Person
Greaves, Thomas (1902 - 1989)
- Born
- 2 August 1902
Coventry, United Kingdom - Died
- 19 October 1989
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia - Occupation
- Entomologist
Summary
Thomas Greaves was an entomologist whose boyhood interest in insects became his career. Having migrated to Australia in 1924 and worked for a few years in Melbourne, in 1930 he joined the CSIR/O Division of Entomology. Initially working with Gerard Hill on termites, he soon became interested in the endemic meat ants (genus Iridomyrmex). During WII Greaves was involved the protection of food crops from insect pests, notably of potatoes and cabbages and in grain storage. One of his major responsibilities was to initiate and manage a program for the eradication of Argentine ants across Australia. Another was to develop means of preventing termites from killing their host trees. In 1967 Greaves retired from CSIRO as Senior Research Officer. He published over 40 research papers, including in retirement. A keen Gardener, he also wrote articles for local newspapers on vegetable growing and was involved in the publication of the first (and subsequent) editions of The Canberra gardener (1948). He was elected a Life Member of the publisher, the Horticultural Society of Canberra. Greaves was an active member of the Entomological Societies of Victoria and New South Wales (foundation member of both) and the Australian Entomological Society.
Details
Chronology
- 1924
- Life event - Migrated to Australia
- 1927
- Career event - Foundation Member, Entomological Society of Victoria
- 1927 - 1930
- Career position - Assistant High Tension Linesman, Victorian Railways
- 1930 -
- Career position - Field Assistant (later Technical Officer), CSIR (later CSIRO) Division of Economic Entomology
- 1953
- Career event - Foundation Member, Entomological Society of New South Wales
- 1967
- Life event - Retired as Senior Research Officer, CSIRO Division of Entomology
Related entries
Colleague
Published resources
Books
- Horticultural Society of Canberra, The Canberra gardener (Canberra: the Society, 1948), 109 pp. Details
- Ratcliffe, F. N., Gay, F. J. and Greaves, T., Australian termites: the biology, recognition, and economic importance of the common species (Melbourne: CSIRO, 1952), 124 pp. Details
Journal Articles
- Greaves, T., 'Obituary: John Clark', Australian Journal of Science, 19 (1) (1956), 23. Details
- Greaves, T., 'The distribution of three forms of the meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Australia', Australian journal of entomology, 10 (1) (1971), 15-21, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1971.tb00004.x. Details
- Greaves, T., 'Biological problems in the control of the meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)', Australian journal of entomology, 12 (4) (1973), 282-8, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1440-6055.1973.tb01674.x. Details
- Waterhouse, Doug and McInnes, R. S., 'Thomas Greaves (2 Aug. 1902 - 19 Oct. 1989', Myrmecia, 26 (1) (1990), 41-2, https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/334207#page/1/mode/1up. Details
Helen Cohn
Created: 23 June 2026