WHITE BUTTERFLY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21717, 5 February 1934, Page 5

WHITE BUTTERFLY

DESTRUCTION IN AUCKLAND

NO BOUNTY FOR CATCHES

NEED FOR IMMEDIATE CONTROL

Considerable disappointment seems to have been caused well-meaning children, who, imagining that there is a bounty for white butterflies, have been industriously collecting them during the school holidays. In the opinion of leading horticulturists work of this nature is invaluable at the present stage of the pest in Auckland. The white butterfly, which is very common in England, first made its appearance in New Zealand about four years ago. It is essentially an enemy of the cabbage. The butterfly lays its numerous eggs on the surface of the leaves and the eggs hatch out into caterpillars which do the' damage to the leaves. These grubs then go into their resting stage and later give rise to tho next generation. There are usually two broods a year and the second one is now in the butterfly stage. This means that the policy of destruction of the insect before it lays its eggs is one to be encouraged. The other methods of control are by an insect that is an enemy of tho butterfly. This has been introduced and reared at the Plant Research Station at Palmerston North, and at tho Cawthron Institute, and released in parts of New Zealand. The other is by spraying the leaves of the plants with chemical compounds. As tho insects a\>peared for the first time in the Auckland district in the spring of last year, tho need for early organised control is evident.

Since the white butterfly was first reported in New Zealand it has spread 'rapidly and is now comparatively common in Hawke's Bay, Manawatu, the Waikato, and to a lesser extent in Wellington, Canterbury and North Auckland. The first consignment of parasites to check the pest were distributed from the Plant Research Station of the Department of Agriculture at Palmerston North. The insect is a small wasp without a sting and altogether 100,000 of these were liberated last year. At the end of the year there was received a further half million from England. Although no rewards are offered as yei> in Auckland for the destruction of the pest, in a number of other places children have entered competitions in which prizes are given for the largest number of butterflies caught. The first body to offer such rewards was the Hawke's Bay Agricultural and Pastoral Association. At the Feilding Show last year the prize went to a collection of over 3000, and at Masterton one boy collected 2200 in one field of turnips.. The Leamington Town Board and tho Domain Board also offered prizes for the same purpose. In addition to these competitions for school children, there havo been two grants toward the work of importing the enemies of the* pest. The Meat Producers' Board voted £l5O for the work, and the residents of Hawke's Bay a sum of £IOO for the same purpose.