[Vision: Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - Emily walking]
Emily Prosser - Biosecurity Officer, Agriculture Victoria
So I’m a biosecurity officer, I work for Agriculture Victoria.
Basically we’re doing some surveillance in response to a detection of Brown Marmorated Stink Bug that was initially detected in South East Melbourne.
[Vision: Emily checking grid that has been set up to locate bugs]
We’ve set up a trapping grid in the area really just to determine if there are any stink bug here and if so stop them getting any further.
Luke Vinton - Biosecurity Officer, Agriculture Victoria
[Vision: Luke walking across road - diagram of a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug showing details]
It’s a small bug between one and two centimetres long that emits an odour.
[Vision: Live Brown Marmorated Stink Bug - diagram showing markings on the bug]
They’re generally a mottled brown colour with a reddish tinge on their belly, but they can vary a little bit.
And along the edges of the abdomen they have a black and white stripe, or banding.
[Vision: Stink bug on tree - Luke speaking]
During the warmer times of the year the pest directly affects over 300 different host species feeding on the fruit.
[Vision: Stink bug inside - grape vine and fruit trees]
And during cold months it retreats indoors where it’s nice and warm, inside sheds and homes.
Well, it’s incredibly important for the horticulture industry.
[Vision: Damage to fruit done by stink bug]
If this pest were to become established it could have a significant impact on horticulture.
[Vision: Emily checking traps - Emily speaking]
So we’ve just got the trap here, we’re just going to have a little bit of a look in there and see if we’ve caught any stink bug in the bottom part here.
So there’s nothing in there that’s too interesting.
[Vision: Luke speaking while checking for bugs in leaves of tree]
The one other spot that the bugs could be located is in amongst these leaves.
It’s a bit hard to see them with our eyes so we use a method called beat netting, where we place the leaves in the net and shake them so the bug falls off into the net.
We check and it’s empty.
[Vision: Emily checking sticky traps]
We’ve just got some sticky traps set up as well with a pheromone in here to attract the bugs to aggregate.
[Vision: Luke checking fruit tree where sticky traps have been set up]
We’ve had a few insects appear on our sticky trap overnight, I don’t suspect any of these are Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, but just to be safe I’m going to send them off for confirmation.
[Vision: Luke speaking]
Members of the public are strongly encouraged to examine their property, search sheds and other areas the bugs could be hiding.
[Vision: Tomato plants being checked for bugs]
A really common spot is on fruit trees, so that’s a high-priority inspection spot.
[Vision: Luke speaking - Exotic Plant Pest Hotline - 1800 084 881]
If you suspect a Brown Marmorated Stink Bug chuck it in a container, and call the Exotic Pest Hotline, and they’ll direct you through the process.
[The Victorian Connection - For more news and stories go to The Victorian Connection - connection.vic.gov.au]
[Victoria State Government]
[Speaker: Authorised by Victorian Government, 1 Treasury Place, Melbourne]
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