Native budworm caterpillar update
- Northern agricultural region
- Eastern agricultural region
Increasing numbers of native budworm caterpillars have been reported lately in some parts of the eastern and northern agricultural regions.
This is a timely reminder for growers to be vigilant and monitor for caterpillars, especially as many crops are moisture stressed and at late flowering or pod fill stage.
Ty Henning (Ty’s Agri) reports finding eight caterpillars (<15 mm to >20 mm long) per 10 sweeps in a canola crop at pod fill stage near Cadoux.
Dan Taylor (DKT Rural) reported 20 to 30 budworm caterpillars per 10 sweeps in moisture stressed canola and lupin crops near Bodallin. A grower has found one caterpillar per 10 sweeps in chickpeas at Southern Cross, and an average of two caterpillars (10 mm long) per 10 sweeps have been found on canola at Varley.
The Mingenew Irwin Group (MIG) reports that they found between 14 and 41 caterpillars in 10 sweeps at West Mingenew, and zero to two caterpillars in 10 sweeps at North Mingenew. Both crops are at late flowering and pod fill stage and moisture stressed.
Dave Nicholson (DPIRD) reports increasing numbers of caterpillars in some canola crops. The areas with the highest average caterpillar counts per 10 sweeps are Dandanning with 10, Karloning with 5 and Merredin with 3. When sweepnetting crops at Kondinin, Hyden, Narembeen and Kellerberrin an average of less than one caterpillar per 10 sweeps was netted.
Andrew Phillips (DPIRD) has found up to six native budworm caterpillars in 10 sweeps in canola at Wicherina and noted that this crop had a lot of wild radish present. No budworm caterpillars were found at Nolba, Eradu, Yallabatharra and Moonyoonooka.
Canola pods become attractive to caterpillars of all sizes as the crop nears maturity and begins to hay-off. Larger caterpillars do the most damage. Narrow-leafed lupin pods and seeds can be damaged by native budworm close to maturity and when the pods are losing their green colouration. Field pea, chickpea, lentil and faba bean crops are very susceptible to all sizes of caterpillars during the formation and development of pods.
Moth trapping update
- Usual trapping locations
Ty Henning (Ty’s Agri) reports a capture of two native budworm moths in a trap near canola at Cadoux.
Andrew Phillips (DPIRD) reports the following moth counts from the Geraldton area: Wicherina (15 moths), Nolba (3), Eradu (10), Yallabatharra (6) and Moonyoonooka (9). These areas have reported higher moth numbers in previous weeks.
Low numbers of moths were caught in pheromone traps in the past week in DPIRD’s GRDC funded surveillance program. The moth captures recorded were: Bindi Bindi (64 moths), Cuballing (26), Grass Patch West (24), North Kellerberrin (11), Dowerin lupin crop (13), Dowerin canola crop (6), Badgingarra (7), Nth Cunderdin (5) Tincurrin (2) and Southern Cross (2). No moths were caught at Kojonup, Narrogin, Pingrup and Boyup Brook.
In the past fortnight, the following number of native budworm moths were also recorded: Varley (40 moths), Coorow (34), Doodlakine South (13) and Maya (12).
More information on native budworm is available in the 2023 PestFacts WA Issue 9 article native budworm are active early.
A mapped view of all recent native budworm trap captures is available at Cesar Australia’s MothTrapVisWA page. Viewers need to select the desired trapping date range.
Pesticide options for the control of native budworm can be found in DPIRD’s 2023 Winter Spring Insecticide Guide.
Growers and agronomists should be aware that the active ingredient cyantraniliprole is now registered for use on native budworm and diamondback moth on canola.
Detailed information on this pest can be found at the department’s management and economic thresholds for native budworm.
For more information, contact Technical Officer Alan Lord in South Perth on +61 (08) 9368 3758 or +61 409 689 468.
Article author: Bec Severtson (DPIRD Northam).