Biosecurity Blitz19 October to 16 November Results of the Biosecurity Blitz 2020Once again we can’t thank you enough for all your hard work getting out there and making reports, especially the new boffins who completed the entire 30-Day Challenge! The aim of this year’s Biosecurity Blitz was to increase your awareness about protecting plants and engage as many people as possible to participate in surveillance. Three weed biosecurity reports were followed up on by our savvy surveillance team. One of the public reports resulted in a non-compliance action being taken for a water weed in WA. We had no reports of any of the top 40 exotic pests. In the agricultural areas we are getting Russian wheat aphids and Fall armyworms reported, all moving closer to Perth, along with lots of native budworms. The public reported a number of plant damage issues which all turned to be not of biosecurity concern. The mangoes are safe, rosemary is wilty but will bounce back and roses will always recover! Powdery mildew on rosemary Mango showing resin canal discolouration (RCD) No marine animals, like a Megaladon, were observed. Phew! We aren’t sure why though... Maybe it's due to climate change, fewer fish or maybe fewer people are out and about these days. Even though the blitz is over now, our team is still working really hard to respond to each of your reports, but that doesn't mean you should stop reporting! Every report counts and your sightings help protect our food industries, environment and Australian lifestyle. Please continue to make observations and while you're at it... Tell us how well we did by taking the survey! Snapshot of resultsWe received a total of 3048 organism reports from across Australia. The wide support we saw this year has made the Biosecurity Blitz a success with more than 847 people making reports. Neighbouring states showed a strong interest with a whopping 315 reports submitted. 15 of our PestFax reports were made by growers and agronomists, while 15 reports came from government agencies. It would really help if you could let us know your views? Have your say… Your best photosEveryone has improved significantly this year with respect to their photographic skills, imagination, and ability to find unusual and amazing observations in different habitats! Here is our selection of the best snaps highlighting Australia’s amazing diversity and increasingly difficult taxonomy: Farmland Lynx spider, Oxyopes amoenus (Araneae: Oxyopidae) Flower or crab spider, Zygometis xanthogaster (Araneae: Thomisidae) Potter wasp making pot, Delta sp. (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Yellow Katydid, (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae) One of the many common hoverfly reports we received, probably Simosyrphus grandicornis (Diptera: Syrphidae) Dwarf bearded dragon, Pogona minor (Squamata: Agamidae) Location of reports submitted to the Biosecurity Blitz 2020. Puffball mushroom, possibly Lycoperdon periatum (Agaricales: Agaricaceae) NSW Native scale insect, (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) Predation in action! Hibiscus harlequin bug or Cotton harlequin bug, Tectocoris diophthalmus (Hemiptera: Scutelleridae) feeding on sawfly larvae The non-native poisonous toadstool Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria (Agaricales: Amanitaceae) A cluster caterpillar from Queensland Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), showing off a less commonly seen pattern. Omnivorous Tussock Moth, Acyphas semiochrea (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) A few interesting detections were made of mysterious and secretive creatures, including the gorgeous weed (i.e. Paterson’s curse). The vast numbers of reports this year are keeping our experts busy, and we will reply back to your reports soon! There are certainly empty areas out there! So when you can, wander out yonder and see what you can find in your Country. Keeping our States SpotlessIt was great to see reports from every state again. Below are findings that show off Australia’s amazing diversity. ACTLerps, (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) on eucalyptus species. Native predatory mite, Rainbow Mite Rainbowia species (Trombidiformes: Eythraeidae) NSWNative cuckoo wasp, possibly Stilbum cyanurum (Hymenoptera: Chrysididae) on Lilly pilly plant. A giant scale (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) Blue geoplanarian, Caenoplana coerulea (Tricladida: Geoplanidae) Aphids, possibly Vetch aphid, Megoura crassicauda (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on broad beans VICLight grey weevil, possibly a native wattle pig, Leptopius sp. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Rove beetle, (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Common brown earwig, Labidura riparia (Dermaptera: Labiduridae) An infestation of the native lilly pilly psyllid A black gum-leafhopper, possibly Eurymela distincta (Hemiptera: Eurymelidae) Beginner and Boffin ChampsIn the 30-Day Challenge, Beginners made ten or more reports and those that completed all 30 activities achieved summa cum laude Boffin status. We received over 580 awesome snaps just from our boffins alone, a staggering 19% of total reports! Our Biosecurity Blitz Beginner winner is…Congratulations to, Ruth Hodges who was our best Beginner that also achieved Boffin status! Welcome to the pest reporting community Ruth :) Thanks to other beginners such as Chris Oakeley, Kerry Hill, Cameron DeFosses, and Margery Stevens, who took part and achieved similar levels of reporting. Keep up the good work! And the ‘Best Biosecurity Blitz Boffin’ goes to…The pest reporting community confers Diana Fisher, the status of ‘Best Biosecurity Blitz Boffin for 2020’, achieving this honour with over 270 submissions and winning the 30-Day Challenge prize! A white-tailed spider, Lampona cylindrata (Araneae: Lamponidae) or Lampona murina in an industrial area near Capel, WA Activity 14: Look no legs, weed report. A Sand plain lupin, Lupinus cosentinii (Fabales: Fabaceae - Papilionaceae) near Capel, WA Activity 6: Life beyond the Thunderdome. A vertebrate - Burton's Legless lizard, Lialis burtonis, (Squamata: Pygopodidae) and not a snake Special commendations goes to Daniel Heald for a solid effort to achieve Boffin status. Here is a tiny selection of his 184 very interesting reports! Short-palped crane fly, (Diptera: Limoniidae) Juvenile leafhopper nymphs (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) on Eucalyptus plants near Busselton, WA. Activity 14: Look no legs, weed report. A Sand plain lupin, Lupinus cosentinii (Fabales: Fabaceae - Papilionaceae) near Capel, WA Stonecrop, possibly Crassula alata (Rosales: Crassulaceae) in sand near Busselton, WA. ALL of you are winners but our champion reporters were once again from Western Australia. Location of 30-Day Challenge participants by post code. School ChallengeThanks to those who participated in the School Challenge. The school challenge winner this year was Harvey Ag College! We hope everyone learned more about biosecurity and how general surveillance reporting protects plants and our trade! Hopefully we'll see you next year! And if you happen to find yourselves stuck in quarantine, make sure to keep your mind sharp with this biosecurity card game. Keeping our States SpotlessTo build our pest reporting community we need expertise and mentors to identify and confirm species. Please join the Taxonomy Australia network or MyPestGuide team today! If you want to learn more about how organisms are grouped together check out this video on taxonomy. To gain a better understanding of what our expert taxonomists need to consider, check out this video. Which insect was most abundant at the beginning of the Blitz this year? HINT: it was not a bee! Taming ants that trampYep, if you are located in Western Australia please send us your ant samples. We are happy to receive these at the department up until 18 December 2020. Each sample of ants sent in will help to determine whether or not the exotic Browsing ant, Lepisiota frauenfeldi and Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta plus other tramp ants are absent from your community and our lovely state. For more information please check out the activity sheet. Absence makes our biosecurity stronger!Your observational reports are important! Please examine all Myrtaceae plants and make a Myrtle rust absence report if in WA. Kiwis and other folks, please avoid transferring spores when you begin travelling again and help us protect plants. Remember your shared responsibilities and always be biosecurity aware! The information gained is used to support growers, farmers and businesses who import and export their products into overseas markets. Ready to take the survey?We know what you really want is to see the weirdest and most wonderful Biosecurity Blitz reports over the last 4 weeks…right? Actually we have no idea, we might just be boring you to death! We'd really appreciate if you would take a moment to give us some feedback by filling out our survey. It will only take 2 minutes and it will give us a great opportunity to make the next Biosecurity Blitz even better! Acknowledgement of CountryDon’t be backward in coming forwardWe acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to the land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them, their Elders, and cultures past, present and future. Are we being slow to step forward and take the initiative, even when the situation seems to demand it? Let’s not be ‘backward in coming forward’. If you see an opportunity to do well by, do not hesitate, take it! The first example of 'backward in coming forward' is printed in Cobbett's Annual Register, Volume 4, July-December 1803: "Is it matter of surprise that men proud of their birth, of their hereditary honours, of their ancient families, should be backward to come forward..." Born in Farnham, England, in 1763, William Cobbett travelled between England and America preaching the virtues of practical self-sufficiency. He was an interesting person who practiced what he preached. He also coined the term ‘red herring’ to mean a distraction from an important issue. If born today would his journey start here? What’s Next?Even though the Blitz is over, the fight to protect our agriculture industries and environment never stops. Next year it will be the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables, 2021 along with peace and trust, and a creative economy for sustainable development. Our team will be linking up with other Plant Health practitioners across Australia to support this fantastic initiative...and we hope you do to! Sign up for Biosecurity Blitz 2021Keep making reports and we hope to see you again next year! If you wish to do more, please:
The MyPestGuide™ team in Western Australia managed the 2020 Biosecurity Blitz. We are working with all jurisdictions to make pest reporting a priority in every community across Australia and would love your feedback on how to make it better. Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Copyright © Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 2020 |