Another Garden Pest.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 143, 13 December 1894, Page 2

Another Garden Pest.

Mr H. Worsfold, the well-known florist, recently showed ns some chrysanthemum leaves, the under por. tions of which were puuetured and partly eaten by a new garden pest. The Napier Telegraph in a recent issue contains the following : — " Sir, — I take the liberty of enclosing some leaves of a chrysanthemum. Under the cuticles of the back part of these are the chrysalides of a pest that is new to me, and probably to others. Can you get some kind entomol. ogist to identify these for the benefit of myself and the curious who may not be acquainted with them ? — I am etc.,. W. W. Yates." The leaves were forwarded to Mr Maskell, an authority in Welling, ton, who writes : — " The insect is the larva? of a fly, Phytomyza affinis, Fallen : it came to Wellington a couple of years or so ago ; but yours are the first specimens which I have seen from elsewhere. As the f ullgrown insect is very active on the wing, I have no doubt that it will rapidly spread. This fly attacks apparently almost all the compositae in New Zealand ; and as the grub bores nnder the surface of the leaves and mines them in numerous channels it is not only most destructive but very difficult to get at. This insect is very troublesome in England to many plants, mainly of the com* positae. It is found in enormous quan. tities of chrysanthemums and on allied plants— i do not think arsenical washes would be effectual in preventing egglaying. Spraying with paraffin or car. bolic acid would be far more likely to keep tbe fly from depositing eggs."