COMBATING BIDIBIDI

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 18988, 13 April 1936, Page 10

COMBATING BIDIBIDI

EJAWFLY IMPORTATION MOVE IN TARANAKI The establishment ol 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 oniuches to decide upon means of raising the £SOO or E6OO necessary for tlie importation ol the. flies and Hie establishment and propagation of the colony. Confidence that the saw Hies 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 (he, introduction of the fly would mean a saving 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 the YVahgariui executive of flic union had experienced no difficulty in raising funds for the establishment of a colony of sawflics.