Environment & Sustainability

Red imported fire ant (Image: Jesse Rorabaugh)
Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

How invasive insect pests spread

By Denis Crawford

Several invasive insects currently of concern to the horticultural industry have something in common – the ability to travel long distances in horticultural material.

If reading a newspaper recently might make you think that we are under threat from invasive insects from all points of the compass, you would be right.… Continue reading

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Imperial jezebel feeding on grasstree flower (image supplied by Denis Crawford)
Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

Bushfires can devastate some insect populations

By Denis Crawford

Conventional wisdom tells us that the bush will recover after fire, and that the wildlife will return. It’s not that simple.

I’m not likely to forget February 13th 2024. It was the day a bushfire descended on my local town of Pomonal, destroyed 45 homes, many sheds and other structures, kilometres of fencing, and over 2700 hectares of bushland and private land.… Continue reading

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