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a. By the djrection of DASG a mcdi.calento-.ologicalsurveywas conducted on selected coral islets of the lkw,uetakAtoll to determineall real and potential entomologicalproblcn’.sto be encounteredcluringcleanup a fragile and unstablebiologicalco!mLLnity. The introductionof higher animal life forms has been artifici.~1.This situationhas allo~(cda number of species to inhabit the iclctsuncheckedby natural c. A variety of factorshave successfullylimitedthe t!.~establishment of various pests. 1) Limited ncccskabilityof the islets. area, breeding sites, appropriatefood sources and k d. These factors have, for the most part, restrictedthe establishment of medically importantarthropod on the islets. K a. A total of 12 isletswere selected for surveillance.Selectionwas based on the followingcriteria: 3) Operationalaspects related to cleanupmission, civilians and natives. , 5) Informationprovided by engineerssu.meying various islets.,;
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Each islet was surveyed identically. L-Walk-throughsurveillancewith insect nets and collectingequipr.entwas conducted. All possible 1 in areas where wind shelterv.asprovided to sample nocturnalactivity. : were set in associationv:ithburrol;s,nests, high activityareas and equipment indigenousto the survey team providedample work and i scopicallywith the use of appropriatekeys. Two sp$cies of rats were cm the atoll is thclargepopulationof rats.
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pop~llatjonto soar andbc limited only by populationpressure, ::.-”~ the exceptionof the islet of Ene\istakthe rat populationreached the .“’ maximum carrying of the islets sumeyecl. ,. ‘,.4. Mice, though lwt taken in trops, arc presenton the islets.“’Evi&ence”“:”:}, used to determine their presenceW= the collectionof frass and ~ signs of dtamage. The populationof mice on the individwl islets is ‘“.- Ectoparasitcsfound on rats \;erelimited to mites of Lmdetemin5d ‘ j snecies. No ticks or fleas were found. Three methods were used to. obtain ectoparasitesfrom the rats. 3) Visual examinationof the ‘oo<~ad hair wi.ththe aid ofmaognifytig F Lack of higher ectoparasiticpopulationis attributedto extremely . limited contactwith other mamnalian species. Various species of stinging (aculeate)wasps are present on all of the islets. Polistes _ =~midcnt~=pcci.cs in the family Vespidac arc also present. Parasiticwasps of th; family Sphscidaewere also collected. b In all cases the wasp populationsper islet is low. However, where present the wasps tend to be concentratedin small areas. For example, on the islet of Jedrol (Rex) a P. fuscatus colony viable and nests varied in size from the di~Leter of a quarter h to the size of a football. About 25 wasps were present in the refrigeratorbuilding and a “E number were observed foragirgin the area. The estimated living populationof the colony is bet~:een100 and 150 wasps. Limited natural food sources and hi~h winds have severly restricted the numbers of wasps capable of survivingon the islets. Normal limited. Colonies arc thereforesnnll and focal. They may uslul~l be located in dense folia~e, v.-ellshieldedfrom the wincland close to the ground. SoYe R, mrginata were observed nesting up tosix feet above ground on–th=lac of the foliage. .~
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4) The wasps normllly are not aggressiveand clonot seek out or type stings with a wheel-flairreactionand pain lasting from ~~ rcport of 20 stin~s could not be confirmedand is considered - unlikely. It should be noted that aggressivereactionswere . ~~ only no;iced when the integrityand safety of the colony or ;.: nest was directly threatened. ,.’ restrictingthe establislmcntof mosquitopopulations. 8* Spiders are present throughoutthe atoll’s islets. Specimensof what appears to be the black wido’whave been cclllectedby personnelof the MP~L though none were fo~mclduring this survey. The only island have been sent to the ~ishop-i~hse~ml, other venomous spiders have been reportedfrom or collectedfrom the h. Snakes are not prewnt on IhewetakAtoll. Fb.]scaor house flies and ~IyqgpJ:l:T (fleshflies). In most cases the b~-e~ing areas arc in and around waste disposalsites. Populationsare smll and of nuisance \’alue. SOWN transmissionof cnteric diseases a. l’herodent populationsrequire control of the earliestpossible date. Baiting with zinc phosphide is the most acceptableto this writer. fiowever., other baits are available. A special ,annexto this report will be prepared with specificguidelineson baiting requi.rernents.. IJO Bait stations containingzinc phosphide in a formulationacceptableto the rats should be used. Several prcbaits should be testedwithout the presence-of zinc phosphicleto detelmi.newhich is the most acceptable ,, to the rffts. Upon completionof prebaitingthe actual zinc phospl~icle bait should be emplo~’ed.Each jslct should be prebaited immediately prior to baiting.
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Prebait and bait stations should be placed”fi the exact”‘sameIocatio;ls.,’,~-. Placement ofprcbait ahd bzit shoulclbcdirectlyassociatedwith . hours of their placement to limit contactwith non target,orga.nisms.,. The process of cleaning up the islets by engineerswill itself h@e’-’’.’’!”. and food SOUrCCS. . This conbined integratedcontrol should significantly reduce, but not tiradicatethe rodent population. Continuedsurveillance Critical prebaiting,baiting andpost surveillanceshould be conducted. ~ under the direct supervisionof a professionalentomologist. Thereafter Manpower and time requirementswill be directlyproportionalto the’.’ , number and size of the islets selected for control. If control is “ required for the base camps of Loj\~aand Enewetakonly, then approximately personnel and one Entomologist. .-. Control on most or all of the islets may require a minimumof 21 peop~e < to the islets by helicopterwould rcducc the time requirements. No speri.ficcontrol is required for the wasps. However, certainprecautic are wa.ranted for personnelworking in thick foliage. 3) ‘No bright colored or pastel coloredclothingsuch as reds, yellows, 4) Insect repellentsare of no \’aluein protectingagainst”waspsand bei ... tides as they are located. .,,, 6j Personnelknown to be all~rgicto insectvenoms should not be !:,. pemittedtowork in risk areas as describccl. .
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,1,”,. ‘small and not at a level which in ~nyway is to be considereda ..“‘~ to work as a comparativelysmall number of insectshave been successfully,. in~roducedon the atoll. It would be helpful if incomingcargo were:, Pest control on any large other than the rodents as scale is not reciuiredfor any animl or insect
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Arthropods: “ The taxonomic classification which includes insect S, spiders, millipedes, scor Plons; Ctc, the body 01= host organism such as a rat. I Entomology: The study of insects. ., s. Have-.A-Heart T~aps: A brand name of a rodent trap which catches the an~mal alive and without injury. “.. 6. L. mactans: The black wiclow spider. 7. Lepidopterous Larvae: Moth and butterfly catterpillers. 8. Musca: The genus of flies’ to which house flies belong. 9. P. fuscatus: See 10 below. 10. Polistes fuscatus Var. aurifer: A common variety of paper of the paper wasp 12. prebaiting: Positioning a bait without the pres~nce of a poison to measure the acceptability and consumption by the roclent to be controlled. Furthermore, it indicates if other non-target organisms will be attracted to it. “13. Predator:. .. Usually an animal which specifically seeks out. ,- ’15: Ropalidia rnarginata: A common paper wasp similar to tbe 16. SpheciclaR: A mud wasp which is predacious against spiders.. . Normally, it does not sting man but 1s capable.. .17.’ A large taxonomic group of wasps which include the
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of many wasps. (j)typically has a raisccl blanched center \ , about 1/2 to 1 centimeter across surrounded by a large red “ circle with a comiion total diancter around” the size of a - .... ~ quarterto a half dollar.