A leading entomologist has warned growers that changing farm management is leading to a change in pest threats such as snails and slugs.
“Slugs and snails need moisture and if you’re retaining more moisture in your farming system, which leads to increased yields, then you will get more slugs and snails,” Michael Nash said.
Dr Nash will speak at the BCG Trials Review Day about the importance of good biosecurity and how best to control slugs and snails.
“Slugs and snails need transport,” he said.
“Traditionally it was along railways and the irrigation channels and, of course, now you’ve taken all the irrigation channels out, so they are now moving around on trucks and produce.
“Therefore, slugs and snails are a biosecurity problem and now with more exotic snails on the biosecurity list, the issue is rapidly growing.”
Dr Nash believes understanding the ecology of these pests is paramount in their management.
“Slugs behave very differently to insects and so therefore your understanding of the ecology of both slugs and snails needs to then underpin how you might manage that threat.
“At BCG’s Trials Review Day I’ll be helping growers understand these differences.
“For example, they don’t have set life cycles. Snails and slugs breed in response to environmental conditions. So, you can’t calculate a degree day model of when the eggs are going to hatch and when to spray, such as you would do for say, native budworm in faba beans.
“Another key difference is slugs and snails hibernate (aestivation), so it is necessary to fully understand activity so you can confidently implement an effective and economical management plan.”
Dr Nash will also explain his approach to monitoring and why dedicating ample time to manage slugs and snails is a good economical decision.
This project received funding from the Federal Government’s Future Drought Fund.