Written by Carmelo Amalfi Friday, 17 November 2006 20:59
Rainbow lorikeets pose a serious threat to horticulture and farming and the environment. Last year, WA grape growers reported up to 30 per cent damage to some table grape varieties.
Grape Growers Association of WA president Kim Taylor said a number of measures were planned to control pest numbers this year.
Welcoming the change in official status of lorikeets in Perth, Mr Taylor said that Swan Valley growers planned to set up a "declared species group" to pool funds needed to help farmers fight the pest introduced during the early 1960s.
Maxinne Sclanders, APB board member and chair of the Rainbow Lorikeet Working Group, agreed and said: "To do nothing will lead to further damage from a spreading population, more complaints and even less chance of managing the problem in the future."
She said a scientific risk assessment by the Department of Agriculture and Food indicated the noisy bird was a big problem in WA.
"The WA public has reported a number of problems caused by lorikeets in Perth including noise, damage to many backyard fruit crops, fouling of outdoor areas and vehicles with droppings, and competition with other species," Ms Sclanders said.
"The large flock that roosts at Perth Airport may also pose a bird-strike risk to aircraft."
Environmentally, their aggressive protection of feeding and nesting sites excludes native species and potentially increases the risks of spreading into wild and captive parrot populations diseases such as Psittacine beak and feather disease.
The rainbow lorikeet is an agricultural pest in the Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia. Those in Perth are believed to have originated from less than 10 captive birds kept near the University of WA.
The department also wants home gardeners and small landholders in regional areas to be vigilant against locusts swarming through WA's agricultural and horticultural areas.
Locust incident coordinator Simon Merewether said hoppers and adult locusts were very mobile, covering distances of up to 200km over a period of two to three weeks. And they threatened not only crops, but home gardens where irrigated plants provided a source of food and moisture. The best option was insecticides.
"Because gardens can be damaged quickly, homeowners will need to act immediately if a swarm of locusts arrives," he said. "They will need to be aware that reinvasion may also occur even following their control efforts."
The department locust control program is expected to be completed by the end of November 2006. It has already treated more than 700 properties covering about 334,000 hectares of the estimated 450,000 hectares planned for locust control spraying.
Spraying operations have been completed in WA's northern agricultural region on more than 44,000 hectares on 86 properties. The central agricultural region is due to be completed next week, with about 240,000 hectares on 554 properties sprayed to date.
Spraying is underway in the south agricultural region, with 43,000 hectares on 73 properties sprayed to date.
For further information on both pests and where to report sightings, people are urged to contact the department's pest and disease information service on freecall 1800084881, email info@agric.wa.gov.au or visit http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/.
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