This cache is placed near a monument which is one of the few in the world dedicated to an insect - although my grandfather Dr Frank Tooke gets a deserved mention.
The fascinating story is that in the early 1900’s eucalyptus (blue gum) trees all over South Africa were being devastated by a parasitic snout-beetle (Gonipterus scutellatus) which eats the soft bark and leaves. This was a major threat to the timber industry.
Dr Frank Tooke, a government employed forest entomologist travelled to Australia by ship in 1926 where he set about discovering a tiny wasp called Anaphoidea nitens Girault which is an egg parasite of the snout-beetle. He spent over 18 months in Australia researching and collecting parasitized eggs enduring many hardships along the way. As he was based in a remote area, food supplies were dropped by airplanes and he must have been very lonely. He also developed scurvy at one point.
Due to the short life cycle of the wasps, on the ship’s journey home, he kept the eggs in a fridge which delayed their hatching. Over 800 000 of the wasps were released over 6 years and it remains one of the most successful examples of biological control in the world.
Unfortunately, my grandfather died in 1952 when my father was only 15. A recent renovation of the monument to his work was attended by 3 generations of Tookes. Many thanks to the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (University of Pretoria) for this honour.
The cache is hidden near some of the blue gum trees which still stand today thanks to my grandfather and Anaphoidea nitens Girault.