White Butterflies at Last In Check

Chronicle (Levin), 13 January 1949, Page 3

White Butterflies at Last In Check

"For tke last tkree summers the white' butterflies in New Zealand have been de'ereasing, " stated an offlcer o± the Department of Agriculture yesterday. ' ' This summer there are even less than before. The parasite which was brought from America by the Cawthron Institute.in Nelson a few years ago, has been doing good work — ao mueh so that we have seen hardly any butterflies this season. If they inerease at all before the end of the summer it will be in the last half of this month. ;' ' • The white butterfly flrst appeared in New Zealand in 1929 at Napier. From then on it increased until it was one of the most prevaient summer pests in the country. Then a few years ago a parasite, whieh lays its eggs in th$ pupae of the pest, was introduced and in the last few summers has been having good effeet. When the eggs hatch the grub devours the pupae. Under normal conditions there would probably have been another plague of white butterflies this season. The mild winter and the hot summer produced idbal conditions for their inerease. But - with the parasite now on the inerease the pest has been checked. Becently a lecturer at Massey College was dealing with this very sujbect of parasites. She mentioned that the white butterfly parasite came from America and then proceeded to say that "most parasites came from America," meaning of course only those connected with agriculture. But . the remarlc was taken literally by the students who received it with laughter. The lecturer could not see the funny side of the remark.