The ACT government is encouraging farmers to use dung beetles to recycle the nutrients in cow dung into their pastures, with experts saying they improve soil quality and reduce fly numbers — and are cheaper than fertiliser.
Decades ago, it wasn't possible to sit outside a Canberra cafe on the footpath and enjoy a bite to eat without your meal being overtaken by unwelcome diners.
"Now here in Canberra because there are up to seven species of dung beetles established, people eat outdoors in Canberra just as people do in London, Paris, and New York." When dung beetles eat and bury cow dung they also bury the nutrients — like nitrogen and phosphorus — thereby rejuvenating the soil.Cow dung build-up can cause significant ecological and economic damage for cattle farms — attracting flies that increase the spread of pests and disease, causing chemicals and organic matter to flow into waterways, and reducing pasture soil quality and productivity.
Of those, 24 imported dung beetle species are known to still be established in Australia — seven of those in the ACT.Mr Feehan, who runs a company that supplies the beetles to landholders, said many farmers had got in touch afterward to say how valuable the dung beetles had been. Bush flies and buffalo flies lay their larvae in dung, so by clearing it before the larvae can mature dung beetles effectively reduce their populations.
ACT NRM sustainable agriculture program lead, Jarrod Ruch, said there was significant interest in the ACT dung beetle program."I think the more farmers know about it – and are aware of the great value of the dung beetles – the more they come on board."
Canberra Local Stories Dung Beetle Species Beetles Dung Cow Cattle Poo Recycle Soil Rejuvination CSIRO John Feehan Entomologist Pasture Water Catchment Entomology
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