INFECTED EARWIGS.

Shannon News, 18 January 1924, Page 3

INFECTED EARWIGS.

A CONSIGNMENT OF < CAGES

PARASITES FOR THE APPLE PEST

LONDON, Nov. 23. By the Athenic last week there Avas despatched a very strange - cargo of livestock. Apples in the South Island have had the unwelcome attend on of eanvigs, " and Dr. Tillyard, of • the CaAvthron Institute, lias been in communication Avith the Imperial Bureau of Entomology, at Soutth Kensington, with the vieAv of finding some\ means of destroying this pest. It appears that a certain parasite in this country has a partiality for earwigs. It is in the form, of a fly Avhich lays, its eggs on some portion of the anatomy of the earwig. In due course these eggs become grubs, subsequently chrysalises, and then develop into flies in this country about April. These little 'flie s in their turn seek the shelter of the .eanvign; to dispose of their 'eggs. In time it appears the earwigs themselves succumb to the unwelcome attention.

The Bureau of Entomology has been breeding the parasites on behalf of NeAV Zealand, and last AVeek it had tihe Hiuisitie colony available. In order to ship them to NeAV Zealand it has been found necessary to ship earwigs carrying the parasite upon them. Thiese -/havfa been placed in seven cages of the dimensions of 6in. by 4in. and a supply of apples and lettuces has been taken for the earwigs' consumption on the voyage. The little colony has been placed in the charge of one of the officers of the Athenic, and Avill no doubt arrive in good form to do their, murderous work—that is, if they do not acquire some new and altogether unexpected habit under the new conditions, as so many other acclimatised birds and beasts have done in the desirable climate of the Dominion.

"INTERFERING.'" Referring to the consignment, the. Birmingtham Gazette says: "The, history of attempts to introduce birds, animals, or insects from one country to. another for man's benefit has been singularly unfortunate in the past. For that reason naturalists will probably be extremely sceptical over the usefulness of the cargo of para-site-bearing earwigs which has just been sent to clean up New Zealand orchards- Th nearest parallel was that of the introduction of the house sparrow to America*, where it soon turned from insect fare to grain. The earwigs and their little 'guests' may follow a similar course in New Zea land, and at present we certainly do not know enough of Nature's little ways to take suich risks."