The Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority, with the support of the VegNET Victoria (South- East, West and Northern) team, is working with growers in the Werribee area to establish three native vegetations insectaries to showcase the benefits on and off-farm. VegNET Victoria Regional Development Officer Hugh Wardle provides an update.

What is a native vegetation insectary?

Native vegetation insectaries (NVIs) are vegetated areas of flowering plants that can provide habitat and a nectar food source for beneficial insects. This can support biological control of insect pests and reduce damage to vegetable crops. By re-purposing areas on or within 50 metres of your farm that are not suitable for cropping, insectaries can be a simple and low-cost way to support an existing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program.

Boosting IPM programs

The goal of NVIs is to enhance the diversity and abundance of beneficial insects by planting flowering native species. Insectaries build resilience in an IPM program – particularly against seasonal variations and new pest incursions – by attracting beneficial insects, allowing them to persist in the area for longer by providing habitat and food sources.

There are some cost-saving elements as well, particularly if you buy and release beneficial insects as many of these species need pollen and/or nectar to survive and reproduce as adults. These include common beneficials such as ladybirds, lacewings, hoverflies, and wasps. Subsequently, insectaries can maximise the benefits gained from these tiny pest-busting champions.

Depending on the crop type and timing, beneficials may also lay their eggs in an insectary or even shelter from certain crop activities such as harvest.

Example of before (above) and after (below) NVI plantings along a fence that otherwise did not serve as a productive space on-farm. Images courtesy of the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority.

Insectaries for mutual benefits

Through the Victorian Government’s ‘Working for Victoria’ initiative, the Port Phillip and Westernport Catchment Management Authority (PPWCMA) established a work crews project to support farmers and growers to improve their sustainability credentials, while providing employment to Victorians. The work crews will be helping establish the NVIs and support the IPM programs of three local growers in Werribee, west of Melbourne. This will provide environmental benefits associated with native revegetation and reduced pesticide use, as well as create social benefits through employment opportunities.

VegNET Victoria (South-East, West and Northern), delivered by RM Consulting Group (RMCG), is supporting the initiative through monitoring the benefits of NVIs to the growers; developing case studies to demonstrate benefits to a wider audience; and liaising with relevant authorities, industry initiatives and vegetable levy-funded research to maximise impact. This means improved expertise, efficiency, and potential benefits of NVIs through collaboration and knowledge brokering.

Building on early interest from three growers in the Werribee region to develop insectaries, the focus of this initiative is to demonstrate, quantify and broker the economic, environmental and social benefits to growers that can be realised from NVIs.

A key outcome of this initiative is active collaboration between research, public and private institutions. This will involve AUSVEG; vegetable levy-funded projects, including the project team from Charles Stuart University delivering Field and landscape management to support beneficial arthropods for IPM on vegetable farms (VG16062); water authorities; and growers. Works are expected to begin by early September.

Practical resources

For information on how to create an insectary on your own farm – as well as a suggested species planting list – please visit the AUSVEG VIC and the PPWCMA websites.

For more about PPWCMA’s work crews project, click here.

Find out more

For further information, including expressing interest to trial insectaries on your farm, please contact VegNET Victoria Regional Development Officer Hugh Wardle on 0427 109 057 or hughw@rmcg.com.au.

VegNET – Victoria (South-East, West and Northern) is a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund.

This project has been funded by Hort Innovation using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Project Number: VG19012

Cover image: An adult Ladybird feeding on a native Leptospermum flower. Image courtesy of Alison Hoelzer Photography

This article features in the spring 2020 edition of Vegetables Australia. Click here to read the full publication.