Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
An innovative environmental approach is being used to compact an
invasive plant pest in Darwin Papaya merely bug, which can
impact the growth of plants and leaves its spread across
a number of suburbs after it was detected last year.
This new approach is going to see its natural predator
released and joining me on the line to tell us
(00:20):
a little bit more about the situation is its principal entomologist,
doctor Brian Thistleton. Good morning to your doctor. Good morning,
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, firstly,
can you tell us a bit more about the pest
and how it impacts plants.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, it's a millibug. It's a sucking insect which lives
on the plant, sucks the sap and causes distortion the relief.
It's causing trandypaney leaves now to fall off. It is.
It's a new pest for the territory. It came in
(00:58):
middle of last year, but it comes initially from Central
America and in twenty twenty. In two thousand, it moved
from Central America into the USA and caused a lot
of problems in Florida. They did a lot of research
and found some native predators in in Central America and
(01:23):
introduced them into Florida and later into a number of
country in Southeast Asia where the mellibuger got through and
those parasitoids and little tiny wass were really effective. We'll
have those here. They've actually come in with the mediabug
are building up, but they're not in big enough numbers
yet to control them. In the meantime, there is a
(01:45):
native ladybird which is a predator. It's called the mellibug
ladybird and that feeds on the mellibug and that's what
we were that is already in Darwin. But what we
did last week was got some more from their available
for biological supply houses and we got some more and
made a release of those.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, right, so it sounds really interesting. Actually, So how
do you release all of those of their specific areas
where they get released, Well, I mean.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
They can be released more widely eventually. We just did
a last week. We did a demonstration on some plants
on the Espanade and then we had quite a few extra.
So we're distributed around the suburbs, but in a lot
of places we're finding them there naturally anywhere they are
already present in Darwin and starting to build up.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And so at this point in time, if they're already present,
if they are starting to build up, how's the trial
sort of going to work aside from what was done
last week? Is there still going to be some more
of them put out there in the different suburbs.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, we're not funning that as such. We were really
doing the release to show what could be done if
we need to increase the numbers. We're also monitoring the
natural populations and we have had areas where they have
built up and already given good control. I know a
lot of people are We're getting lots and lots of
inquiries at present because people are noticing this, this medibug
(03:13):
and it's causing lots and lots of damming. An interesting
thing about this melibug, that the labor bird, is that
it's been it's only found in Australia, or used to
be only found in Australia. It's been introduced all around
the world by other countries specifically to give mellibug control,
(03:34):
not just the pa Prie melli bug, but other media bugs.
And it's called overseas, it's called the melli bug destroyer,
so it is really really effective.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
And so how wide spratty is the issue of old
mealy bug at this point in time in the territory.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, the the prie media bug is only in Darwin.
Well last year came into Darwin, it's now in Darwin, Palmerston.
We've phaps records from Howard Springs, We've had some records
from Wago Beach. So it is, it is spreading, but
it's not elsewhere in Australia. There are a number of
other meinie bugs and that's one of the issues. There
(04:13):
are other native media bugs that can be mistaken for
this thing.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And so look, I've got a couple of people messaging
me this morning right now, Brian saying, oh, Katie, is
this going to be a situation like what we heard
with the cane toad, you know, all those years ago.
But by the sounds of it, what the approach is
is it is actually a natural you know, the natural
inact insect, sorry, this ladybird. So it's not as if
we're introducing something from you know, from somewhere else into Australia.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
No, that's no, it is a natural thing. Anyway, The
parasitoid is something that's come in from overseas, so that
is something that has come in naturally, but it is
an exotic insect. But the parasitoid is very specific to
the media bug, so that won't be aka problem.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Now, Doctor Brian Thistleton, there's going to be people listening
this morning who are thinking to themselves or goodness me,
you know I've got merely bug or my friends of
pannies or or they're worried about this papye merely bug.
What should people do if they suspect that they have
papye and merely bug on their property.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Well, if it's on a friend of panny, it's almost
certain to be this. We we can identify them, but
we're actually asking people we now know where it is,
so we don't need lots of lots of samples coming
in to do more identification manly, because the labs of
you know, we want we want to work on the
control rather than a lot of diagnostics and diagnostics. If
(05:45):
we're identifying this media bug, we actually have to make
microscope slides of the media bug. So it's it's a
preparation period that's quite quite a long time for example, all.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Right, so they don't need to call in and let
you know, but they.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Don't need to report, but can look on our website.
We do have a fact sheet which we're in the
process of updating now telling you what to do. The
insecticides are not very effective at all because it's covered
in a waxy coating. The insecticides can't penetrate and can't
give control. And this was the experience from all the
(06:19):
overseas countries too. The only insecticides, or it's not really
an insecticide, but the only things at work are There
are things that are oil sprays and agricultural oils and
soaps which work by smothering the menibug and you can
spray those and they don't affect the parastoids. Unfortunately, you
(06:43):
can spray those. But I mean, obviously some of these
friendy pannies are very tall. You can't get up there
to spray them.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Well, Principal Entomologist, doctor Brian Thistilton, I really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks very much for having a chat
with us. Okay, thank you, thanks for you tell him
An innovative environmental approach is being used to compact an
invasive plant pest in Darwin Papaya merely bug, which can
impact the growth of plants and leaves its spread across
a number of suburbs after it was detected last year.
This new approach is going to see its natural predator
released and joining me on the line to tell us
(00:20):
a little bit more about the situation is its principal entomologist,
doctor Brian Thistleton. Good morning to your doctor. Good morning,
Thanks so much for your time this morning. Now, firstly,
can you tell us a bit more about the pest
and how it impacts plants.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Well, it's a millibug. It's a sucking insect which lives
on the plant, sucks the sap and causes distortion the relief.
It's causing trandypaney leaves now to fall off. It is.
It's a new pest for the territory. It came in
(00:58):
middle of last year, but it comes initially from Central
America and in twenty twenty. In two thousand, it moved
from Central America into the USA and caused a lot
of problems in Florida. They did a lot of research
and found some native predators in in Central America and
(01:23):
introduced them into Florida and later into a number of
country in Southeast Asia where the mellibuger got through and
those parasitoids and little tiny wass were really effective. We'll
have those here. They've actually come in with the mediabug
are building up, but they're not in big enough numbers
yet to control them. In the meantime, there is a
(01:45):
native ladybird which is a predator. It's called the mellibug
ladybird and that feeds on the mellibug and that's what
we were that is already in Darwin. But what we
did last week was got some more from their available
for biological supply houses and we got some more and
made a release of those.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Yeah, right, so it sounds really interesting. Actually, So how
do you release all of those of their specific areas
where they get released, Well, I mean.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
They can be released more widely eventually. We just did
a last week. We did a demonstration on some plants
on the Espanade and then we had quite a few extra.
So we're distributed around the suburbs, but in a lot
of places we're finding them there naturally anywhere they are
already present in Darwin and starting to build up.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
And so at this point in time, if they're already present,
if they are starting to build up, how's the trial
sort of going to work aside from what was done
last week? Is there still going to be some more
of them put out there in the different suburbs.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
Well, we're not funning that as such. We were really
doing the release to show what could be done if
we need to increase the numbers. We're also monitoring the
natural populations and we have had areas where they have
built up and already given good control. I know a
lot of people are We're getting lots and lots of
inquiries at present because people are noticing this, this medibug
(03:13):
and it's causing lots and lots of damming. An interesting
thing about this melibug, that the labor bird, is that
it's been it's only found in Australia, or used to
be only found in Australia. It's been introduced all around
the world by other countries specifically to give mellibug control,
(03:34):
not just the pa Prie melli bug, but other media bugs.
And it's called overseas, it's called the melli bug destroyer,
so it is really really effective.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
And so how wide spratty is the issue of old
mealy bug at this point in time in the territory.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Well, the the prie media bug is only in Darwin.
Well last year came into Darwin, it's now in Darwin, Palmerston.
We've phaps records from Howard Springs, We've had some records
from Wago Beach. So it is, it is spreading, but
it's not elsewhere in Australia. There are a number of
other meinie bugs and that's one of the issues. There
(04:13):
are other native media bugs that can be mistaken for
this thing.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
And so look, I've got a couple of people messaging
me this morning right now, Brian saying, oh, Katie, is
this going to be a situation like what we heard
with the cane toad, you know, all those years ago.
But by the sounds of it, what the approach is
is it is actually a natural you know, the natural
inact insect, sorry, this ladybird. So it's not as if
we're introducing something from you know, from somewhere else into Australia.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
No, that's no, it is a natural thing. Anyway, The
parasitoid is something that's come in from overseas, so that
is something that has come in naturally, but it is
an exotic insect. But the parasitoid is very specific to
the media bug, so that won't be aka problem.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Now, Doctor Brian Thistleton, there's going to be people listening
this morning who are thinking to themselves or goodness me,
you know I've got merely bug or my friends of
pannies or or they're worried about this papye merely bug.
What should people do if they suspect that they have
papye and merely bug on their property.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Well, if it's on a friend of panny, it's almost
certain to be this. We we can identify them, but
we're actually asking people we now know where it is,
so we don't need lots of lots of samples coming
in to do more identification manly, because the labs of
you know, we want we want to work on the
control rather than a lot of diagnostics and diagnostics. If
(05:45):
we're identifying this media bug, we actually have to make
microscope slides of the media bug. So it's it's a
preparation period that's quite quite a long time for example, all.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Right, so they don't need to call in and let
you know, but they.
Speaker 2 (05:58):
Don't need to report, but can look on our website.
We do have a fact sheet which we're in the
process of updating now telling you what to do. The
insecticides are not very effective at all because it's covered
in a waxy coating. The insecticides can't penetrate and can't
give control. And this was the experience from all the
(06:19):
overseas countries too. The only insecticides, or it's not really
an insecticide, but the only things at work are There
are things that are oil sprays and agricultural oils and
soaps which work by smothering the menibug and you can
spray those and they don't affect the parastoids. Unfortunately, you
(06:43):
can spray those. But I mean, obviously some of these
friendy pannies are very tall. You can't get up there
to spray them.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Well, Principal Entomologist, doctor Brian Thistilton, I really appreciate your
time this morning. Thanks very much for having a chat
with us. Okay, thank you, thanks for you tell him
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