Farming Dung Beetles for Farmers Farming other things
Farming Dung Beetles for Farmers Farming other things
Farmers in Western Australia begin breeding their own stocks of the bugs, which are proving hugely beneficial to farm and animal health.
I love seeing this sort of thing in Farming. Are there any other places where dungbeetles are used as an input to a farm?
What other insects are being introduced to farms? I know of bees (pollination) and ladybirds (pest control)
This is the best summary I could come up with:
On Western Australia's south coast, farmers are taking advantage of their output by breeding their own stocks, with more than 40,000 beetles released in recent years.
Beef farmer Kylie Cook is on the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee that has been breeding different species of dung beetles and helping landholders establish their own populations.
Ms Cook said the project had generated a fantastic response locally, and so far the committee had released 40 colonies consisting of about 1,000 dung beetles each.
Naturally occurring summer dung beetles have been helping farmers for years, but now Ms Cook and her team are breeding multiple species, including active winter varieties.
Eventually, Mr McHenry hopes to have these super-efficient farm workers employed all year round — and he sees huge financial and environmental benefits.
A starter kit included 100 dung beetles, and once they have bred and laid their eggs in the ground, Ms Cook expects the population to grow to 1,000.
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