Pest and Diseases Archives - Page 6 of 18

This tiny weevil is helping pollinate these Thryptomene flowers (image supplied by Denis Crawford)

Environment & Sustainability Pest and Diseases

Weevils are not all pests

07/07/2023 Denis Crawford 665 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Denis Crawford

Think weevil, think pest? Think again. Weevils are incredibly diverse, and some species are plant pollinators.

With about 400,000 species worldwide, the insect order Coleoptera (beetles) accounts for about 25% of all animal species on earth. 20% of those beetles are weevils of the superfamily Curculionoidea.… Continue reading

Tiny Trichogramma wasps are mass reared to control caterpillar pests (image supplied by Denis Crawford)

Environment & Sustainability Pest and Diseases

Insects as livestock

05/06/2023 Denis Crawfors 581 Views 0 Comments #Tree, Botanic gardens, Garden Design, gardening, horticultural, horticultural industry, landscape, landscape design, Ornamental trees, Shade Trees

By Denis Crawford

There is a long and fascinating history of mass rearing of various insects, and it seems that the practice is set to expand somewhat.

There has been a lot of press in the last couple of years about farming insects for human consumption.… Continue reading