Prepare now for spring hatchings of plague locusts. The risk of plague locust activity has risen significantly across parts of South Australia following favourable seasonal conditions. Increased egg laying and high locust numbers across some
Watch the PestFacts September webinar. The recording of the PestFacts SA September webinar is now available – so if you missed it, you can watch it anytime, or you can revisit any of the topics covered. Presented by SARDI Senior Entomologist Dr
Look out for native budworm moths. Native budworm (Helicoverpa punctigera) is a major pest of pulses, including field peas and lentils, and can also cause damage in canola. The moths themselves don’t cause damage – it’s the larvae we need to
Spring brings more than flowers to canola. Do you feel spring in the air? So do the insects in canola crops! As temperatures rise and canola moves through flowering and pod development, insect activity starts to pick up. Pests such as diamondback
Native budworm moth activity update. After a few weeks of little to no native budworm (Helicoverpa punctigera) activity across South Australia, recent pheromone trap catches show moth activity picking up again at several monitored sites. Recent trap
Stay ahead of RLEM: no-cost resistance testing by Cesar Australia and TIMERITE timing. Redlegged earth mite (RLEM) is a major pest of Australian crops and pastures across the southern states. Chemical control remains an important management tool,
Nature's hidden ally: fungal pathogens attacking aphids. When our team receives images of aphids for identification, our focus is usually on determining the species and assessing potential crop risk. However, this season we've also noticed something
Pea weevil watch: monitor now, spray smart. The SARDI pea weevil model is predicting that adult pea weevil movement into field pea crops could begin around 25 August, with egg-laying activity expected from approximately 8 to 10 September. Pea weevil
Stay one step ahead of Etiella: now is the time to watch. Etiella (Etiella behrii) can be a difficult pest to stay ahead of in pulse crops. Adults can arrive with little warning. They lay eggs on plants, and after hatching, the small larvae move
Three to watch in cereals: aphids, cutworms and armyworms. Cereal crops are well underway across South Australia, and a few familiar pests are starting to make an appearance. The PestFacts SA team has received reports this season of oat aphid from
Native budworm moth activity: update to 17 July 2026. Up to to 17 July, monitoring through the PestFacts SA native budworm pheromone trap network continues to show low moth activity across South Australia, indicating there is no immediate threat to
Hoverflies lending a hand in canola. While growers are keeping an eye on insect pests, it's worth remembering that beneficial insects are also out in force. During recent monitoring at the GRDC project Canola Allies trial site at Rosedale,