A backyard garden ecosystem comprises of healthy plants and trees, and even includes insects. There are some bad bugs we don’t want in our gardens, but there are also a lot of good ones we want to encourage and, in some cases, actually need in our gardens. Dr Lizzy Lowe with Cesar Australia explains what these good bugs are and how they can be beneficial in your garden.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

If you see something unusual, call the Exotic Pest Plant Health line on 1800 084 881 or take a photo and upload it to the MyPestGuide Reporter. 

Biosecurity is a shared responsibility and Agriculture Victoria helps to protect plant industries in Victoria from exotic pests with targeted surveillance. Tim Hurst, Senior Officer Plant Surveillance, Design and Analysis with Agriculture Victoria talks about how urban gardeners can help with pest surveillance in their own gardens by getting to know the difference between good and bad bugs, and reporting anything unusual.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network or Agriculture Victoria.

If you see something unusual, call the Exotic Pest Plant Health line on 1800 084 881 or take a photo and upload it to the MyPestGuide Reporter. 

The Spotted Lanternfly is remarkable in colour and markings but is a very damaging exotic pest which has the capability of causing massive damage to not only our agriculture and horticulture industries but is also a problem pest for the general population as well. Olivia Reynolds from Cesar Australia describes what makes the Spotted Lanternfly so distinctive, and so destructive, and why it is important to ensure this pest doesn’t become established in Australia.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network and Botanic Gardens Biosecurity Network.

If you see something unusual, call the Exotic Pest Plant Health line on 1800 084 881 or take a photo and upload it to the MyPestGuide Reporter. 

Beekeeping is a great hobby and it is becoming increasingly popular with urban gardeners, but do you know how to keep the bees healthy in your hives? How about what equipment you will need, or what your legal requirements are as a beekeeper? Cynthia Kefaloukos, Apiary Pest and Disease Officer with Agriculture Victoria discusses what is actually involved in keeping bees in Victoria, and how Agriculture Victoria are working to protect the apiary industry for both commercial beekeepers and hobby beekeepers.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

If you see something unusual, call the Exotic Pest Plant Health line on 1800 084 881 or take a photo and upload it to the MyPestGuide Reporter. 

Dr. Jessica Lye from Cesar Australia talks about the importance of protecting the Melbourne food bowl and how social capital is a key tool in spreading the word about what is unusual in your garden.

For more information visit the Cesar Australia and Urban Plant Health Network

If you see something unusual, call the Exotic Pest Plant Health line on 1800 084 881  or take a photo and upload it to the MyPestGuide Reporter.

Dr. Lizzy Lowe from Macquarie University talks about how there are many good bugs that keep our gardens healthy and discusses how beneficial insects and spiders provide all sorts of services, ranging from pollination all the way through to waging tiny wars with bad bugs - a good reason why we should be kind to spiders!

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

Dr. Rosa Crnov, Chief Plant Health Officer with Agriculture Victoria talks about keeping Victoria’s plants safe from exotic pests and diseases. If exotic plant pests and diseases can be spotted and reported on earlier in urban areas, hopefully their spread can be stopped to rural areas.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

David Reid, Policy and Technical Manager at Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria provides tips on how to purchase healthy and disease-free plants for your garden. David discusses the role of the Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria.

For more information on growing healthy citrus visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

Callum Fletcher, Biosecurity Coordinator at AUSVEG takes a detailed look at the tomato potato psyllid. Callum discusses what the tomato potato psyllid does, what it looks like, and why you do not want to find these in your tomato or potato plants. 

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.

Jeff Milne, National Citrus Surveillance Coordinator at Citrus Australia provides tips on how to care for your citrus trees in Melbourne. Jeff discusses what pests and diseases can look like in your citrus, and how then to manage them.

For more information visit the Urban Plant Health Network.