CREATING A NATIVE VEGETATION INSECTARIUM

Putting research into practice with an on-farm trial site

This project is supported by the PPWCMA, through funding

from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme

Winegrapes & Orchards

Cereal cropping

Winegrapes

Vegetables

Winegrapes

Berries & orchards

Market gardens

Asparagus

Dairy

Grazing

Where is the Port Phillip & Westernport region?

The multiple benefits of having native vegetation on your farm

• Shelterbelt• Habitat and food source for insects- (insectariums, beetle

banks, insect corridors)• Biodiversity values (consider offsets in planning applications)• Meet obligations in Environmental Assurance programs• Bush Food production- income diversification

Research Links:

Viticulture in SA

TOP PICK:http://www.viti.com.au/pdf/Rmjr0811VineyardBiodiversityandInsectInteractionsBookletFINAL.pdf

https://www.treesforlife.org.au/sites/default/files/Revegetation%20by%20Design%20(SARDI).pdf

CSIRO Pest Suppressive Landscapes: http://www.nipi.com.au/research/pest-suppressive-landscapes/

Cropping and Pastures:

https://grdc.com.au/Resources/Factsheets/2014/05/Pest-Suppressive-Landscapes-fact-sheet

https://grdc.com.au/Research-and-Development/GRDC-Update-Papers/2013/07/Landscape-and-weed-influence-on-pest-and-beneficial-insect-populations

Vineyard PhD research by Mary Retallack- Retallack Viticulture in SAhttp://www.viti.com.au/

HERO BENEFICIAL INSECTARY PLANTS!!

Linking productive farming with natural resource management

• Working out what native vegetation provides food and habitat for beneficial insects and of this list of plants, what is indigenous vegetation to the property???

• = good biodiversity and productive outcomes

• Here is how I went about it for my trial site

http://cardinia.pozi.com/?lon=145.56452&lat=-38.09543&z=10

Type in an address then click on the Plant Zone to obtain EVC plant lists specific to the address. Click on the link to open a plant list specific to the property.

http://www.mapimage.net/IntraMaps75/ApplicationEngine/Application.aspx?project=Yarra+Ranges&configId=bf9bd338-12aa-43f2-95aa-a491de0b3a8d

Type in an address then click on the Indigenous Vegetation Community List to obtain EVC plant lists specific to that address!

IntraMaps: Local Councils with this functionality:http://mapsolutions.com.au/intramaps/intramaps-public.aspx

Contact your Shire council and ask what mapping capabilities they have to create a property map with an EVC plant list

EVC- Ecological Vegetation Class- benchmarking characteristics which describe plants and ecological functions of that EVC

Surf Coast Shire:http://www.surfcoast.vic.gov.au/My_Environment/Local_Wildlife/Indigenous

_Planting_Guides

CUSTOMISED SITE PLANTING GUIDE

Using the EVC list you have for the property, start to highlight plants you know are highly beneficial in an insectarium:

Sweet bursaria, wallaby grass, prickly tea-tree are the three HERO plants

What else is on your list that matches your planting space/layout and will provide nectar and pollen?

Shelterbelt- Upper and Middle story flowering plantsInsectary plants- HERO plants and similar ones found in your EVC. Make sure

there is diversity in your strata layers and include groundcovers.The customised list for Fieldberberry Farm is available at:

http://www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au/news/publications/NB: this is specific to this farm and is a GUIDE only.

Look for plants which you have seen featured in the research as appropriate insectarium species

Quite a few relevant EVC’s have bush foods, you just need to know what you are looking for

Plant a mix of EVC plants depending on the layout of your insectarium

The more plant diversity and layers, the better the habitat for diverse beneficial insects

Plant list for Fielderberry farm:

Multi-purpose design: • shelterbelt, multi-strata, bush foods, groundcovers

Upper story- Euc olidaMiddle story- Bursaria spinosa, Prostanthera lasianthosLower story- Grevillea, Acacia, Correa sp, round leaf mint bush, parrot pea, bush pea,

heaths, daisy, honeypots, river mint, everlastings, lilies, grassesGroundcovers- native violet, running postman, muntries

Bush foods: E. olida, round leaf mint bush (native thyme), river mint, sea celery (native parsley), Bulbine lily, chocolate lily, vanilla lily, honeypots, muntries, sunrise lime, myrnong (yam daisy), Warragul greens, saltbush

Acacia suevolens

Bursaria spinosa

Mentha australis

Prosantherarotundifolia

Grevillea rosmanifolia

Themeda triandra

Euc olida(strawberry gum) *

Native grassesWallaby, Weeping and Spear)

Your insectarium layout can be any design you like• Grasses under vine or inter-row, end of row strainer posts• Surrounding a dam• Land class zoned unsuitable for production• Garden beds• Headlands, buffers and re-vegetated shelterbelts

It’s about insect corridors and connectivity to native vegetation

Is it working?• Spring in Victoria hasn’t been kind if you want to monitor insects!

10 sticky traps, one week (7 days) each month Sept-Jan3 pit fall traps in the main insectary planting, one week each month Sept-JanMonitoring for increases in abundance and diversity of beneficial insects over next 2 years, longer if my RLF project is re-funded!

Is it working?• Spring in Victoria hasn’t been kind if you want to monitor insects!

• However, 7 weeks after planting, some native plants were already flowering and spiders moving in to the insectary

Is it working?• Spring in Victoria hasn’t been kind if you want to monitor insects!

10 sticky traps, one week (7 days) each month Sept-Jan3 pit fall traps in the main insectary planting, one week each month Sept-JanMonitoring for increases in abundance and diversity of beneficial insects over next 2 years, longer if my RLF project is re-funded!

Sent in for analysis. Interestingly, the newly planted insectary had much more diverse insects on the traps than the other areas being monitored. Main insect present is probably a hover fly (also called A flower fly) which is nectar feeding. It then lays eggs close to aphid infestations, when the larvae hatch, they feed on the aphids.

How much did it cost?

Insectarium Costs- indicative start-up costs for any property

EXPENSE ITEM COST CALCULATION COMMENTS

native indigenous plants x380 760based on tubestock prices averaging $2 each

60m row x 2m wide, some indiegnous nurseries are cheaper, commerical nurseries more expensive

Eucalypt windbreak (optional) x 10 plants 20

based on tubestock prices averaging $2 each

some indiegnous nurseries are cheaper, commerical nurseries more expensive

tree guards x 380 342 based on .90c/tree guard and stakes

bulk buy sticky traps x90 34 optional for IPM monitoring

IPM monitoring (optional) 1500 $30/trap. Optional

monitoring Baseline September 1 week x 10 traps. Oct-Jan (4 months). 10 traps over a week x 4 weeks (one analysis/month) = 50 traps total

IPM monitoring (optional) 360 $30/pitfall trap 3 traps in main insectarium $90 each analysis x 4 months

snap lock bags & postage for sticky traps 60 approx. post to Melb Uni

Mulch 2000 50m3variable depending on product used, amount required, transport distance and hire of a spreader

TOTAL 5076

without IPM monitoring 3216

In summary• Find out what mapping capabilities your local council has available and map the

Ecological Vegetation Classes for your property

• Obtain the corresponding local EVC plant list

• Highlight any flowing plants that will provide nectar, pollen and/or shelter as habitat for predatory insects

• Check if you have any or all of the 3 HERO plants! Or similar species

• Decide on where you might plant insectary plants and where you can achieve multi-purpose (shelterbelt, planning offset, diversified income- cut flowers, bush foods etc)

• Monitor through sticky traps and/or observations

• Record the benefits- less pest problems, reduced pesticides, niche income etc