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Redlegged Earth Mites and Blue Oat Mites emerge from their summer diapause eggs in autumn. For redlegged earth mites, it takes approximately two weeks of exposure to favourable conditions (<20°C and >10mm rain) for over-summering eggs to hatch. This releases swarms of mites, which can attack delicate crop seedlings and emerging pasture plants. Earth mites attack pastures and a variety of crops such as cereals, oilseeds, lupins and lucerne, as well as a variety of weeds.
Bryobia Mites are most active in warm conditions in autumn, spring and summer. They attack clovers, lucerne, lupins and canola, and may currently be active in many regions. The feeding damage is characterised by a long trail of whitish-grey spots on the upper side of cotyledons and leaves.
Cockchafers can be problematic in autumn and winter when they feed on emerging crops and pastures. Redheaded and yellowheaded cockchafers are primarily root feeders, whereas blackheaded pasture cockchafers come to the surface at night and collect plant material for consumption in their tunnels during the day. To check for cockchafer grubs, dig in affected areas or look on the soil surface for tunnel entrances. Be aware that if you did not have problems with cockchafers last year, it does not mean that you won’t have this year as adult beetles achieve long distance dispersal over summer.
Cutworms can be a problem to a variety of germinating crops. Prolonged autumn green feed in areas can allow grubs to develop to a large size by the time crops start emerging. Check crops, especially pulses and pasture legumes, by inspecting the base of plants; damage is often patchy.
Slugs are stimulated out of their summer aestivation following autumn rains, generally in paddocks were they have previously been a problem. All seedling crops and pastures may be attacked, however canola is particularly susceptible. Slug numbers can be monitored by placing tiles or flowerpots on the soil surface and counting the number under them after a few days.
What is PestFacts?
PestFacts south-eastern keeps growers and advisers informed about invertebrate pests and beneficials in broadacre crops and pastures during the winter-cropping season in Victoria and southern New South Wales.
PestFacts south-eastern is run through IPMforGrains: Best Practice Insect Pest Management, a project delivered by the National Pest Information Network (cesar, DPIRD, QDAF, NSW DPI, and SARDI). This project aims to provide grain growers and advisors with information on invertebrate grain pest occurrence and equip industry with the knowledge needed to implement integrated pest management practices. This initiative is a GRDC investment and includes in-kind contributions from all project partner organisations.
We need your reports
PestFacts is produced on an ʻas-needsʼ basis and relies upon pest observations and field reports from our subscribers. If you have recently observed invertebrate pests (or beneficial species) in broadacre crops, please contact us to report your observations.
Agricultural invertebrate identification
If you are a grower or agronomist in Victoria or NSW working with broadacre crops or pastures, we can assist you with identifying invertebrates found on farms at no cost. Please contact us for identification help.
PestFacts map
PestFacts map is an interactive tool that allows users to search and view historical pest reports across Victoria and NSW. The map is updated with each issue of PestFacts to include new reports.
How to acknowledge PestFacts?
With appropriate acknowledgement, cesar grants permission to reproduce information taken directly from PestFacts. To cite PestFacts: “PestFacts south-eastern (<<enter date published>>). cesar pty ltd.”
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0484 310 697
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