Latest news with #TimLow
ABC News
21-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Invasive plant pathogen myrtle rust detected at National Museum of Australia, sparking concerns for eucalypts
The invasive plant pathogen myrtle rust has been detected near the National Museum of Australia in Canberra, concerning experts. Myrtle rust is a bright yellow-looking fungus that infects plants, like other fungal infections, by penetrating into a plant's living tissue. Originally from South America, the single strain that's made it to Australia can be found on a plant's young leaves, flower buds and young fruits and will in severe cases appear as a yellow sticky powder. It targets the eucalypt family — which includes not just eucalypts but tea trees, lilly pillies and other plants — with sometimes devastating effect. Founder of the Invasive Species Council Tim Low said 16 species of rainforest tree were likely to go extinct without emergency intervention. The pathogen was first reported in the gardens of the National Museum of Australia by a citizen scientist in February. The citizen scientist put the location of the infected plants in the National Museum gardens, off Lawson Crescent and the Tim and Gina Fairfax Discovery Centre. The report was later confirmed by the ACT government's biosecurity and invasive plants team and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, which found two Geraldton wax flower plants were infected. They were removed in April. Mr Low told the ABC the Canberra plant most susceptible to myrtle rust was the prickly tea tree, but called the Geraldton wax flower "highly vulnerable" and noted the pathogen might cause greater damage to garden plants than natives if it were to spread across the ACT. The ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate (EPSDD) said follow-up surveillance on the infection would be conducted again in spring. This infection does not mark the first myrtle rust detection in Canberra. EPSDD says myrtle rust was detected in 2022 at a plant nursery, but the plants were removed and the nursery has remained free of the pathogen since. And according to to the National Myrtle Rust Working Group, the invasive plant pathogen has been detected multiple times at the Australian National Botanic Gardens. But this infection at the National Museum has sparked more concern, with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water updating its webpage on myrtle rust to include the ACT in response. "The Australian National Botanical Garden had several detections of myrtle rust before, but none of them has established," Dr Benjamin Schwessinger, a researcher at the Australian National University studying myrtle rust and other fungi which infect plants in Australia, told the ABC. When asked about the significance of the National Museum myrtle rust detection, Dr Schwessinger said it indicated a possible wider spread. "The National Museum is a well-frequented place … So if it's probably detected there, it's probably not the first real incursion on the only affected tree in the ACT," he said. "It's an airborne pathogen. So, yeah, it gets blown around quite a bit. It can probably travel thousands of kilometres in the air." He said myrtle rust became concerning when it was "established" – meaning the infection was seen year on year in the same area. However, that the National Museum infection was detected out of season is also a concern. "We would normally not expect it. It's more [likely] in springtime," Dr Schwessinger said. Mr Low also noted the risk of myrtle rust spread but added Canberra's weather might help fight back against the pathogen. "It's really good at spreading. It's spreading on the wind, it's spread by honeybees," he said. He said the pathogen could be treated with fungicides but this was often not feasible in a national park or wild area, and advocated for the government to instate tighter biosecurity measures against myrtle rust. "We ... are not confident they are doing everything they can to keep out myrtle rust strains," he said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Warning as fast-spreading invasive pest swarms Aussie suburbs: 'Hundreds of them'
A rapidly-spreading invasive pest that was first discovered in Australia less than two years ago is causing massive destruction in thousands of suburban backyards. Over the past few weeks, numerous Brisbane residents have reported finding huge outbreaks of exotic papaya mealybugs sucking the life out of frangipanis and fruit trees in their gardens. The infestation has become so bad as of late, it's almost impossible to miss the mounds of insects as soon as you head out the door, with local horticulturists claiming they've been inundated with emails from concerned and puzzled homeowners. 'I can walk up and see them out the window now,' Tim Low, one of the original founders of the Invasive Species Council, told Yahoo News Australia on Friday. 'I've just checked a frangipani that's one minute walk from here, they're all over that. And I talked to a friend, yep she's got them. 'I've been wiping hundreds of them off my green pawpaw — they're really greasy — it's not very nice work. It's kind of slimy, and you've got to do it every, like three days, and they just come back really fast.' The author of Feral Future: The Untold Story of Australia's Exotic Invaders said he first noticed the creatures on his pawpaw last year, but assumed 'they were just some standard pest that's been in Australia for decades'. Roughly two weeks ago he officially identified them as papaya mealybugs, a Central American insect that was first detected in the country in July 2023 when it made an appearance in Darwin. They quickly spread throughout the city, Palmerston and Howard Springs, prompting the Northern Territory Government to release a species of native ladybirds nicknamed the mealybug destroyer. However, by 2024 the pest had travelled to South East Queensland and Townsville, placing the state's papaya industry at risk. 'It has to have been a plane moving between Darwin and Brisbane, or a truck or a car that's brought them, because the small bugs are pretty well invisible at only two to three millimetres-long,' Tim said, noting female mealybugs don't have wings. 'It's really interesting because they not only have to get to Brisbane, but they've got to get to a pawpaw, a frangipani, hibiscus or one of the other food plants they use.' Papaya mealybugs have over 200 host plants, including avocado, mango, pomegranate, grapefruit, cherry, eggplant and sweet potato. Tim, who is writing a second book on invasive species, told Yahoo the recent outbreak is a good example of the fascinating — and terrifying — ways 'insects are getting around these days'. 'It's really noticeable to me that the flow of species into Australia has speeded up,' he said. The number of pests that are on the move appears to be 'unprecedented'. 'Every year there's a range of new pests turning up. This is indicative of a very, very volatile situation. It's never going to end,' he added, pointing to the tomato brown rugose fruit virus that was detected in South Australia in September. The noticeable increase is largely in part due to 'the high levels of people and products travelling around the world' today, with bugs and seeds likely entering via people's clothes, luggage and overseas shipments or packages. As for the papaya mealybug, there are concerns it will continue to spread to other parts of Queensland, with the government urging those who do find them outside of Townsville and the state's southeast to alert biosecurity authorities. It is not known if the insect will head further south into NSW, but it's not uncommon for pests to appear in areas that differ from their native climate. 'In terms of predicting how far south they'll go, I mean, Sydney possibly, maybe not, but certainly north of Brisbane,' Tim said. 🌳 Thousands of critters 'swarm' backyards and gardens 🐜 Aussies warned about invasive creatures 'on the move' 🐸 Major problem in bold plan to eradicate $1.5 billion invasive threat Papaya mealybugs can cause severe damage by sucking sap out of green fruit or tree stems, and then excreting it back onto the plant, causing a 'sooty mould' to grow and giving it a 'black appearance'. If it is still early in the infestation, Aussies can wipe off the pests and the waxy coating they produce and dispose of them in a sealed bag in the general waste, according to the Queensland Government. Ladybirds can also be sourced from suppliers and introduced into the backyard. If you do prefer to use a pesticide, 'make sure it's very oily or very soapy — something that really soaks in', Tim added. Each female mealybug can lay up to 600 eggs in a short period of time, which is why they can sometimes 'appear' almost out of nowhere, well-known Brisbane horticulturist Jerry Coleby-Williams said on his Facebook page last week. 'In my experience in my garden, the spread of this pest is so rapid that biocontrols alone are insufficient,' he wrote. 'Quick control can be achieved by spraying with organic certified products including neem oil, horticultural spraying oil (including white oil) or horticultural soap,' Jerry Coleby-Williams continued, urging gardeners to only do this when temperatures are under 30C so the foliage doesn't burn. 'And don't hack off affected branches, you'll rob the plant of energy when it needs it most.' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
