Triumph of the dung beetles

ConanOfCooma said :

Grail said :

ConanOfCooma said :

Another problem solved the Australian way. Introduce a pest from another country to kill the natives.

Do you have any facts to support your statement?

The dung beetle research involved locating beetles that would survive Australian conditions, and exclusively ate dung. The beetles that are being distributed can’t eat anything else. The importation of the beetles involved sterilised eggs (as in: the eggs were washed thoroughly), with no live animals being imported into the country which might have harboured parasites. In addition, the CSIRO was careful to pick strains that would not compete with the local dung beetles.

You can read more about the project at the CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/solutions/DungBeetles.html or Burke’s Backyard http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Conservation-and-the-Environment/Dung-Beetles/806 or Dr. Karl’s ramblings http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung1.htm and http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung2.htm

Or, give John Feehan a call and raise your concerns with him. His contact details are in one of the articles I linked.

I called John, he said I raised a valid point, and I will be consulted next time.

Also, Cane Toads.

White people.

Grail said :

ConanOfCooma said :

Another problem solved the Australian way. Introduce a pest from another country to kill the natives.

Do you have any facts to support your statement?

The dung beetle research involved locating beetles that would survive Australian conditions, and exclusively ate dung. The beetles that are being distributed can’t eat anything else. The importation of the beetles involved sterilised eggs (as in: the eggs were washed thoroughly), with no live animals being imported into the country which might have harboured parasites. In addition, the CSIRO was careful to pick strains that would not compete with the local dung beetles.

You can read more about the project at the CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/solutions/DungBeetles.html or Burke’s Backyard http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Conservation-and-the-Environment/Dung-Beetles/806 or Dr. Karl’s ramblings http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung1.htm and http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung2.htm

Or, give John Feehan a call and raise your concerns with him. His contact details are in one of the articles I linked.

I called John, he said I raised a valid point, and I will be consulted next time.

Also, Cane Toads.

ConanOfCooma said :

Another problem solved the Australian way. Introduce a pest from another country to kill the natives.

Do you have any facts to support your statement?

The dung beetle research involved locating beetles that would survive Australian conditions, and exclusively ate dung. The beetles that are being distributed can’t eat anything else. The importation of the beetles involved sterilised eggs (as in: the eggs were washed thoroughly), with no live animals being imported into the country which might have harboured parasites. In addition, the CSIRO was careful to pick strains that would not compete with the local dung beetles.

You can read more about the project at the CSIRO http://www.csiro.au/solutions/DungBeetles.html or Burke’s Backyard http://www.burkesbackyard.com.au/factsheets/Conservation-and-the-Environment/Dung-Beetles/806 or Dr. Karl’s ramblings http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung1.htm and http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/trek/4wd/dung2.htm

Or, give John Feehan a call and raise your concerns with him. His contact details are in one of the articles I linked.

Feehan has been doing a great job for many years. When I managed a major Landcare group he helped us deliver a project that promulgated dung beetle species across an area bigger than Canberra.

And a few years ago, the WA town of Bussleton got to see what a great job dung beeltes do, when an influx of Ibises (Ibi?) wiped out the local dung beetles and the fly populations went completely into overdrive, with very real tourism damage during their peak season.

Many people don’t realise there are several species of the beetle, and they roll dung only at certain times of the year. So what Feehan does is analyse what species already exist if any, then introduce those needed to ensure year-round rolling.

Another dung beelte factoid is that foxes eat a lot of them (any insects really, plus fruit like blackberries). So they can have a big impact on flies, is a roundabout way.

It was a shame that CSIRO shut down Feehan’s program, but he has continued to be almost the sole prophet of the dung beetle solution in Australia.

Conan: I’m not aware of any adverse impact on natives. What they do achieve though is to mitigate the adverse impact of the introduced livestock.

boo boo said :

Dung beetles are cool. On my nearby rural block they break down dog sh*t literally overnight.

do they need dung to survive? could we introduce them to ‘high dog’ areas around town (nature strips, next to ovals etc) and they can clean up the occasional mess not cleaned up by other people?

Another problem solved the Australian way. Introduce a pest from another country to kill the natives.

Dung beetles are cool. On my nearby rural block they break down dog sh*t literally overnight.

There are certainly a lot less bushflies than there used to be (see the TV clips of politicians brushing them off outside Old Parliament House in the 1960s and 70s). If Mr Feehan’s team are responsible, good on them. But other possible factors include the reduction in livestock around Canberra, especially sheep.

Still, I have no desire to ‘uptake’ a dung beetle, whatever the promised benefits. Bureaucrats have a lot to answer for when it comes to the butchering of the English language.