ON FARM NATIONAL FEEDBASE f Big The life of a dun improvements come in small Dung Beetle Ecosystem packages Engingeers (DBEE) researcher, Charles Sturt University D ung beetles may be tiny, but their Technical Research on-farm activities can lead to big Coordinator Dr Russ advantages for livestock producers. Barrow, is monitoring the Setting the traps distribution, abundance The team collects information Robust dung beetle activity can: and diversity of about each farm, such as dung beetles. soil types and stocking • increase pasture growth rates, to ensure traps are • reduce run-off by improving soil moisture It’s an important part of the MLA-supported project located across a variety of retention below ground environmental conditions. to map the distribution of • enhance water permeation and nutrient dung beetles across variousFour traps are used at each cycling in soils climatic zones and introducesite, taking into account the • break fly and nematode life cycles species that are well-adaptedsite’s topography, soil types • allow producers to sequester carbon to specific regions for and livestock presence, to and contribute towards a reduction in year-round activity. assess whether a species greenhouse gas emissions “We do monthly monitoring of beetle is dominating a • clear paddocks of unwanted dung. of more than 100 intensive particular environment. surveillance sites over oneAbove-ground pitfall An MLA-supported project, Dung Beetle Ecosystem to two years to definitivelytraps are used – plastic Engineers (DBEE), is expanding the range of dung establish where various containers containing a beetles in Australia and digging deep to better beetle species have adaptedlitre of a preserving agent understand how they work for livestock producers. regionally and become and covered with a grate The project, which kicked off in late 2018, aims successfully established,” and topped with a kilogram Russ said. of dung. The beetles are to import and mass-rear three new species of attracted to the dung and dung beetle to help plug Australia’s deficit in “We monitor beetle activity spring-active beetles. over a two-day period. We fall through the grate, into contact producers first forthe agent. More than 24,000 spring and summer-active approval to access their land,Turn to page 36 to meet one dung beetles have now been successfully before heading out to set ourof the producers who hosted distributed to 50 farms across southern Australia traps and returning 24 hourstraps on his farm. and WA to be carefully reared and monitored by later to evaluate and record trained producers. ■ the samples.” Dr Russ Barrow E: rubarrow@csu.edu.au For more information on Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers (DBEE) and where producers can access dung beetles, visit: dungbeetles.com.au Help map beetle distribution using the MyDungBeetle Reporter app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Visit dungbeetles. com.au/report‑ an‑observation for more information. 34