1 &P,7/Wf 
 
 )n ' ' 
 
 Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, 
 
 HONOLULU. 
 
 J. G. SMITH, Special Agent 
 
 PRESS BULLETIN No. 
 
 — $ S? : • r* 1 
 
 FULLER'S ROSE BEETI$£»hqv !*»:•• J 
 
 {Aramigus fulleri Horn.) \^5> , / $ 
 
 By D. L. Van Dine ; 
 
 Entomologist, Hawaii Experiment Station, United ~ ( 5X.QA£&*' t 
 Department of Agriculture. 
 
 Fuller's rose beetle is the common name of an injurious 
 beetle known in the Hawaiian Islands as the "Maui" or "Olinda 
 beetle." It is referred to on the Island of Maui as the "Olinda 
 bug" and in one district on the Island of Hawaii as the "wire- 
 fence bug" because of its occurrence on the strands of wire in 
 immense numbers. The insects had collected on the fence from 
 the neighboring guava, Hilo grass and "oi" and were using the 
 wires, the writer infers, as an easy means of migration since 
 they are incapable of flight. The insect was first described by 
 Dr. Geo. H. Horn in 1876 under the name Aramigus fulleri 
 from specimens referred to him by Mr. A. S. Fuller. The spec- 
 imens were from Montana and Dr. Horn records the species 
 as occurring from New Jersey to Montana at that time. 1 
 
 Mr. F. H. Chittenden describes the adult beetle as follows : 
 It measures from a quarter to nearly three-eighths of an inch in 
 length, and is of the form shown in figure at c and d. (See figure 1.) 
 The snout is quite short and scarred at the sides of the mandibles 
 (jaws). The head is white, and the abdomen is ovoid. The color is 
 dark dirty brown, and the entire body, including the legs, is lightly cov- 
 ered with gray or pale-brown scales. On each side of the elytra (wing 
 covers) there is a whitish diagonal line. 2 
 
 In the figure are shown, besides the views of the adult, the 
 
 lThe Rhynchophora of America North of Mexico. Pro. Am. Phil. 
 Soc. Vol. XV. 1876, pp. 94, 95. 
 
 2Bulletin 27 (n. s.), Bureau (of Entomju^^^^ft^^&t ales Dep art- 
 ment of Agriculture, 1901. r Pvv'i'MfNT^ rffrri i 
 
appearance of the eggs at c, the larva or young at a and the pupa 
 
 at b. 
 
 x 
 
 LIFE HISTORY. 
 
 Dr. C. V. Riley in his report as entomologist of the United 
 
 States Department of Agriculture for 1878 says in regard to 
 
 * •. the life-cycle of this beetle: 
 
 t **,*. The parent beetles, like most other snout-beetles, live for a consid- 
 erable time, as I have kept them in confinement for nearly 
 three months. They are nocturnal in habit, being quite active and feed- 
 ing only after dusk. They shun the light during day-time and hide 
 under the leaves or cling tightly to the branches or in some fork near 
 the base of the plant, always in such position as not easily to be ob- 
 served. They drop to the ground, draw up their legs, and "play 'pos- 
 sum," remaining motionless for some time and looking very much like 
 a small lump of dry earth, the color adding greatly to the resemblance. 
 This habit of simulating death upon disturbance is common to many 
 other insects of this family. They feed upon the leaves, but do more 
 injury by severing them than by the amount of foliage consumed. 
 
 The eggs are laid in flattened batches consisting of several contigu- 
 ous rows and each batch containing from 10 to 60. The individual egg 
 is smooth, yellow, ovoid, and about 1 mm. in length. The female shows 
 a confirmed habit of secreting her eggs, which are thrust between the 
 loose bark and the stem, especially at the base just above the ground. 
 In the 20-odd batches which I have examined they have invariably 
 been thrust either between the loose bark as above described, or into 
 any other crevice that could be found; as, for instance, that formed by 
 some loose paper around the edge of the bell-glass in which some of 
 my experiments were made. More rarely they are laid between the 
 earth and the main stem just at the surface of the ground. The eggs 
 are so firmly glued together and to the place of deposit that they are 
 not easily seen and are with extreme difficulty detached. 
 
 These eggs require about a month to hatch, and the new-born larva, 
 which is of a pale yellowish color, with light brown mouth-parts, is 
 quite active, and immediately burrows into the ground, and acquires 
 very soon after a bluish hue. Just how long this larva requires to 
 attain full growth I have not been able to ascertain, but, in all proba- 
 bility, it remains at least one month, and probably several more, in the 
 ground, where the pupa state is finally assumed. 3 
 
 Prof. Koebele in his "Notes on the Insects Affecting the Koa 
 
 3Report of the Entomologist, Annual Report of the Commissioner of 
 Agriculture for the year 1878, United States Department of Agriculture, 
 Washington, 1879. 
 
If 3 
 
 Trees at Haiku Forest on Maui" says in regard to the life- 
 cycle : 
 
 We have found its larvae under stones at Olinda, four years since, 
 and collected large numbers of the same in all stages on this trip, feed- 
 ing on the roots of Hilo grass. We have obtained its eggs in confine- 
 ment, deposited in clusters of some seventy-five, of a light yellow color 
 from three-fourths to one mm. long and half as wide. At the office we 
 find that large numbers of young larvae issue from galls produced by 
 the Tortricid larvae. Here the eggs are inserted anywhere conveniently 
 where a hole is present, and are imbedded in irregular masses, partly 
 covered by excremental remains. We should think that they are also 
 found under the bark of trees where the beetles feed.4 
 
 OCCURRENCE IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 Mr. Chittenden in his article ahove referred to says that — 
 Prior to the year 1874 this species does not appear to have been rec- 
 ognized; in short, its technical description was not published until the 
 Centennial year. At about that time and soon afterwards, as well as 
 at intervals later, it has attracted considerable attention on account of 
 its ravages on roses, camellias, geraniums, and other ornamental plants 
 in different portions of the country, particularly in the Eastern States, 
 and more especially in New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts. 
 During the last two years this species has been troublesome to roses 
 and carnations, especially in portions of New York and Wisconsin, and 
 in lemon groves in California as well as in Hawaii. 
 
 This insect is destructive in both of its active stages, doing most 
 damage as a larva, when it lives in the soil and feeds upon the roots 
 of its food plants, the beetle practically confining itself to the foliage, 
 flowers, and buds of the plants which it attacks. Although preemi- 
 nently a greenhouse pest in California, particularly in the southern 
 portion, groves of orange and lemon as well as other trees sometimes 
 suffer much injury. 
 
 Recently the beetle has been recorded as seriously injuring 
 strawberries in the field in Southern California. Mr. Fdk. 
 Maskew of Long Beach, Cal., in notes on the insect during the 
 season of 1904, 5 records it as injurious to strawberries, black- 
 berries and logan berries, as well as various ornamental plants 
 and apples. The injury was accomplished by the larvae feeding 
 
 iReport of the Commissioner of Agriculture and Forestry, Territory 
 of Hawaii, for the year ending December 31. 1900, Honolulu, 1901. 
 pp 63, 64. 
 
 ^Bulletin 54, Bureau of Entomology U. S. Department of Agriculture, 
 1905, pp. 70, 71. 
 
beneath the surface of the soil, with the exception that the foliage 
 of certain of the plants, and the apple itself, were attacked by 
 the beetle. The apples were injured by the adult eating through 
 the stem, causing the immature fruit to fall. In regard to the 
 life-history of the insect, Mr. Maskew says: "August 19 a 
 beetle was observed in the act of ovipositing. The eggs, 26 in 
 number, were laid in an irregular mass upon the upper surface 
 of the foliage of a crested wattle (Albizzia lophantlia), a potted 
 plant. The foliage was about 5 feet above the ground, and above 
 the egg mass it was drawn together and fastened by a webby 
 substance. These eggs, placed in a phial and carried in the 
 pocket, hatched August 24. Many egg masses were subse- 
 quently found and hatched out." 
 
 OCCURRENCE IN HAWAII. 
 
 Fuller's rose beetle is first recorded from the Islands by Prof. 
 A. Koebele, who mentions the insect as an undetermined spe- 
 cies in his report to the Provisional Government of the Hawaii- 
 an Islands in 1894. He writes : 
 
 On the Island of Maui a snout-beetle, Otiorhynchid, is eating the 
 leaves of many plants, shrubs and trees. I would recommend to spray 
 the affected plants with Paris green, in the proportion of one pound of 
 this to about two hundred gallons of water. A little soap added to the 
 solution will keep the poison on the foliage a much longer time. 6 
 
 Mr. It. C. L. Perkins describes the beetle as a new species in 
 Fauna Hawaiiensis under the name Pantomorus olindae. 1 Mr. 
 Perkins says in regard to its distribution : "This species is found 
 in Honolulu, and is sometimes very abundant at Makawao and 
 Olinda, Maui, and is found as high up as 5,000 ft. on Halea- 
 kala." 
 
 Concerning its occurrence in Hawaii, Mr. Chittenden has the 
 
 following : 
 
 During February, 1901, we received specimens of this species from 
 Mr. Albert Koebele, at present stationed at Honolulu, H. I., with notes 
 
 6 Report of Entomologist, Biennial Rep. of the Minister of the Int., 
 Prov. Govt, of the Haw. Isl. 1894, p. 101. 
 
 7Fauna Hawaiiensis, Vol. II, Part III, 1900, pp. 130, 131. 
 
upon its habits. These specimens have been compared with authenti- 
 cally determined Aramigus fulleri by the writer, as well as by Mr. 
 Schwarz and Mr. Charles Fuchs, and there is no doubt of their iden- 
 tity. It seems that the species is known in Hawaii as the Olinda bug, 
 and has been described by Mr. R. C. L. Perkins as Pandamorus olindae. 
 Some notes are furnished by Mr. Koebele, which bear upon the insect's 
 life economy. Its presence has been frequently noticed upon trees as 
 well as upon Hilo grass. Many trees of Java plum recently planted 
 have been seen by Mr. Koebele with every leaf eaten off, and some have 
 died from the effects of the beetle and Hilo grass combined. The insect 
 appears to be most numerous along the border of forests, and is found 
 from the seashore as high up as 5,000 feet elevation. Seven years prior 
 to the date of writing the beetle was seen from Paia, where it was de- 
 structive to roses and garden plants generally. Our correspondent be- 
 lieves that it must have been present on the Islands long before it be- 
 came prominent as a pest, and he as well as Mr. Schwarz, the writer, 
 and some others are inclined to the belief that it is an introduction 
 from Mexico — Mr. Koebele believes probably from Acapulco, but does 
 not state reasons. 
 
 Larvae have been found under stones, and in large numbers, also, in 
 galls produced by Tortricidae. 
 
 In a list of the injurious and beneficial insects of the Ha- 
 waiian Islands, Mr. Perkins records the beetle with the follow- 
 ing note : 
 
 Introduced within the last twenty years probably, since it was not 
 obtained by Mr. Blackburn, who collected at Olinda. It is well known 
 on Maui as the Olinda bug and in the United States as "Fuller's rose- 
 beetle." It is injurious to the koa and other trees and plants on Maui. 
 It has of late years been carried to Hawaii, where in certain localities 
 it rivals the Japanese beetle in consumption of foliage. It has no nat- 
 ural enemies in this country.8 
 
 The writer in his report for 1904 records this beetle as an 
 injurious species affecting corn on the Island of Maui and irish 
 potatoes and sugar cane on the Island of Hawaii, and as a 
 serious pest of horticultural plants generally. 9 
 
 STATION RECORDS. 
 
 During July, 1902, this beetle was collected by the writer at 
 Makawao, Island of Maui, from newly planted forest trees. It 
 
 SReport of the Governor of the Territory of Hawaii, 1902, p. 32. 
 
 'Annual Report of the Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station, 1904, 
 Annual Report of the Office of Experiment Stations, United States De- 
 partment of Agriculture, Washington, 1905, pp. 375 and 377. 
 
had entirely denuded imported beech, birch, ash and maple 
 trees of their foliage and these trees subsequently died. 
 
 In August, 1903, the beetle was received from Kamuela (Wai- 
 mea), Island of Hawaii, and reported as extremely injurious 
 to red-gum, blue-gum, Java plum, Acacias and Ohia. 
 
 On August 27, 1903, specimens were received from Maka- 
 wao, Maui, and reported as feeding upon trees and shrubs in 
 dooryards and corn in the field. 
 
 In November of the same year the writer observed the spe- 
 cies in the Kohala District, Island of Hawaii, feeding upon 
 Ohia in the Kohala forest and upon irish potatoes, Alligator 
 pear (Persia gratissima), iron-wood (Gasurina sp.), Monterey 
 cypress and blue-gum in the Kohala homestead lands. 
 
 During December, 1903, it was observed by the writer in the 
 Hamakua District, Island of Hawaii, at Kukuihaele and Ho- 
 nokaa on sugar cane and was very abundant, likewise, on the 
 u oi" (Verbena sp.) and guava bordering the cane fields, from 
 which plants it- undoubtedly invaded the fields. 
 
 This last year the beetle has been received from Puuwaawaa, 
 Kona, Island of Hawaii, where it was injuring Citrus trees, 
 and from Pohakea, District of Hamakua, where it was noticed 
 for the first time. The specimens in the latter place were col- 
 lected from guava. It has also been reported from Pahala, Kau, 
 and Tantalus, Island of Oahu. 
 
 NATURAL ENEMIES. 
 
 Prof. J. H. Comstock in his report as Entomologist of the 
 United States Department of Agriculture for 1879 says: "A 
 wire-worm or click-beetle larva was found preying upon the 
 larvae of this beetle in our breeding cages. We did not succeed 
 in rearing the larva to the perfect state, but believe it to be the 
 larva of Drasterius amabilis Lee." 10 
 
 Mr. Chittenden says under this head: 
 
 Toads are frequently found in greenhouses, and sometimes are pur- 
 
 lOReport of the Commissioner of Agriculture, U. S. Department of 
 Agriculture, for the year 1879, Washington, 1880, p. 251. 
 
posely put in such places to prey upon destructive insects. They are 
 known to feed upon insects related to this rose beetle, and probably 
 feed upon the species in question. 
 
 Prof. Koebele in his report on Koa insects above referred to 
 
 The indigenous Carabid beetles on higher elevations must destroy 
 many of the larvae. 
 
 Insectivorous birds evidently feed largely upon the beetles. We 
 found excrements of the mynah bird consisting entirely of the remains 
 of these beetles. Quails are considered as excellent birds to destroy 
 such insects. Fowls should keep the surroundings of houses free of 
 them. Probably some 90 per cent, of the food of the mongoose consists 
 of insects, roaches, crickets, grasshoppers and centipedes, and, from ex- 
 amination made, he also feeds upon the "Olinda bug." 
 
 REMEDIES. 
 
 Since'the larvse in feeding on the roots of the plants beneath 
 the surface of the soil, are equally and sometimes more destruct- 
 ive than the beetles in feeding on the foliage, the soil about 
 infested plants should be treated with carbon bisulphide. The 
 fumes of this substance are very penetrating and very poison- 
 ous. It is, likewise, very explosive and no fire of any sort, such 
 as a lighted cigar, for example, should be allowed in the vicin- 
 ity while using it. The soil is treated by first making several 
 holes about the plant in the loose soil with a sharp round stick 
 (a sharpened broom-handle will do nicely) and then pouring 
 into each hole about one-half ounce of the carbon bisulphide and 
 stopping the hole immediately with some earth, packing it down 
 firmly with the foot. Fortunately the adult beetle has not the 
 power of flight. For this reason, trees and ornamental plants 
 can be protected by first picking the beetles from the plants and 
 dropping them into a bucket of water having coal-oil on the 
 surface, or by jarring the beetles from the plants, and then 
 wrapping the stem or trunk with cotton bands over which it will 
 be difficult for the insects to crawl. In greenhouses, where the 
 greatest injury is done by this beetle on the Mainland, the insect 
 is controlled by picking the adults from the plants, or treating 
 the roots of infested plants with carbon bisulphide, applied by 
 means of a metal syringe, and "the use of tobacco waste in lib- 
 
Hi , ! V JL1 8 . , 1 1P F FLORIDA 
 
 3 1262 08929 1156 
 
 eral quantities about the roots of the plants is advisable, as it 
 acts both as an insecticide and a fertilizer." 
 
 For this and other leaf -feeding insects the writer has been 
 recommending spraying the foliage with Arsenate of Lead. 
 The advantages of this poison over Paris green are that it can 
 be used in liberal quantities without damaging the foliage; 
 that it is white in color and thus is easily seen, making even 
 spraying possible ; and that it is quite adhesive, not being easily 
 washed away by the frequent rains. Full directions for making 
 and applying this insecticide are given in Bulletin "No. 3 of this 
 Station. Those who do not care to prepare the home-made mix- 
 ture can obtain an Arsenate of Lead in paste form ready for 
 immediate use, on the market in Honolulu. This manufactured 
 product has been tested and found entirely satisfactory. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Fuller's rose beetle, Aramigus fulleri : — a, larva; b, pupa; 
 c, outline of side view of adult; d, same, upper or dorsal view, the small 
 outline between showing natural size; e, eggs, enlarged and natural size; 
 f, g and h, views of head of larvae, enlarged, (from Riley.) 
 
 Honolulu, T. H., October Id, 1905. 
 
 
 PARADISE OF THE PACIFIC PRINT, WAVERLEY BLOCK