CANNIBALISM AMONG GRASS GRUBS
In their second and third stages of development, grass grubs are markedly cannibalistic. Under farm conditions, a vigorous and dense root system can harbour a higher grub population than can a weak root system. As the root supply is depleted, larvae become concentrated round the remaining food sources, with the result that they come in contact with one another. Under these conditions, it has been found that cannibalism can result in a reduction of more than 98 per cent, in the grub populations. This cannibalistic tendency is possibly the main reason why grub populations are in general lower in very poor, discontinuous pastures, than in strong, continuous pasture. In Canterbury, irrigated pasture often harbours higher populations than non-irri-gated land, without showing the same extent of damage. This information was given to the conference of the New Zealand Grassland Association in Invercargill in a paper by Messrs J. M. Kelsey and J. M. Hoy.
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Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26319, 13 January 1951, Page 5
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157CANNIBALISM AMONG GRASS GRUBS Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26319, 13 January 1951, Page 5
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