GRASSHOPPER PLAGUE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21935, 19 October 1934, Page 8

GRASSHOPPER PLAGUE

CONCERN IN AUSTRALIA pest in two states danger to wheat crop The plague of grasshoppers in New South Wales and Queensland has been occasioning great concern to farmers in both States. It was reported recently than an area of no less than 32,000.000 acres in New South Wales was infested. Mr. H. Bartlett, a departmental expert, sent to Dubbo to commence a campaign to deal with the plague, said that the pest would sweep the country unless landholders immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation and killed the young grasshoppers, which were hatching in millions throughout the district. He said that last year, before the grasshoppers hatched, eeg beds were scattered over only 500.000 acres in New South Wales. Since no steps had been taken to eradicate the pest there was now 82.000,000 acres affected. That fact alone was very serious, but there ■was an additional danger because- the insects, which usually commenced hatching in December, had started in September this year, which meant that there would be three broods before April. If nothing was done to kill them the country would be in a terrible state by the end of December or January. Excellent results in the destruction of grasshoppers on their hatchingground were achieved in two trial demonstrations conducted by Mr. T. McCarthy, senior entomologist. Department of Agriculture,' at Narrabri. An inspection at a site treated two days earlier with poisoned bran 12 miles from Narrabri revealed an estimated 80 per cent slaughter oithc grasshoppers. Another swarm, close by. which was not treated with the poison, showed the grasshoppers still very active. The plague had lately reached serious dimensions east of Goondiwindi, in Queensland. There were millions of the insects on both< sides of the border. While some measure of success was achieved by laying baits, the owners of properties of 20,000 acres and thereabouts contended that the laying of bran baits or spraying with arsenite water was too costly. They also said that while they might poison the pests on their properties, the stock routes and reserves were heavily infested,, and unless the grasshoppers were poisoned everywhere, there was no chance of successfully combating the plague. In the Wollumbilla district, swarms of halfgrown grasshoppers, which had not reached the flying stage, were attacking extensive belts of wheat. A report from Kooroongarra, about six miles from Warwick, Queensland, stated that there was every prospect of checking the huge swarms of grasshoppers in the district, as a vigorous attack on them had been launched, and it is was believed that their advance would be stopped in time to save the wheat crop.