DIY Critter Sprays

Grasshoppers – Use a wide container to attract a lot of grasshoppers, in this container (a yellow one is good as they are attracted to that colour) fill 1/3 full with water, add canola oil to prevent mozzies, add maple syrup to attract the grasshoppers. The theory is the grasshoppers are attracted to the maple syrup […]

Bactericera cockerelli – Tomato Potato Psylid

Bactericera cockerelli was first detected in Australia in 2017 in Western Australia. This pest can cause significant losses in host crops and is considered to be a major biosecurity threat.  This exotic pest causes a disease called Psyllid Yellows and has a wide host range including tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums, chillies, eggplants, tomarillos and sweet potatoes. As backyard […]

Aphid

A member of the superfamily Aphidoidea Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects 2-4mm long. They often cluster on fresh young shoots and flower buds or even underneath older leaves. Aphids come in a range of colours – from light olive green and pinkish to dark green and black. In more temperate climates and especially in protected […]

Flea Beetles

Flea Beetles are 3-8mm in length and are often metallic in appearance with large rear legs. They feed on the leaves of hibiscus, dahlia and abutilon. Vegetables are not exempt from these critters – eggplant, potato, beans and brassicas are typical favourites. They are so named because of their ability to jump like fleas when […]

Peacock Spider

Maratus volans, is better known as the Peacock Spider – no guess just how it got that name. These tiny critters are only found in Australia and China. You have most probably seen them but really not taken that much notice as they are just so small. What you may have observed however, is the distance […]

Stinging Ants

Stinging Ants include jack jumper ants and bull ants. Jack jumpers are found across the southern half of Australia and related species occur across the north.  Avoid these critters as being stung from these little brutes really packs a punch for their size. They are very aggressive and become agitated when disturbed. They will give […]

Possums

What is your secret for getting rid of possums? There seems to be many different products and strategies for the purpose, in this article I will discuss various methods.  Possums and gardens just do not mix! With their taste for foliage, flowers, fruits and vegetables possums can be the very worst thing to have in […]

Portuguese Millipede

The back Portuguese millipede, Ommatoiulus moreletii, is a herbivorous millipede native to Portugal. It is not known just how these millipedes were introduced to Australia but they were first seen at Port Lincoln in 1953. On the Coffs Coast we do not have them in the plague proportions as they do in the Adelaide Hills, on the Eyre […]

Blue-tongue Lizard

Blue-tongued lizards have really unusual body proportions with a big head and a long body with very short legs and small feet. Their evenly tapering tail is fat and shorter than the body. Male lizards have a proportionally larger head than females, but the females are bigger overall. The most noticeable feature of these lizards […]

Ladybug

Scientific name: CoccinellidaeThe bug: These tiny critters are a species of beetle. They look like itty-bitty Volkswagen “bugs” with great paint jobs. Many wear distinctive black polka dots on a background of red, orange, yellow or gray.The benefit: When your prize roses or tender vegetable crops are plagued with aphid infestations, ladybugs come to the […]