Insect pest - the cabbage moth

The cabbage moth, sometimes known as the diamond-back cabbage moth because of its markings, is well known to all cabbage and cauliflower growers. It may also infest other members of the cabbage family, such as turnips, brussels sprouts, stocks, etc

Insect pest - aphides

The members of the aphis family are remarkable creatures both in structure and habits. They are practically world-wide in their distribution and despite their small size and apparent fragility they thrive under a wide variety of conditions and are among the most prolific breeders in the animal kingdom

Insect pest and their control - The climbing cutworm

The name, climbing cutworm, is applied to several different species of cater- * pillars which cause serious economic damage in different parts of the world. The best-known form has such popular names as the cotton boll worm, the corn ear worm, and the tobacco bud-worm, and is known to science as Heliothis armigera. Previous references in local literature have referred to this species, but more exact studies of the insects concerned have revealed that our local pest should be known as H. punctigera (Common, 1953). A change of name is of little interest to the farmer, but an exact knowledge of the different members of the climbing cutworm group, their distribution and food preferences may well lead to discoveries of practical importance. The name climbing cutworm is applied locally to distinguish the species from the common cutworm, which seldom feeds up in the foliage, but gnaws plants off at ground level and hides under soil and clods during the daytime

Insect pest - vine leaf blister mite

The vine leaf blister mite has been recorded in Western Australia for a number of years, but in the last two seasons it has become very common on backyard vines in the metropolitan area and has appeared in some commercial vineyards. This mite is of European origin, but it has now become established in the United States of America and various other grape-growing countries. It is believed to have reached Australia from America some time during the decade 1910 to 1920 (Froggatt, 1920) and since then it has gradually spread over the continent

Insect pest - cutworms

The group of insects popularly referred to as cutworms is of world-wide distribution and contains some very important insect pests. The common name is derived from a feeding habit of many of the caterpillars which attack usually at about ground level and either cut the stem right through or injure it sufficiently to cause the plant to fall

The Webworm

The popular name webworm has been applied to a small caterpillar whose depredations in ploughed-in wheat crops have concerned farmers in this State for many years. The first record of the insect as a pest was made by Newman (1927) under the scientific name of Sclerobia tritialis Wlk. and it has been referred to as such in all subsequent Departmental publications. Recent investigations, how-ever, suggest that either more than one species of insects is covered by the term webworm or that the true webworm is a Crambid moth known as Talis pedionoma Mayr

Insect pest - the potato moth

The potato moth is almost a world-wide pest and one which under favourable conditions can cause great havoc to both growing and stored potatoes. The term potato fly is almost universally applied to this pest by growers, but the insect is a true moth and so the name fly is quite inaccurate

Oriental fruit moth

In recent weeks a new insect pest for Western Australia has been recorded. This -•- is the Oriental fruit moth, sometimes known as the Oriental peach moth and the peach tip moth, both names indicating that peaches are the most susceptible of a wide variety of host fruits

Insect pest - The red-legged earth mite

The red-legged earth mite is not a true insect, but is included in this series because the injury caused by the mite is very similar to that done by many insects and because the study of ticks and mites and their control is usually the work of an entomologist