travel by ship The essential differences in the and motor car. Short flights at methods used could hardly low level were taken in Java on have been more diverse. In the three occasions, but all early period insects had to be transportation of insect bred during transit if success parasites was by ship; was to be reasonably assured. sometimes involving different In the later period, when only shipping routes to achieve the one or two days travel was lengthy journey from Java, or needed, the only precaution Malaya, to Fiji. was to avoid chill in transit. Insect consignments had to be The second period, 1956-66, kept in the cabin of aircraft was after I had forsaken and, if flights were changed in entomology and indulged in Sydney during the Australian market-gardening, during winter, the packages had to be which (including the war kept in a warm place and 6 protected from quarantine problems in coconut. As a as I know, not fully resolved. spraying. sideline, I also studied For facility of contemporary mosquitoes, in particular the references it seems best to use The target pests involved were potential of predaceous the nomenclature by which five leaf-feeding coconut Megarhinus species for my colleagues and [ knew insects, one attacking coconut control of anopheline them at the time, as tabulated flowers, and one causing scab mosquitoes. below. on bananas. The last pest to be studied was the rhinoceros The systematic placing of beetle, which also causes some of the pests is still, as far Species Insect Order: Family Common name Levuana iridescens Baker Lepidoptera: Zygaenidae Coconut moth Aspidiotus destructor Signoret Hemiptera: Diaspididae Coconut scale Promecotheca reicheii Baly Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae Coconut leaf-mining beetle Agonoxena argaula Meyrick Lepidoptera: Agonoxenidae Coconut flat moth Tirathaba trichogramma Meyrick Lepidoptera: Pyralidae Coconut spike moth Nacoleia octasema Meyrick Lepidoptera: Pyralidae Banana scab moth Graeffea crouanii Le Guillou Phasmatodea: Phasmatidae Coconut stick insect Oryctes rhinoceros L. Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae Rhinoceros beetle 7 PART 1- 1925-1934 After a boyhood in the depths how he had got his nickname. Starting in of the Norfolk countryside the There seemed a possible due idea of bug-hunting really when one of his house boys Entomology started when I was at Eton. told me that when Piggy ate M.D. 'Piggy' Hill, the inspiring stewed prunes, he tucked the science master there in 1920, stones, hamster fashion, thought it a good plan if I had a inside his upper lip. Then, talk with a former pupil of his holding a hand to field any who had experience of applied stragglers, he would eject them entomology in South Africa. in a stream onto his plate. Perhaps he had other domestic S.A. Neave, this former pupil, habits which didn't concur told me the sort of work an with conventional table applied entomologist would do manners, but none that I was to protect food crops know of. from insect pests. As this was mostly in tropical countries, Another Eton master, then largely British Colonial Kenneth Fisher, who was not Territories, I decided to make successful in teaching me this my career. For me it much chemistry, did teach me provided a means to explore how to find wood wrens' nests the world, at least large parts on the ground at Burnham of it. Even at an early age I Beeches. His eldest son, had an explorer's urge. The James, became a well known popular notion of an ornithologist. Kenneth the entomologist going about father, let me drive his 'Swift' waving a butterfly net had no car. Later he became special attraction for me; I headmaster of Oundle. He was would possibly have been a one of Peter Scott's mentors better entomologist if it had. and a charming individual. M.D. Hill was a quite delightful / person. It was rather a puzzle 10 By sea and rail to Balfour-Brown, who ran the was found unsuitable the course, urged me to apply. Governor could cancel my the South Pacific appointment at any time, with It was an exciting day for me. I my return passage to After three years at Cambridge rushed home to tell my England; but only if I hadn't for a degree in Natural parents and to get out the misbehaved. SCience, I had barely Times Atlas to see just where embarked on a course of in the Pacific Ocean the Fiji I was too stimulated by the post-graduate entomology in Islands were. I hadn't to wait prospects of this job to do the autumn of 1924, when an many days before an official more than skim through all the entomologist from Canada, letter arrived offering me a regulations and conditions in J.D.