FARM SCIENTISTS FEAR COLORADO POTATO BEETLE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 35, 7 September 1949, Page 5

FARM SCIENTISTS FEAR COLORADO POTATO BEETLE

It was .possible that the plant quarantine regulations woul,d be tightened up since vigilance was necessary to see that the Colorado potato beetle did not enter New Zealand, said the Director-General of Agriculture (Mr E. J. Fawcett), replying to a letter from the general secretary of Federated Farmers (Mr A. P. O’Shea) in which Mr O’Shea had sent a remit from a provincial branch oP the federation asking that all necessary steps should be taken to ensure that New Zealand was not endangered by the importation of the Colorado beetle. Although- New Zealand was fortunate in having some natural barriers against this beetle it was agreed that modern air transport created conditions which left no room for complacency, said Mr Fawcett.

“The matter of plant quarantine and the inspection of imported fruit and plants is receiving the urgent attention of this department in cooperation with the Plant Diseases Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. It is probable that a tightening up of the plant quarantine regulations will be necessary, and although this process may be found irksome by some the Department feels that it is essential to keep out many serious insect pests and other diseases so far unknown in New Zealand. The Colorado beetle ranks very high on our list of enemies to agricultural crops,” he said. The Colorado beetle may be identified by its yellow background upon which are ten black stripes. Adult beetles are less than half an inch long and they lay clusters of orange-yellow eggs on the undersides of leaves. These- eggs hatch into larvae of a reddish-orange colour with black spots towards the underside.