Pests

Animal pests, both vertebrates (backbone) and invertebrates (no backbone), can have an adverse impact on agriculture, the natural environment and even our lifestyle. Animal pests may be exotic animals which are introduced, either accidentally or deliberately. Native animals may also be pests in certain situations.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development manages pests in Western Australia through policy development, risk assessment, research and development, provision of technical advice and information, implementation of regulation, emergency response, property inspections, industry liaison, and the planning and coordination of significant species control/eradication programs.

For advice on pests search our website, the Western Australian Organism List or contact our Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS).

For diagnostic services, please contact our Diagnostic Laboratory Services.

Articles

Polyphagous shot-hole borer

10 September 2021

Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) Euwallacea fornicatus is a beetle native to Southeast Asia. The beetle attacks a wide range of plants by tunnelling into trunks, stems and branches.
Red dwarf honey bee

23 December 2021

DPIRD is investigating the detection of the exotic pest red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea) discovered on the Burrup Peninsula near Karratha.
Be on the lookout for the polyphagous shot-hole borer

10 January 2024

Be on the lookout for the polyphagous shot-hole borer
Stored grain insect resistance monitoring and management

26 September 2013

The Western Australian grain storage industry is focused on sealed storage and fumigation to achieve the federally mandated ‘nil tolerance’ for live insects in exports.
Native budworm moth trapping in Western Australia

23 January 2018

Every year, at the end of July/beginning of August, volunteer farmers, agronomists and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) staff commence weekly pheromone trapping for
Ants: identification and control

29 March 2017

Early identification of important invasive and native problematic ants within Western Australia is critical to achieving successful control and preventing invasive ant species from gaining a footho
Red imported fire ant: declared pest in Western Australia

10 October 2013

Red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most serious ant pests in the world and was found to be established in Brisbane, Queensland, in 2001.
Red imported fire ant

27 November 2019

Red imported fire ant (RIFA), Solenopsis invicta, is one of the most serious and invasive ant pests in the world, because of its harmful effects on people, agriculture, flora and fauna, in
Diagnosing weevils in canola

17 February 2014

Weevils are beetles with long snouts that can damage or kill young seedlings.
Stickfast fleas: control and eradication

6 February 2014

The stickfast flea, first recorded in Western Australia (WA) at Geraldton in 1913, is now a common disease in backyard poultry flocks, especially during summer.