COMBATING BIDIBIDI

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22391, 11 April 1936, Page 12

COMBATING BIDIBIDI

IMPORTATION OF SAWFLIES MOVE IN NORTH TARANAKI [BV TELEGRAPH: —OWN CORRESPONDENT] NEW PLYMOUTH, Friday The establishment of a colony of Chilean sawflies in North Taranaki with the object of the eradication of the bidibidi weed is proposed by the executive of the Farmers' Union, which is to call a conference of branches to decide upon means of raising the £SOO or £6OO necessary for the importation of the flies and the establishment and propagation of the colony.

Confidence that the sawflies introduced from Chile recently by Dr. Miller would eradicate the weed and would not afterward attack any useful plants was expressed by members of the union executive, and the opinion was expressed that the introduction of the fly would mean a savins of hundreds of thousands of pounds to the sheepfarmers of Taranaki, especially in the hilly back country-, where bidibidi was continuing to spread, with consequent serious effect on the prices of wool and the carrying capacity of _ the land. Information was received that tho Wanganui executive of the union _ had experienced no difficulty in raising funds for the establishment of a colony of sawflies.