Female Blue Morpho Butterfly

Longicorn Beetle and Larva

LONGICORN BEETLES usually have long antennae and elongated bodies. The larvae are cream coloured, legless and have strong, robust bodies with no flattened thorax region. Most species are active just inside the outer barek. Exit holes are distinctly oval. Their damage causes branches to die. YELLOW LONGICORN attack predisposed trees including: Eucalyptus Maculata, Eucalyptus Salinga, Eucalyptus Camaldulensis, and Angophora Costata. The larvae work in the phloem-cambium and enter the sapwood to pupate

Grasshopper

Shield Bugs

SHIELD BUGS are sap sucking insects which congregate on all varieties of citrus trees and do serious damage. They appear to spend as much time copulating as they do eating. They are also known as Stink Bugs because they omit a foul smell if disturbed or squashed underfoot.

Ground Beetle (Carabidae)

GROUND BEETLE refers to creatures in one of the largest beetle families – carabid beetles. Their common name comes from the fact that they mostly live on the soil rather than in foliage. These fast-moving insects are worth encouraging as they help gardeners control a range of soft-bodied pests, including caterpillars. Adults can be found sheltering under logs during the day and should not be confused with wood beetles or native cockroaches. The colour of ground beetles can vary from plain black to metallic green. Some can’t fly, other species can. Both adults and larvae are carnivorous and predatory. Larvae live underground and feed on insects, snails and worms. While the larvae of most carabid species live in burrows and sheltered areas and lie in wait for unsuspecting prey, others actively hunt.

Vegetable Weevil (Listroderes Difficilis)

The VEGETABLE WEEVIL is an introduced pest that feeds on a range of vegetables, including celery, carrots, brassica, lettuce, beetroot and silver beet. You may also find it likes to feed on annuals such as pansy and verbena, and weeds such as dandelion, mallow and Cape weed. This pest is present in all states of Australia. Adults are a dull grey-brown, about 1 cm long, with an inconspicuous, pale grey V-shaped mark near the end of each wing cover. They feign death when disturbed but the giveaway is their legs, which are neatly tucked into the body. Eggs are laid in autumn and develop into pale green-yellow legless larvae that grow to just over 1 cm in length during winter. Larvae shelter during the day and feed at night. They pupate in soil and emerge as adults in spring, also feeding at night. Adults mainly eat leaves. After a serious attack all leaves are stripped, leaving only the stems.

Black Field Cricket (Teleogryllus Commodus)

The BLACK FIELD CRICKET is a relative of the locust and grasshopper and is commonly seen in suburban yards throughout eastern Australia. It is also a serious pasture pest. Both adults and nymphs shelter in cracks in the ground in hot weather, particularly in lawns or under litter, logs or rocks by day. They emerge at night to feed. They lay eggs in damp soil in autumn, either singly or in groups. They grow through several stages, developing wings during the last couple of moults. Adults appear in summer and autumn until the cold, wet weather kills them. Adults and nymphs feed on the leaves and shoots of a variety of grasses but will even climb sunflower stems or trees when grass is in short supply. You only have a problem if they build up enough numbers to damage the lawn. After all, the sound of crickets chirping is a part of summer.

Cup Moth Caterpillar

CUP MOTH CATERPILLARS (also known as “Bondi Trams” or “Chinese Junks”) are strange-shaped grubs. Do not handle these caterpillars as their spines may inflict a painful sting. Young grubs skeletonise leaves while larger grubs (up to 30 mm long) eat the whole leaf. These caterpillars are found in spring and autumn. Trees usually recover from all but the most severe and repeated attacks. The adult moths of these caterpillars lay their eggs in clusters. Small grubs will usually be found in groups and disperse when larger.

Caterpillar

Orb Weaver Spider

Christmas Beetle

Christmas Beetle Larva

Though quite pretty, Christmas and Tortoise beetles love to eat leaves and can do significant damage. CHRISTMAS BEETLE adults feed on leaves, resulting in saw-tooth damage from November to January. They often congregate at branch tips to feed on soft new growth. Christmas beetle grubs (white curl grubs) live in the soil and feed on the roots of a range of plants including grasses. TORTOISE BEETLE adults and grubs both feed on the edges of leaves, resulting in a scalloped appearance. They prefer young gum trees but will also eat older foliage. There may be two generations per year, with winter being the only season where leaf feeding does not occur.

Tortoise Beetle

Orchid Mantis

Honey Bee

Painted Apple Moth Larva

PAINTED APPLE MOTH. The larvae attack many different plants including Roses, Grevilleas, Pinus and others. They cause some damage but usually disappear the following season.

Callistemon Sawfly Larvae

SAWFLY BEETLES. There are a variety of species, each attacking particular plants. The larvae are the destructive phase of these insects. Vulnerable plants include Eucalypts, Ironbarks, Callistemon, Melaleuca – especially Armillaris and Leptospermum, and native cypresses (Callitris species). When the larvae are fully fed they seek the bark of trees in which to pupate.

Gregarious Sawfly Larvae

Termite Soldier

Leaf Case Moth

LEAF CASE MOTH. The larvae of these attack Eucalypts, Pinus species and Brushbox. They are a serious defoliator of pines. The larvae feed from inside the case by extruding head and thorax.

Funnel Web Spider