Bugs and beetles

The Corangamite CMA together with entomologists Dr Paul Horne and Jessica Page from IPM Technologies Pty Ltd are developing a field guide to the invertebrates (bugs and beetles) found in the Victorian Volcanic Plains bioregion.

The guide will focus on the invertebrates found in the native vegetation e.g. grasslands, native pastures, grassy woodlands and creek lines. The CCMA have now, with the help of the community completed two field collection days; one in Spring last year and Autumn this year at Shelford near Geelong. This was to collect different critters which are active at these times of year. The animals collected will be included in the field guide.

Jess Lill, Catchment Officer with the CCMA commented that - “Paul and Jessica did a presentation on insects found in the native grasslands of the Western Volcanic Plains at the Corangamite CMA VVP Research and Development Forum at Federation University, in Ballarat. And again at our Plains Tender Landholder Forum at Inverleigh and received a lot of interest from landholders, community members and natural resource managers keen to learn more about integrated pest management.”

A second and final Bugs and Beetles collection day was held at the property ‘Shelburn’ on the 16^th April. A lovely sunny Autumn day saw 26 people attend armed and ready for their bug collecting. The day built on the spring collection with many of the invertebrates collected at different parts of their life cycle.  Entomologists Dr. Paul Horne and Jessica Page were pleased with the results and said the new findings would be a great addition to the VVP Invertebrate Field Guide. The Field Guide will be launched in July and copies will be available for interested landholders and the public.

This project is supported by the Corangamite CMA though funding from the Australian Government National Landcare Program.