Greg has volunteered his time and shared his knowledge generously with those of us who have participated in the Peninsula section of the Dung Beetle Survey, coordinated and run by the Cardina and West Gippsland Landcare Network.
Greg has travelled from Tynong North to share his knowledge of the beetles.
He as shown us how to care for them, how to identify them and most particularly how to set up beds to grow the local population . Greg has made himself available to provide help and advice via What's App, and fabricated and set up some test farms locally.
We are very grateful. Thanks Greg!
This is Greg's Story
As a young person I remember the massive number of flies, bush flies and blow flies, that were about and how annoying they were. Outside you had to keep your mouth shut to prevent the flies entering. At a BBQ one of the children would have to stand and continuously brush the flies from the food. In later years when I heard the CSIRO was introducing dung beetles from overseas to bury the dung which was the main breeding ground for flies I thought that was a great idea.
Many decades later in 2013 when living on a small acreage farm in Tynong North I was told about a talk that was being given by Bernard Doube a dung beetle producer from South Australia. The talk was sponsored by the Westernport Catchment Landcare network.
Bernard spoke about the benefits of how the beetles bury the dung into the soil bringing up the nutrients which add to the fertility of the soil. This process removes most of the moisture from the dung. The drier manure provides less of an ideal environment for flies and parasites to breed. At the bottom of the hole is a brood chamber where an egg is laid by the beetle and manure is built up around it, forming what is known as a brood ball. The dung around the brood ball is consumed by the emerging larvae adding further to the nutrient of the soil. The holes created in the soil profile by the beetles allow rain to better permeate the soil causing less run off water into streams and waterways.
The following is a description of the previous way to introduce dung beetles onto a farm.
After the beetles arrived from the breeder they would be transported with a handful of transport medium to the dung pats in the paddock and hope that the beetles would spread over the farm from that initial introduction.
The beetles then had to contend with predation from foxes and many different types of birds.
I know of one farmer that purchased 1000 beetles and distributed them as instructed. He returned to find that the crows had scratched through all the dung pads and devoured the beetles.
Another problem with that method of releasing beetles is that the beetles fly from one pad to another. Next they have flown to a neighbour’s farm.
That’s how I got my well established population of Onthophgus Taurus dung beetles.
I have also found Euoniticellus Fulvus, Onthophagus Binodus and Geoturpes Spiniger. The arrival of these beetles tells me that my drenching of cattle is compatible with these beetles.
Consequently on the matter of the use of cattle drenches I’m inclined to ask the following questions
What chemicals kill dung beetles?
At what stage of the dung beetle life cycle can they be killed or injured?
How long are drench chemicals excreted from the animal and in what form
How is pour-on taken into the animal?
Are studies carried out by independent organisations?
These are topics for a PHD studies!
Since the Bernard Doube talk, those involved in the Western Port Coalition Land Care Network research group have gained the ability to identify beetles established in our area.
When turning over a dung pat for examination we are able to get an idea from the size of the holes, the diggings of soil brought up to the surface by the beetles and what time of the year it is, which species of beetle can be found beneath the dung pat.
In March 2021 the land care network arranged for another field day run by Russ Burrows. Dr Burrows introduced us to the idea of dung beetle nursery beds.
The breeding of dung beetles in nursery beds is to protect the beetles from predators until they have increased in numbers to be released. Dr Burrows gave us more information to help us identify dung beetles.
The Dung Beetle Journey continues
The Secretary of Cannibal Creek Land Care, Pam Cunningham, very promptly organised a grant that would enable us to purchase what we needed to setup the nursery beds and purchase Dung Beetles. Cannibal Creek and Warragul Men’s Shed began building nursery beds from discarded transport Pallets.
This design incorporates a hinged lid with a prop to hold the lid open, a skirt of shade cloth around the base which is buried into the ground about 100 millimetres. This should be enough to prevent the beetles digging out. Ideally 50% white shade cloth on the lid will protect the beetles from birds and let in enough sunlight.
With the promise of funds we placed an order with Creation Care Based in South Australia. For nursery beds, zinc raised garden bed, poly pipe tent typ and beetles.
To start with there was a Zoom meeting.
Zoom\2021-08-12 19.08.4nursery3 Cannibal Creek Dung Beetle Meeting 89898315152\playback.m3u
The meeting began with an explanation of the reasons for dung beetle nurseries beds and a description of the beetles we plan to breed in the bed. We were given instructions on the number of beetles per square meter where we were to place them in the bed and the best place for the location of the bed – how best to feed the beetles – when to release newly hatched beetles – and what results we could expect to have.
The two types of Dung Beetle nursery beds supplied by Creation Care
