Pest and Diseases

Horticultural pest and diseases

Chamelaucium ‘Paddy’s Pink’ was a favourite of green scarab beetles (Image by Denis Crawford)
Environment & SustainabilityPest and Diseases

Insect pests – let ‘em rip or manage them?

By Denis Crawford

Gardening for wildlife has been in vogue for some time, but gardening for insects seems to be gaining in popularity. How do you create an insect garden without increasing pest numbers?

This Pest Files was inspired by an article I read on BBC online titled ‘Why you should let insects eat your plants’.… Continue reading

Read More
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

Read More