A new species of Moroccan beetle has just arrived in our lab. Their job? To improve pasture quality and reduce fly populations. We’re expecting big things from these little creatures.
When introduced species of dung beetles first arrived in Australia as biological control agents they certainly had their work cut out for them.
The ecological damage caused by the arrival of cows and sheep with the First Fleet in 1788 was 200 years in the making. Pastures were in ruin and the native bush fly was flourishing in sloppy, wet cow dung.
Back in the 1970s, our scientist George Bornemissza was the first person to put the biological link back in the chain. He brought in the first introduced dung beetle species as biological control agents.
Read full article: https://blog.csiro.au/dung-beetles-with-benefits/