Wantok Nius

By: ABIGAIL APINA   A COUPLE in East New Britain has claimed that red ants have played a vital role in tackling cocoa pod borer (CPB) in their cocoa block. They noticed a few weeks ago that the quality of cocoa that was covered with red ants was better than those without ants. “The quality of cocoa with red ants on them is good and creamy, and we believe this could be a possible solution to fighting CPB throughout the country,” they said. James and Bonnie Wartovo said they were amazed when they realised the difference when harvesting cocoa in the past few weeks. Another villager also claimed that ants were fighting CPB in her backyard cocoa block. She told The National that she had been monitoring her cocoa trees for a few weeks and later concluded, after several harvests, that red ants were fighting the borer. A scientist at the Cocoa and Coconut Research Institute (CCI), Dr Eremas Tade, said there was a possibility red ants were fighting CPB. He ...

The discovery of an aircraft wreck at the depth of 70 metres north-west of Buka in Bougainville may hold some answers to the 74-year mystery of the disappearance of world-famous aviatrix – Amelia Earhart. There are strong indications that the aircraft is a Lockheed Model 10 Electra which took off from Lae on July 2nd 1937 destined for Howland Island. The crash site is in direct alignment with Earhart’s flight path out of Lae, past north of Buka Island in a straight northeast direction to Howland. Information emerging from Buka say that certain interested parties were in the process of engaging the services of a professional diver with appropriate diving gear from overseas to help in the recovery process. A mining company in the area is said to be helping with the exercise. Local authorities and the villagers do not wish to go public on the discovery because of a reported gold bullion sitting in the aircraft which was difficult to pull out of the wreck. The left side of the p...