4feature On the hop It’s vitally important to know exactly when to deal with your most unwelcome visitors. Bill Nicholas reports. Out there in the paddocks, along the roadsides, creek beds <strong>and</strong> waterways, across the northern agricultural districts of South Australia, a potentially damaging locust plague is waiting in the wings. A swarm of locusts that came in from southern Queensl<strong>and</strong> in late autumn has settled across South Australia <strong>and</strong> laid eggs. In many areas, ag-scientists have counted 1000 eggs per square metre. Come the warm weather, they’ll be hatching. Plans have been hatched to combat this major locust plague <strong>and</strong> the action is now ready to roll, according to Malcolm Byerlee, chairman of the <strong>Northern</strong> Locust Community Reference Group at Orroroo. “Community reference groups here <strong>and</strong> in the Mallee have marshalled the most useful knowledge that was learned in the last major locusts scare in 2000,” Mr Byerlee said. PIRSA’s Locusts Program manager Michael McManus said community reference groups have played an essential role in providing feedback on what worked last time <strong>and</strong> shaping the new plan of attack. “Mr Byerlee’s contribution has been particularly useful because he chaired the last locust campaign <strong>and</strong> provided pragmatic advice about winning support of the local councils,” Mr McManus said. Local h<strong>and</strong>s-on experience was invaluable <strong>for</strong> the Department of Primary Industries & <strong>Resources</strong> SA’s division of Biosecurity SA which initiated the Locusts Operations <strong>and</strong> Planning Committee. The committee helped draft a plan from which Minister O’Brien took a proposal to Cabinet resulting in a $12.8 million locust response budget. Mr McManus said this year’s plague is expected to be one of the biggest on record. Insecticides have been purchased, <strong>and</strong> regional councils have spraying equipment at the ready. The locust hoppers will be hit swiftly <strong>and</strong> intensely when they’ve grown to the ‘mid-star’ stage (between 8mm <strong>and</strong> 14mm in size) <strong>and</strong> be<strong>for</strong>e they get a chance to take to the wing, to minimise the number of adults flying on to other areas. Mr McManus said there is no benefit in farmers or l<strong>and</strong>owners spraying on their properties be<strong>for</strong>e the locusts arrive. “Farmers will simply be wasting their time <strong>and</strong> money by doing this,” he said. “The time to hit the locusts is when they’ve developed as hoppers <strong>and</strong> have grouped together in large b<strong>and</strong>s.” Ef<strong>for</strong>ts by government, local councils, natural resources management boards <strong>and</strong> l<strong>and</strong>holders in preparing <strong>for</strong> this ‘exceptional’ locust infestation have been excellent, he said. Regional NRM boards will be working closely with local councils which have access to $1m in disaster funding to help with roadside spraying of locust b<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> other mitigation ef<strong>for</strong>ts. Agriculture Minister Michael O’Brien said locusts posed a serious threat to crops <strong>and</strong> pasture in the southern Flinders Ranges <strong>and</strong> <strong>Northern</strong> Agricultural Area, Eastern Eyre Peninsula, the Riverl<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> Murray Mallee regions. “If left unchecked, there are wide-ranging ramifications beyond the agricultural sector, including damage to football <strong>and</strong> cricket ovals, bowling greens, golf courses, parks <strong>and</strong> gardens. Swarms could also hinder regional aviation <strong>and</strong> cause road safety concerns,” Mr O’Brien said. The expected locust plague has the potential to cause significant damage to SA agricultural production in spring <strong>and</strong> summer, he said. “It’s important to underst<strong>and</strong> that we can’t eradicate the locust, but we can minimise the damage they may inflict, with a well-planned control strategy,” Mr O’Brien said. In the Mid North <strong>and</strong> the southern Flinders Ranges, preparations are well advanced <strong>for</strong> major aerial spraying in open <strong>country</strong> <strong>and</strong> pastures to complement work by the Australian Plague Locust Commission (APLC) <strong>and</strong> authorities interstate. Aircraft have been secured to ensure an effective blitz on affected areas in South Australia. <strong>Northern</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Yorke</strong> <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> Management Board is managing ground spraying operations to control locust b<strong>and</strong>s in the Flinders Ranges, Mount Remarkable, Orroroo/Carrieton, Port Augusta <strong>and</strong> Above: NYNRM Board’s Upper North team leader Kevin Teague with a chemical misting machine used to spray plague locusts. Photo: Stacey Shackle<strong>for</strong>d. Right: Swarming locusts near Mildura, South Australia. Photo: Excitations-stock Peterborough District Council areas. It has budgeted around $250,000 <strong>for</strong> the work which will be carried out by Board staff <strong>and</strong> contractors. The campaign in the <strong>Northern</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Yorke</strong> NRM area will be run from Orroroo, where a fleet of contracted fixedwing aircraft are based. The northern region is suited to aerial control of locusts because of larger properties, less water courses that preclude aerial spraying <strong>and</strong> less ‘sensitive sites’ where aerial spraying is not an option. Reports of hatching <strong>and</strong> b<strong>and</strong>ing locusts will be received by local councils, assessed at the PIRSA locust control centre <strong>and</strong> reports allocated <strong>for</strong> action to either PIRSA survey teams or the NRM ground spraying operations. Board staff may be assigned <strong>for</strong> survey team work to accurately locate locust hatchings <strong>and</strong> b<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> prepare a report <strong>for</strong> the ground spraying operation. Farmers <strong>and</strong> residents can help the campaign to eradicate the locusts in two ways: first, report b<strong>and</strong>s of hoppers by phoning the special northern areas hotline on 8658 1456; secondly, fill in <strong>and</strong> return consent <strong>for</strong>ms to authorise aerial spraying on private properties. The website www.pir.sa.gov.au/locust will be regularly updated <strong>and</strong> people can subscribe to e-newsletters <strong>and</strong> SMS messages <strong>for</strong> the latest on the operation. 10 <strong>Northern</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Yorke</strong> <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> Management Board
4feature <strong>Northern</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Yorke</strong> <strong>Natural</strong> <strong>Resources</strong> Management Board 11