STUDY OF A PARASITE.

Feilding Star, Volume 9, Issue 3850, 5 October 1932, Page 8

STUDY OF A PARASITE.

TO COMBAT A PEST VISITOR FROM AUSTRALIA Per Press Association. Wellington. Ootober 4. Seeking a, gras*, grub parasite with whict.l to attack a species of the post found ui Tasmania and Victoria. Mr A. L. Tonnoir, of the Division of Economic Entomology in the Re search Council. Canberra, (has arrived in New Zealand. Air Tonnoir, who is a New Zealander on two occasions in the past bag been a member of the staff of the Cawthron Institute. Afer sometime in Nelson be was appointed assistant curator of lie Canterbury Museum, where lie specialised in the study of insects. Tn 1027 lire returned to the Cawthron Institute and two years later be to appointed to bi s present, position in Canberra. “We are t aving for Nelson this evening and intend to spend about three niont.be there,’’ Mr Tonnoir told the Dominion. “1 will bo engaged. os general research work, but one of my main objects is to study the gras grub parasite.’’ | He explained that the Australian grass grub that wa s causing damage] in Tasmania and parts of I ictoria , bad no parasite. Tile investigators knew of a similar grub in New Zealand which was not a pest but had aj number of paruiteg. “Sole of the staff a* the Cawtjlirc> n ‘ Institute found these parasites last year,” Mri Tonnoir added. “So far, however, we in Canberra, do not know enough about, them, and 1 s.hn.l take this opportunity of /studying them wit'll a view of their introduc- i tjon into Tasmania, and Victoria. ,