TERMITES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 258, 15 January 1941, Page 5

TERMITES

DESTRUCTIVE AUSTRALIAN IMPORT

ALREADY JN WHAKATANE Did you know that 'Termite ants,' those destructive little Australian insects, whose depradlations have already caused considerable alarm to houseowners in Auckland' and other New Zealand towns, are reported to be in Whakatane. This fact was produced at a meeting of the Borough Council when the Deputy-Mayor, Cr S. S. Shajiley, declared that he had sees samples of their destructiveness in housing blocks he had removed. To all appearances the outside appeared to be sound, but the inside was a mass of powdered dust. The description tallied with a first-hand account supplied by Cr Caisley who stated that in Australia the ants lived in colonies and attacked wooden houses and even trees to such an. alarmifig extent that in a couple of years only the shell was left. i * Cr Sullivan thought that the Whakatane termite might be confused with the ordinary 'borer,' but Cr Shapley stoutly refuted this and declared that "it was different altogether." In view of the above, and the serious view taken in the larger centres, it is possible that the Aussie visitors 'are here' in spite of all to the contrary, and therefore we had best gird our armour and "flit" about ourselves or build in brick.