The Insidious Borer.

Hokitika Guardian, 3 April 1923, Page 1

The Insidious Borer.

| SEVER \L DJI-TEREXT VARIETIES. ; TOTAIU timber not immune. The borer and iis destructive effects | on timber has been a subject of keen I di-cussion of late, but in building ciri les the opinion was generally bold that totara was immune from the ravages of the gruli. One local builder (says the “Wanganui. Chronicle’ > went so far as to say that in his long experience he had never seen a sem- ! blanec of borer in any class ol total a, 1 and his statement has received general j support. This view, however, is not ! shared by Air R. D. Toswill, Wanganui j Count v Engineer, who has some snm- ! pies of heart of totara, taken from n | stud of a county bridge near Ngamai toil, wliicli is faiil.y riuclkd will) the | worm. | Another builder said there were several varieties of borer. The most fam- ! iliar type was the white pine one, and ] it was not the same as the one in the totara specimen. He had seen ; totara studs that had stood the Ic.-t i for sixty years, and although suiroundI ing timber was riddled, the totara ! was absolutely sound. “Is there a remedy?” was a ques, i lion asked. The builder said t hat the j j subject was one that hud received carc- | ful thougbl, and a good deal of i" j leniiytiuii in regard to the habit;; of ; the borer was (Ail! required. It wu> j however, claimed no the authority of Air T. A', - . Kirk, formerly Government, I Riologisi. that arsenic would have the | desired clfect. In reply to a conimiini- ' cat it >n that was sent to him, Air Kirn j j said he has tried various experiment - j iu connection with the white pine j j borer. When the hacks m pieces ol J j furniture, such as cupboards, were! I attacked, lie painted them with kero-; i sene or corrosive sublimate, or any | ibe arsenic sprays. If the Limber I j needing treatment was large, he look j a common garden knapsack spray i j pump, with cyclone nozzle, and sprayj ed i lie ariivle or wall well with one of j ibe ar.'."'ie spray , preferably the a.r- i • -euir and soda, 'lids, he points oui. I | should lie done in the early summer, j : before or (luring; the emergence of the i hectics. His. iii'st experiments were j commenced year- ago. and were coll- I j dueled as follows: Large jars were oh. | i tabled and a piece of wood containing | I numerous "grubs” placed in each, j j To l 1,0 e were added two pieces of j ! wliiie pine of equal -tv.es, one ol which , I Pad beep treated with olio of the spe'a- | (ics mentioned, the ol her per led l.v If M Ii Tie re".til! was lhaf in every j ( the nal r.-.-i. ed picte was badly alI linked before I '-vo years wore over. ■ ,- Idle the imi-niK'd piece was sound, j Either the female realised the treated wmod was not s-ußuble for the depositI ;ip ■ t.f eggs, or ihe tinv ‘ rgadis” were j ; .. A I before the..- had oaten into | j Hi" limber. Mr Kirk says he lias fori I run, years m ,-m mended this I real.-| ! men! to persons coininunicating w-ilh | ! him. He "c-iguises ilia| in alTected ; I dwellings it means removing the paper | ■ amt -ora'.ing the wall- thoroughly. ! * - .s>i •! I\* i n s- 1 1 mo (n? os ronmvinof por- j j Hun of ihe lining. Tic ha- been Imp- | i in ■ (o ,vet He use of some old build-! j ip,- for a enup'.o of rears, so as to test j lie matter oil a large scale, but HP j fol. However, ihe course above advo- | i d l as. be says, proved effectual. | ! ax (a) laboratory expeiimoiif : fbj on j t mo-kie.g' ci)s, s and furniture ; (cl oil a j j fmvl house. He : l-o treated with arj M-nic -ix year- ago some white pine I timber, of which he built a stable, and so far ran find no I race of attack, nli though a piece ni board n,,t sprayed, j ami loosely liniiod in one corner, for ; the purnoses of cornpai ison. ha- nunterot's holes. | The following are directions for rnixi ing the arsenic and soda spray :—TVoj portions: lib win . arsenic. 21k. v.nsoI j,,..- soda. TlTl v a don - lime water. The preparation i- to place the nrj sen jo fn two gallons of wafer, in wliicli ' “Hi of l'a-bin" soda has hern dissolvj id. and 1-oil until ihe arsenic is tlier- ! oo dilv disolved. \s this will produce |,a tii, old nl'uosr like clear wafer, and is of course extremely ivos'inon -. it is I advisable u c-" Soil' ' .-i'unl do'mno | tnatfer to prevent mistakes.