CREATING A NATIVE VEGETATION INSECTARIUM Putting research into - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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

WE ARE HERE Port Phillip & Westernport Region

Where is the Port Phillip & Westernport region? Grazing Winegrapes Winegrapes Vegetables Berries & orchards Market gardens Cereal cropping Asparagus Dairy Winegrapes & Orchards

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: https://www.treesforlife.org.au/sites/default/files/Revegetation%20by%20Design%20(SARDI).pdf http://ausveg.com.au/intranet/technicalinsights/docs/reveg_by_design_guidebook.pdf Both versions focus on reducing the prevalence of Western Flower Thrip Pest Suppressive Landscapes: http://www.nipi.com.au/research/pest-suppressive-landscapes/

Vineyard PhD research by Mary Retallack- Retallack Viticulture in SA http://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=Yarr a+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

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 plants Insectary 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 olida Middle story- Bursaria spinosa, Prostanthera lasianthos Lower story- Grevillea, Acacia , Correa sp , round leaf mint bush, parrot pea, bush pea, heaths, daisy, honeypots, river mint, everlastings, lilies, grasses Groundcovers- 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

Grevillea Bursaria Prosanthera Acacia rosmanifolia spinosa rotundifolia suevolens Native Mentha Themeda Euc olida grasses australis triandra (strawberry gum) * Wallaby, 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-Jan 3 pit fall traps in the main insectary planting, one week each month Sept-Jan Monitoring 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-Jan 3 pit fall traps in the main insectary planting, one week each month Sept-Jan Monitoring 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 based on tubestock prices averaging $2 60m row x 2m wide, some indiegnous nurseries are cheaper, native indigenous plants x380 760 each commerical nurseries more expensive Eucalypt windbreak (optional) x based on tubestock prices averaging $2 some indiegnous nurseries are cheaper, commerical nurseries 10 plants 20 each more expensive tree guards x 380 342based on .90c/tree guard and stakes bulk buy sticky traps x90 34optional for IPM monitoring monitoring Baseline September 1 week x 10 traps. Oct-Jan (4 months). 10 traps over a week x 4 weeks (one IPM monitoring (optional) 1500$30/trap. Optional 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 60approx. post to Melb Uni variable depending on product used, amount required, Mulch 200050m3 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

Keep up to date: http://www.ppwcma.vic.gov.au/