What Bug is That?
In November we visit Tricia’s garden in Brierfield, which is a delightful setting for a Q&A gathering, despite the lack of vegie garden action.
Start collecting your questions and specimens. Our resident entomologist Debbie will be identifying your bugs!
Debbie Kent, an entomologist who has worked for both the NSW Department of Agriculture and NSW Forestry, will identify any insect you bring to the gathering. It may be something bad eating your veggies or fruit trees or it could be a good guy eating or parasitising the bad ones.
Start collecting now
You will have a whole month to scout around your garden so keep an eye out for something you haven’t encountered before.
How to collect and what to bring your insect in
Identification is always easier if the insect is alive so capturing them in a clear plastic container is the best method. But insects will only survive a day or two so any collected earlier will need to be frozen by placing the container with insect in the freezer until the day.
Include a note with your specimen – where you found it and on what plant. Add the date you collected it and any other information you think relevant. You can also bring along the damaged plant material if fresh. If collected early also put it in the freezer in a paper bag inside a plastic bag. It’s important to only have one insect species per container to avoid confusion.
Warning!
Be careful collecting any insects as some can bite, sting, squirt noxious liquids and cause skin rashes, especially some of the hairy caterpillars.
If this has put you off there is always a photograph – assuming they remain still long enough!