EFFECTIVE MEASURES

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 75, 29 March 1934, Page 8

EFFECTIVE MEASURES

WHITE BUTTERFLY PEST

NUMBERS DECREASING

(By Telegraph—Press Association.) V PALMEESTON if.j This Day. A statement that the white butterfly pest is being\ brought under control in Hawke's Bay was made by Mr. J. Muggeridge, Government Entomologist at the Plant Research^ Station. He added that the butterflies were not nearly so numerous there as last year." Out of 6000' butterfly pupae recently collected at random 70 per cent, were found to be parasitised.' The methods adopted were 'tho liberation of larval and pupal parasites, the first consignment being 10,000. These insects from England were liberated in January and February last year in a concentrated locality in Hawke's Bay. In the present season 200,000 larval parasites were liberated, including the Manawatu district. A feature of pupal parasites in Hawke's Bay, said Mr. Mnggeridge, had been their amazing spread from the original point of distribution over hundreds of square miles. - It was now definitely established that a : decrease had taken.place in.the number of the pests where the liberation of the pupal parasites had been carried, out. The larval parasite?was not. yet showing effective results,, but'it was too early yet for comment. ; _"The main object now," he said, 'is to build up a huge supply of pupal parasites for wide distribution during the coming season." ■•'•'■..'■' .' v

An easy way of catching white butterflies is suggested by i"A.L.," who states that he was shown in a suburban garden recently how the insects*,: on a dull day or when the -sun was failing, settled on and under the leaves'of: plants. If the plants were examined closely the butterflies could be seen and picked off without difficulty. ' "