Studies on Soils in Relation to the Biology of Glossina submorsitans and tachinoides in the North of Nigeria

Abstract

It is known that there is a high mortality in puparia of Glossina submorsitans and tachinoides if they are kept in air which is far from saturation; it seems anomalous that there is no evidence of mortality among puparia in nature at the end of the dry season when the soil in the thickets appears to be quite dry.Experiments are described, showing that the soil of the thickets (unlike the more sandy soil of the open country) will take up large quantities of water; as its colloid content is high, this soil must also possess great power of retaining the water. Moreover even when the soil seems quite dry (water content 4 per cent.) the atmosphere in the soil spaces is very nearly saturated.