Chat with a scientist about garden pests and diseases.
As part of the Home Harvest Community Garden Open Day, the team at AUSVEG will be hosting a free drop-in session at the Edible Hub community garden. Come along and talk to scientists and experts about issues that might pose a risk to your home fruit and vegetable garden. Find out more about Queensland Fruit Fly and what to do if it’s found in backyard fruit. You’ll also learn how to monitor for pests of concern, prevent spreading ‘bad’ bugs around the garden, as well as how to spot the ‘good’ bugs (like spiders!).
At 11:00 am there will be a special presentation on Queensland Fruit Fly (QFF) in which expert Bronwyn Koll will talk about what the pest looks like, it’s lifecycle and how it behaves. Learn about effective and targeted controls that can prevent damage and fruit loss, as well as how you can work with neighbours to protect your own crop and your community’s crops. A must for all Nillumbik food growers.
About the experts
Callum Fletcher and Zali Mahony from AUSVEG will be available for general questions throughout the event. They’ll discuss and answer questions on current pests of concern, new exotic pests that have arrived from overseas, and ways you can protect your garden from spreading pests and diseases.
Cait Selleck works at AgriBio and identifies insects for the Victorian Department of Agriculture. She enjoys studying insects, but her true passion is spiders. She will show you some pest insects and the beneficial invertebrates we can use to control pests in our gardens.
Bronwyn Koll is the Fruit Fly Prevention Program coordinator for the Yarra Valley, and is supported by Agriculture Victoria and the Yarra Valley Fruit Growers.
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