Letting the bugs out

Farmers and growers around Australia are increasingly using bugs to reduce pest problems and increase efficiencies.

The use of beneficial bugs to combat bad bugs has proved a bonus for many citrus, vegetable and olive growers, along with dairy farmers and vineyard owners, through a system of natural controls developed by Queensland company Bugs for Bugs.

“Farmers and growers have told us they are spending less time and money spraying crops with chemicals and more time tending to their business of getting crops to market,” Company Manager Dan Papacek said.

“Our aim is to create a healthy environment in orchards and farms and reduce pest problems by natural means,” Dan said.

The list of available bugs is growing with constant research into different ways to combat bad bugs with beneficial bugs. According to Dan, there are many beneficial insects out there, but finding the right bug to use on problem bugs can take time.

“Research is an essential part of the business and because there are very few of us in the world who do the sort of work we do, almost everything we do we have to learn ourselves.

Bugs for Bugs is relying on the Australian Government’s R&D Tax Concession - delivered by AusIndustry - to support its research program. Companies registered for the concession can claim back 125% of their year’s research and development costs when they lodge their tax return.

“Sometimes it takes 10 years to get something to generate a return. We have to find the optimal way to produce these insects,” Dan said.

“We work with farmers and growers and use methods to help reduce pesticide use by employing a variety of pest control options to manage pests at acceptable levels.”

Bugs for Bugs has two research priorities at the moment.

The first is to better manage nuisance flies for industries such as horse studs, piggeries, chicken farms and waste management facilities.

The second is to develop a new way to rear predatory mites, to better control thrips and white flies in commercial greenhouses.

Dan said this research would help growers raising vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes and capsicums, and also help businesses growing flowers in greenhouses.

The research program is run from Bugs for Bugs’ home base in Mundubbera, west of Maryborough, and the company has built a 50-room purpose-built insectary to breed its insects. Each room can have separate temperature and humidity settings, creating the optimal conditions for each insect.

“It’s one thing to rear a few insects in a lab, but it’s quite another to grow millions, have them there at the right time of year and be a reliable source for the market.

“Farmers rely on getting the pest control when it is needed,” Dan said.

He said maintaining continuous insect production of each beneficial species requires constant monitoring of the rearing systems and attention to detail.

Dan has been involved in integrated pest management (IPM) and has managed beneficial insect mass rearing projects since 1978.

The company also provides a crop monitoring service to assist growers in achieving good IPM and has provided IPM consulting services in countries such as Thailand, Jordan and Morocco. Bugs for Bugs has also carried out contract research to evaluate IPM-compatible materials including their effect on biological control agents.

“My aim has always been to maximise the use of biological control, with other control measures, especially chemicals, playing a supportive rather than a disruptive role.

Queensland citrus growers using Bugs for Bugs systems have reported a 70% reduction in their use of insecticides and miticides. Dan’s work with the citrus industry was recognised in 2001 when he was named a Member of the Order of Australia in the Australia Day honours.

The citrus industry is not the only industry that benefits. A farmer in Macksville has reported that after 20 years of spraying each night to control heliothis, he investigated the IPM concept. Initially, the concept of relying just on wasps to combat the grub was not something the farmer was entirely comfortable with, but the wasps won out and the farmer has reported a total absence of grub holes in his vegetables, along with a 90% reduction in insecticide usage.

The list of bugs available from Bugs for Bugs currently includes different species of wasps, beetles, lacewings and mites. Wasps have been used to combat grubs in sweetcorn and heliothis caterpillars in green beans, as well as a method to control flies around dairies. Beetles and lacewings are proving to be a great enemy to mealy bugs.

“My work is all about providing a range of beneficial insects, compatible products and services to provide a complete package of pest management,” Dan said.