Urban Plant Health Network | Urban Plant Health Network

Urban Plant Health Network

Healthy Plants, Healthy Future

Help keep bumblebees out of Victoria

Growing your own food is a reminder that life continues

Who wants to be a Pest Warrior?

Beware the red imported fire ant!

The rise of the Fall armyworm

Forewarned is forearmed - the benefits of using sticky traps in your garden

Bumblebee on blue wildflower

Published - 14 October 2020
By Kellyanne Harris and Pippa Auld (Agriculture Victoria)

Help keep bumblebees out of Victoria

Bumblebee on blue wild flower
Bumblebees are large, hairy, social bees belonging to the family Apidae (subfamily Bombinae). Bumblebees are not known to occur on mainland …
Read More

bee, biosecurity, bumblebee, exotic, pest, pollination, pollinator

What bug is that?

Red imported fire ant

Published - 21 September 2020
By Madeleine Quirk (AUSVEG)

Beware the red imported fire ant!

Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta
The Red Imported Fire Ant, commonly referred to as RIFA, is a serious exotic species that could impact Australia’s natural …
Read More

ant, bad bugs, biosecurity, detect, exotic, pest, red imported fire ant, RIFA, urban

What bug is that?

Published - 27 May 2020
By Jo Chong Wah (Agriculture Victoria)

Who wants to be a Pest Warrior?

Who wants to be a Pest Warrior? At the Urban Plant Health Network we’re hoping ALL of you will want to be one!
Read our Pest …
Read More

ACP, asian citrus psyllid, asian honey bee, bad bugs, bee, citrus, detect, exotic, garden, glassy-winged sharpshooter, HLB, Huanglongbing, pest, pest warrior, psyllid, red imported fire ant, spotted wing drosophila, urban, varroa mite

Protect your patch, Resources, What bug is that?, Where to go for help

Child holding vegetables

Published - 30 April 2020
By David Reid (Nursery & Garden Industry Victoria)

Growing your own food is a reminder that life continues

A stroll through your local nursery for vegetable seedlings or seeds is most likely to show empty shelves and benches right now. Gardeners new and …
Read More

city, food, garden, grow, nursery, urban, vegetable

Gardening tips, Resources

Fall armyworm larva (caterpiller)

Published - 16 April 2020
By Madeleine Quirk (AUSVEG)

The rise of the Fall armyworm

Fall armyworm larva / Russ Ottens, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
The fall armyworm (FAW) is a moth native to the subtropical and tropical Americas, including the …
Read More

armyworm, bad bugs, biosecurity, exotic, fall armyworm, moth, pest

Resources, What bug is that?

Read that chemical or pesticide label

Published - 14 April 2020
By Steven Field and Deb Banks (Agriculture Victoria)

Gardeners – read those chemical and pesticide labels!

Backyard gardeners – make sure you read and follow the label of any chemicals you are using in your garden!
We are staying at home and …
Read More

bee, beneficial, chemical, garden, label, pest, pesticide

Protect your patch, Resources

Sticky trap with cage in a citrus tree Image credit: Kimberley Lamont

Published - 7 April 2020
By Julia Severi and Jessica Lye (cesar)

Forewarned is forearmed – the benefits of using sticky traps in your garden

Sticky trap with cage in a citrus tree. Image credit: Kimberley Lamont
Sticky traps are pieces of coloured plastic or cardboard, typically yellow (or sometimes blue) …
Read More

bad bugs, beneficial, biosecurity, bug, citrus, detect, garden, good bug, parasitoid wasp, pest, sticky trap, urban, wasp, yellow sticky trap

Gardening tips, Protect your patch, Resources

Published - 1 April 2020
By Jo Chong Wah and Pippa Auld (Agriculture Victoria)

Our activity book will get your kids learning about “bad bugs” to look out for

It’s a really challenging time, with all of us in self-isolation.. Parents are working from home and kids are out of school. Are you struggling to …
Read More

ACP, activity, asian citrus psyllid, asian honey bee, bad bugs, bee, BMSB, brown marmorated stink bug, bug, citrus, detect, exotic, garden, glassy-winged sharpshooter, honey, Huanglongbing, kids, pest, pest warrior, psyllid, red imported fire ant, spotted wing drosophila

Resources, What bug is that?

Amegilla cingluata - Blue Banded Bee Image credit: Erica Siegel

Published - 21 January 2020
By Dr Jessica Lye (cesar)

Busy, busy bees: Honey is only part of the picture

Amegilla cingulata – Blue-banded bee. Image credit: Erica Siegel
If I were to ask you what a native Australian bee looks like, what would you say?
To …
Read More

amegilla, bee, honey, native bee, pollination, pollinator, urban, varroa, varroa mite

Orange tree

Published - 30 December 2019
By Jeff Milne (Citrus Australia)

Look out for this citrus pest at your place as part of the bigger picture

Citrus trees in backyards and orchards in the USA are being killed by a small bug called the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP). We want to …
Read More

ACP, asian citrus psyllid, biosecurity, citrus, exotic, greening, HLB, Huanglongbing, lemon, lime, orange, pest, psyllid

What bug is that?

Tomatoes

Published - 19 December 2019
By Maddy Quirk (AUSVEG)

Keep an eye out for tomato potato psyllid

The tomato potato psyllid (TPP) is a small sap-sucking insect and a serious pest of tomato, potato, chilli, capsicum, eggplant, tamarillo, sweet potato and weeds …
Read More

biosecurity, exotic, pest, potato, psyllid, Tomato

Uncategorized, What bug is that?

Image Credit: Eva Do

Published - 1 November 2019
By Jess Lye (cesar)

Urban plant biosecurity – understanding emerging risks, supporting resilient cities and safeguarding rural industry

Urban growth is critically linked to biosecurity risk, however the extent of this risk is not well understood and efforts to engage urban dwellers in …
Read More

biosecurity, city, disease, pest, plant, resilient, risk, urban

Protect your patch, Uncategorized

1
2