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1954
1955
6 January 1955
Cactoblastis fails in Final Trial
Against Mudgee Prickly Pear;
Costly Poisoning Now Only Remedy
Cactoblastis, the miracle “grub” that destroyed millions of acres of prickly pear in the 1920’s, has failed in a recent trial on heavy prickly-pear in the Mudgee district.
The Minister for Lands, Mr. Hawkins, said last week that the cactoblastis had failed completely.
In October 1953, the prickly-pear Destruction Commission released more than 300,000 cactoblastis in heavy prickly-pear in the Cudgegong River valley near Mudgee.
They were released as a final trial, for previously, also, they had proved ineffective.
Mr. Hawkins said the Prickly-pear Destruction Commission (Mr. V. H. Gray) had reported that the cactoblastis had made absolutely no impression. This meant that poisoning with arsenic pentoxide - a very costly method - would have to be used.
He added that cactoblastis had consistently failed against pear in the central and southern parts of the State.
(Cactoblastis is a moth which does its destructive work in the “grub” stage by living in the prickly-pear and feeding on it. The moths lay eggs on the pear and the grubs, when they hatch out, and burrow into it and later, after going through a cocoon stage, develop into moths which lay more eggs. Under favourable conditions the cactoblastis multiply rapidly, as each female moth lays up to 200 eggs.
Cactoblastis were introduced into Australia from the Argentine in 1925 to combat prickly-pear infestation. In the late 1920’s and early 1930’s they brought back into production millions of acres of pear-infested land in Queensland and north-western New South Wales.1
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