INSECT DESTRUCTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3214, 14 June 1909, Page 7

INSECT DESTRUCTION.

"Satisfactory- results have been recently obtained at Zittau, Saxony, by an ingenious method of insect destruction, says the "London Times," "The caterpillars of a certain kind of moth have been working great damage during the last few years in the firwoods of (aermany,where many thousands of acres have become, a prey to the voracious insect. These moths fly during the early hours of the night—from ten o'clock in the evening to one o'clock in the mornjrg—and they are easily attracted by light; in fact, the night gleams of cities and lighted railway trains has been repeatedly found to determine the tracKs followed by them. In the method employed for destroying them powerful searchlights were erected, which throw I their lights on the parts most frequently visited by insects from the neighbouring forests. The insects ' were destroyed by a fan exhauser placed close to the searchlights. A piece of wire guze, of about Icm. mesh, was stretched out in front of the discharging opening of the exhauster, against which the moths were thrown. The apparatus used in ' connection with the definite test , comprises two searchlights, resieti ance for controlling the current, and •flame-are lamps for further lighting the suction opening of the fan. Three walls of the collector-box consist of wire gauze of 7.5 mm. mesh. After being filled until preventing the passage of an adequate a.r current, the collector is removed from the fan and emptied of its contents. A point of special importance was to ascertain suitable elevated points for installing the electrical apparatus, whence the most infested forests could be lighted as well as possible. Those selected comprised the roof of the city electricity works, the tower cf the city hall, the roof of the municipal school, and that of a factory. Excellent results were obtained,- or at a single point as much ab 30kg., 40kg., and even 64kg.,—that is, up to 400,000 moths —were destroyed."