It's not too late to take part in Biosecurity Blitz!
Would you like to help protect your agricultural industries and your environment from harm caused by damaging pests?
It's not too late to join in the Biosecurity Blitz! The month long event, managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), ends on 16 November. It is about encouraging industry and communities across Australia to get outdoors to look for pests, weeds and diseases.
The goal is to look for, photograph and report as many organisms as possible. So get out in the field, take a wander through your town, search around your home and start blitzing!
The Biosecurity Blitz provides an opportunity for DPIRD to increase the number of ‘eyes on the ground,’ expand its surveillance efforts, and help our industries by verifying whether or not we have certain unwanted pests in WA.
Verifying Australia’s freedom from exotic pests helps maintain Australia’s ability to continue trading and grow access to future markets.
This is the fifth year DPIRD has put out the call to look and send in reports. To participate all you need to do is:
- follow the link and sign up
- download one of our free reporting apps, which include the free MyPestGuideTM Reporter or PestFax apps, as well as the WA PestWatch app for aquatic observations.
DPIRD experts will identify the organisms reported and map the data online for the reporting community to view.
Last year’s Biosecurity Blitz resulted in more than 1600 reports – the most common being beetles, bugs and butterflies. The majority of pest reports came from metropolitan areas.
The challenge this year is to increase the number of reports from regional areas, and increase the scope of what is reported. Remember - pests are not just insects! They also include feral animals, weeds, diseases and interesting sightings in aquatic environments, such as organisms found in the ocean, lakes, rivers and even mud puddles!
For those who want to dive a bit deeper and get stuck into some serious biosecurity surveillance, there are a number of pests the public can be extra vigilant about this year. These include ants, such as Browsing ant which is not normally found in WA, Citrus gall wasp, Brown marmorated stink bug, European wasp, dung beetles, liver fluke, European house borer, Tomato potato psyllid and aphids.
So, for anyone interested in hands-on activities, activity sheets are available from the department’s website, which include instructions on how to use MyPestGuide™ Reporter, make pest traps, hunt for snails, or ‘bait and wait’ for wasps.
In addition, the ‘School Challenge’ is on, which is a special feature of the annual Biosecurity Blitz. This competition awards schools for the largest number of participating students, the most reports made within their postal code area, and the level of engagement with other schools and the community.
For more information go to the Biosecurity Blitz 2019 webpage, call the Pest and Disease Information Service +61 (8) 9368 3080 or email padis@dpird.wa.gov.au. For technical reporting queries email mypestguide@dpird.wa.gov.au