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Entomology branch staff
Insect pests and entomology in Western Australia
- F. Berlandier - Entomologist, aphid control, diamondback moth.
- J.H. Botha - Entomologist, Grainguard/Hortguard
- T.J. Craven - Technical Officer, social insects.
- P.R. Davis - Entomologist, Project Manager social insects and snails.
- C.P.F. De Lima - Entomologist, fresh fruit disinfestation.
- R.N. Emery - Entomologist, Project Manager stored grain pests.
- R.G. Fogliani - Technical Officer, biocontrol Dock.
- M. Grimm - Quarantine Entomologist
- D.C. Hardie - Entomologist, pulse pest control, pest surveillance.
- S.R. Jacob - Technical Officer, horticulture, (Manjimup Office)
- R.B. Johnston - Technical Officer, Insect Pest Monitoring Unit.
- I. B. Lacey - Technical Officer.
- P. J. Lawrence - Technical Officer
- S. Learmonth - Entomologist, horticulture (Manjimup Office).
- A.M. Lord - Technical Officer, biocontrol Patterson's curse.
- G.P. Mangano - Senior Technical Officer, pulse pest control.
- N. Monzu - Group Manager
- W.S. Morris - Technical Officer, Insect Pest Monitoring Unit.
- M.C. Poole - Entomologist, risk assessment.
- E. Steiner - Senior Technical Officer, western flower thrips.
- G.R. Strickland - Entomologist, biocontrol weeds.
- A. Szito - Curator, Insect Reference Collection.
- K.J. Walden - Entomologist (Geraldton Office), locusts.
- M.A. Widmer - Technical Officer, social insects
- P.L. Wilson - Senior Technical Officer, biocontrol Patterson's curse.
- W.M. Woods - Entomologist, fruit pests, fruit fly eradication
Franoise Berlandier
Email: fberlandier@agric.wa.gov.au
Phone: +61 9 368 3249
(B. App. Sci., Grad. Dip. Nat. Res, MSc (Zool.)) - Franoise has worked at Agriculture Western Australia since 1988. She has been responsible for several projects on aphid management in broadacre and horticultural crops. This has included monitoring aphid numbers and species occurring in potato growing areas, and investigating integrated ways of managing aphids and the viruses they spread through cultural techniques including aphid landing behaviour and the effect of ground-dwelling predators on aphid numbers. She has also headed a team that produced posters which described the pests and diseases of tomatoes and cucurbits for grower use. Currently she is part of a national project aimed at helping the horticultural industry to manage insecticide resistance in diamondback moth, a project to determine spray thresholds and aphid feeding damage in lupin and canola crops, and has recently commenced a joint project with CSIRO to investigate mechanisms of lupin resistance to aphids and provide aphid screening support to the National lupin breeding project.
Franoise has studied aphid resistance and was involved in developing a field test kit to determine resistance levels of individual aphids. She also has an interest in the role of secondary plant compounds (alkaloids) in plant resistance to aphids. Her experimental work includes aphid feeding bioassays using artificial diets and aphid development and reproductive performance on various lupin cultivars with different alkaloids levels. Franoise has over seven years experience with aphid taxonomy gained from using a range of keys to identify trap and quarantine samples. During this time she has created a reference collection of over 450 specimens consisting of approximately 50 species. She also has sound knowledge of chemicals used for insect control, and the basic pests of broadacre agriculture and a former regional councillor of the Australian Entomological Society.
John H. Botha
Phone: +61 8 9368 3755
Email: jbotha@agric.wa.gov.au
John started his Australian experience as an Entomologist with the GrainGuard and HortGuard initiatives at the Department in 1999. In this capacity he collates literature and liaises with surveillance entomologists and other specialists to identify and evaluate the possible impact of exotic invertebrate threats to agricultural industries. Originally in South Africa he specialised in the integrated management of field and orchard mites, and did a Ph.D. (1986) on how pesticides and predators could prevent economic damage by mites in cotton. Later he evaluated the impact on European red and other mite pests and their predators of insecticides used to control Codling moth, Oriental fruit moth and other pests in deciduous fruit orchards.. He has also studied the impact of miticides on non-target organisms such as predacious mites and woolly apple aphid, and spent his last two years in South Africa as head of Pest Management at the Viticulture Research Institute in the Cape Province.
Tara Craven
Phone: +61 (08) 9368 3202
Email: tcraven@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. Sc. (Biology)) - Tara conducted her studies at Edith Cowan University. Currently Tara is working as a Technical Officer with the Social Insect Research Section where she is involved in the rearing, control and identification of a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates (specifically ants, wasps and termites). Her work involves the study of the biology of social insects and other quarantine or domestic pests, research into the chemical and non-chemical control of these pest species, and ecological studies with regard to their impact and pest status in Western Australia.
Peter Davis
Phone: +61 8 9368 3232
Email: pdavis@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. Sc. (Zool)) - Peter completed his degree course in 1974 and commenced work with the Division of Entomology, CSIRO. He worked on the ecology and natural viral diseases of potato tuber moth and was involved in research on light brown apple moths.
Peter transferred to the Department of Agriculture in 1976 and spent time answering general enquiries on insect pests where he gained broad experience in general insect identification and control. Peter then participated in the successful trial eradication of the Mediterranean fruit fly at Carnarvon using inundative sterile male release techniques.
He then headed the State/Commonwealth funded program which attempted the eradication of the exotic green or burrowing snail. A little while later he also took on the controversial Argentine ant programme. Peter's research team has been investigating more effective and environmentally acceptable methods of controlling Argentine ants including a patented bait matrix.
Peter also studies other social insects including the exotic European wasp and termites. Based on his broad knowledge and experience on termites, Peter has been invited to participate on several working parties, including one commissioned by the Minister of Housing, to guide Government policy. Peter is a member of the Australian Entomological Society and is a past Treasurer.
Rob Emery
Phone: +61 8 9368 3247
Mob: 0404 819 601
Email: remery@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. App. Sci., Grad. Dip. Nat. Res) - Rob is the Agency's stored grain entomologist and is engaged in research into the biology, control, resistance and identification of grain insects. He is specifically interested in fumigant resistance and conducts regular farm surveys while developing new resistance testing procedures. Rob is also looking at the taxonomy of pest Trogoderma by developing traditional keys and a molecular procedure which will separate native and pest species.
Rob Joined the Department in 1978 with a biology degree specialising in ant diversity. He was initially employed as a Technical Officer working on biological control of lucerne aphids during which he published a technique for adapting a programmable calculator as a multi-channel counter. Rob enrolled in a post graduate course in natural resource management during which he investigated the biology and control of the small lucerne weevil and lucerne seed web moth. Rob was promoted to Entomologist in 1989 and obtained industry funds for research into control of wingless grasshoppers, aphid and other horticultural pests, resistance testing, cockchafer biology and control, and fumigation procedures for export hay. Rob has an extensive background in computing and has developed the Agency's insect reference collection database, a National database of grain insect resistance and various quarantine pest threat/distribution databases. Rob is a member of the Australian Entomological Society, the Australian Grain Institute, Western Australian Insect Study Society and Australian Skeptics.
Mike Grimm
Phone: +61 98 928478
Email: mgrimm@agric.wa.gov.au
(BSc Hons Biochemistry) - Mike first joined the Department in 1972 as a Technical Officer working with the Fresh fruit disinfestation project. He spent a year working on pasture and crop entomology before joining the Trichogramma rearing programme for the biological control of cotton pests at Kununurra. Mike has visited the Soviet Union to study biological control methods (especially using Trichogramma), under terms of the Australia-USSR agreement on scientific and technical co-operation. His work with lupin and cereal crops involved setting up a biological control programme for spotted alfalfa aphid and blue-green aphid in WA, as part of an Australia wide effort to control these pests. Mike's work on armyworm and Desiantha found that paddock management affected risk of pest losses in seedling crops. This aided the development of prediction indicators for armyworm outbreaks. His studies of aphids in barley and wheat found that aphids caused high losses in high yield potential crops and helped develop high yield crop package, with barley yield potentials of 6 T/ha. Currently based in Albany, Mike is investigating pasture pests under grazing and has found that grazing management is the chief determinant of pest activity, pasture composition, and animal production. He is a member of the Australian Entomological Society.
Daryl Hardie
Phone: +61 8 9368 3799
Mob: 0404 819 600
Email: dhardie@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. App. Sci., BSc Hons; PhD (Adel)) - Darryl is the Entomologist in charge of the Invertebrate Pest Monitoring Unit (IPMU) and a Grain Legume Entomologist. The IPMU currently monitors for incursions of Queensland fruit fly, papaya fruit fly, codling moth, oriental fruit moth and European wasp. Darryl is involved in field pea and chickpea breeding through CLIMA and supervises a GRDC funded project to identify seed compounds conveying resistance in wild peas to the pea weevil.
Darryl joined the Agency as a Technical Officer in 1975 and worked on the disinfestation of export fruit. He developed skill in rearing fruit flies, controlling horticultural pests, fumigation/cold storage procedures for fruit. Darryl completed an undergraduate degree which included a revision of the parasites and predators of fruit flies and was involved with the eradication of Mediterranean fruit fly from Carnarvon using the Sterile Insect Technique. He completed an honours project in 1984 which studied the evidence of a niche shift between two blowfly species. Darryl also has broadacre entomology experience with several important species including pea weevil, vegetable weevil, budworm, and regrettably hay-itch mite. In 1989 Darryl was awarded a GRDC Postgraduate Scholarship and with support from the Agency went on study leave to the University of Adelaide to investigate resistance to the pea weevil in Pisum species. Darryl returned to the Agency in 1992 and was promoted to Entomologist and has recently been coordinating pest monitoring and eradication. Darryl has attended the GRDC special course on the use and application of DNA markers in plant breeding and supervises the use of the Gammacell 220 irradiator.
Richard Johnston
Phone: +61 8 9368 3583
Email: rjohnston@agric.wa.gov.au
(B.Sc. Zoology) - Richard is presently in charge of the day to day running of the Invertebrate Pest Monitoring Unit (IPMU). This unit is involved in maintaining an early warning trapping grid for Queensland fruit fly, papaya fruit fly, codling moth, oriental fruit moth and European wasps. He also worked extensively on the Queensland fruit fly eradication in Perth in 1995 and on the codling moth eradication program at Bridgetown and Albany during 1993. Richard has gained spray trial experience following the initial discovery of Western flower thrips in Perth. He also supervises the use of the Gammacell 220 irradiator. Richard joined the Department in 1992, briefly working on the aphid monitoring and resistance project.
Before joining the Department of Agriculture Western Australia Richard worked for the Department of Conservation and Land Management and was involved in biological surveys of various regions of Western Australia, assessing their suitability for national park status.
Stewart Learmonth
Phone: +61 97 712 444
Email: slearmonth@agric.wa.gov.au
(M. Agr. Sci.) - Stewart works in horticultural entomology with the main crops being potatoes, deciduous fruit trees and viticulture. The pests investigated are beetles, mites and potato moth. Most of the work is concerned with insecticidal control of the pests , but and increasing proportion of his time is committed to clarifying the biology of the pests, alternative methods of pest management and monitoring pest numbers as a tool for industry to time treatments.
Stewart joined the Department in 1973, his first projects involved pest control in cotton in the Kimberley, mainly working on Heliothis. Stewart returned to full time study in 1975, completing a Master's Degree at the University of Adelaide on the ecology of Heliothis punctigera. He then went on to work on a broad range of insect pests in tropical horticultural and intensively farmed broadacre crops. Currently, he is working in the south west agricultural region of the State, based at the Manjimup Horticultural Research Centre. He has investigated insecticides, including the soil fumigation metham sodium, for control of the soil pests whitefringed weevil and African black beetle in potatoes as well as some studies on their biology and resistance testing for African black beetle. Other insecticide studies involved apple and garden weevil in fruit tree crops and vineyards, potato moth of stored tubers and mites in fruit tree and vineyards. Stewart is also involved in collaborative project with eastern states entomologists on orchard weevils and biological control of potato moth and vineyard mites. He is a member of the Australian Entomological Society.
Alan Lord
Phone: +61 8 9368 3321
(B. App. Sc.) - Alan commenced service with the Department in 1993, working on the Singapore Ant research program. Following the discovery of Western Flower Thrips in Western Australia in early 1993, Alan moved into horticultural entomology to help establish a research program aimed at developing methods of chemical and cultural control of Western Flower Thrips in fruit, vegetable and cut flower crops.
Alan has also spent 12 months working in the department's Invertebrate Pest Monitoring Unit, this position involved the maintenance of a variety of insect traps over a wide area in order to detect the introduction of potentially damaging insect pests into Western Australia. Currently Alan is working on the biological control of the introduced weed Paterson's curse, which is a pest in pastures, using two species of weevils. The program involves the laboratory rearing of the weevils in large numbers in order to establish field nursery sites, which are then used as a further distribution source. Rearing protocols are currently being developed for a further two beetle species, and it is hoped large scale rearing of these species can commence in 1997.
Peter Mangano
Phone: +61 8 9368 3753
Email: pmangano@agric.wa.gov.au
(Dip. Agriculture) - Peter was employed by the Department of Agriculture in 1973, bringing with him experience acquired from the stock firm Elders G.M. His first three and a half years were spent at the Jerramungup and Narrogin District Offices.
From 1979-1987 Peter worked on projects with the sheep blowfly. This led to the development of a forecasting system for the prediction of body strike in sheep and the implementation of new methods for the application of chemicals to prevent flystrike.
Commencing 1987, Peter worked for three years on the control of the pea weevil on field peas . This work led to the development of chemical strategies to enable growers to produce high quality field peas suitable for food grade export markets.
From 1991 to 1995 Peter worked on a research project to examine the effects of pasture pest damage and grazing management on efficiency of animal production. The major pests were the redlegged earth mite, and the lucerne flea. The work has produced important information enabling increased productivity and pasture management in high rainfall areas for beef or sheep industries. Currently Peter is engaged in the Pulse and Oilseed program to develop better control measures against the native budworm. This work involved the establishment of 100 pheromone traps to monitor budworm moth flights into agricultural areas. The information will alert growers to potential threats to their crops and is available via a poll fax service together with other information on pests and diseases of crops
Nic Monzu
Phone: +61 (8) 9368 3257
Email: NMonzu@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. Sc.(Hon) Ph.D)) - Dr Monzu is the Principal Entomologist and Group Manager of the Entomology Discipline Group. He is also the project manager of the project Invertebrate Pest Surveillance in the Industry Resource Protection, Surveillance and Preparedness subprogram. He is especially interested in the establishment of effective surveillance methodology to provide early detection for incursions of exotic invertebrate pests.
Dr Monzu joined the Department in 1979 as the sheep blowfly Entomologist. He initiated the interdisciplinary team approach on researching critical aspects of the sheep blowfly problem, with an Entomologist, Sheep and Wool researcher and a microbiologist working together.
During his 20 years career with the Department Dr Monzu has been involved at a managerial and to a lesser extent in a research capacity for the initiation and/or development of, Biocontrol of weeds and dung beetle, fresh fruit disinfestation, eradication of Queensland fruit fly and more recently the Western Flower Thrips Programs.
Wayne Morris
Phone: +61 8 9368 3673
Email: wmorris@agric.wa.gov.au
Marc Poole
Phone: +61 (08) 9368 3224
Email: mpoole@agric.wa.gov.au
(B. App. Sci., B. Hort Sci.) Marc's current duties include formulating Agency responses to import risk assessments and pest risk assessments provided by AQIS. Other duties include establishing survey protocols and conducting surveys enabling and maintaining State or area freedom of invertebrate pest species.
Marc joined the Department in 1982 as a technical assistant with the Animal health Laboratories initially in Perth then relocating to Albany. In Albany, Marc worked with the parasitology group focusing on the field ecology of sheep parasites and anthelmentic resistance surveys. Marc left the Agency in 1986 and embarked on an honours degree in horticultural science. Upon completing his honours degree and several years in private horticultural employment, Marc joined the Entomology branch in 1994 investigating population dynamics of Mediterranean fruit fly in Citrus, Apple and Pear orchards.
Ernie Steiner
Phone: +61 8 9368 3584
Email: esteiner@agric.wa.gov.au
(Dip. Agriculture) Ernie commenced with the Department at the Wongan Hills Research Station in 1975, working on cereal breeding programs. He transferred to the Entomology Branch in 1977 where he carried out the testing for insecticide resistance in stored grain pests. Subsequently he worked for several years on both chemical and biological control measures for broadacre pests, in particular, red legged earth mite, lucerne flea, webworm and budworm.
Ernie worked for many years on various sheep blowfly projects. He has detailed knowledge of control measures used against sheep blowflies and has supervised the running of numerous exposure house and field trials. His experimental work also includes the development of techniques used for the rapid screening of novel insecticides and studying the utilization of carcasses by blowfly species. His knowledge in the latter has been used to assist with forensic work.
Since 1994 Ernie has worked in horticultural entomology as part of the National Program on Western Flower Thrips, developing chemical and cultural control methods. He is experienced in the rearing of several beneficial insects and their pest hosts.
Geoff Strickland
Phone: +61 8 9368 3756
Email: gstrickland@agric.wa.gov.au
(BSc (Zoology) - Geoff first joined the Department in 1975 and was responsible for screening grain storage facilities for insecticide resistant insect pests. He was also involved with cereals pest control and the evaluation of alternative insecticides to DDT. In 1976 his adventurous streak surfaced and he transferred to Kununurra where he was immersed in a wide range of tropical insect pest management projects. Integrated pest management strategies for grain legume crops was an important research area and successful biological control projects against green vegetable bug and northern armyworm were highlights of the era.
Soon after completing a 6 month secondment to the Queensland DPI working on Helicoverpa alternative host crops in north Queensland, Geoff joined the NT Department of Primary Industries in Darwin. Tropical pest management was again the focus with emphasis on grain legume pest management, Helicoverpa population dynamics, giant termite control and horticultural pest control. Geoff spent 9 years in the NT and developed management skills which led to his appointment as Director, Plant Health.
In 1990 Geoff returned to Kununurra as Kimberley regional entomologist to undertake varied research including banana weevil borer control, Helicoverpa insecticide resistance management and giant termite control system development. More recently he changed direction and focussed research efforts on the re-introduction of cotton as a crop for the Kimberley. Work has commenced on evaluating a winter cropping system for cotton, using transgenic varieties and integrated pest management principles.
After accepting a transfer to Perth in 1995, Geoff continues his long involvement with the Kimberley as Cotton Project Leader. He also has responsibility for implementing two national weeds biological control projects - dock and Paterson's curse.
Andy Szito
Phone: +61 8 9368 3248
Email: aszito@agric.wa.gov.au
(B.Sc Agric; M.Sc. Biol) Andy has graduated in Hungary and obtained his Master of Science Degree at Curtin University of Technology. Thesis entitled: "A Taxonomic Overview of the Beetle Genus Trogoderma in the Western Australian Wheatbelt (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). He has an extensive 10 years overseas experience in the field of entomology including research, manager and adviser activities.
Andy joined the Department in 1989, working on the biology and control of native cockchafer Heteronyx obesa Burmeister. He has collected and preserved about 25,000 insects in relation with the project, amongst them several new genera and dozens of new species. Parallel to this he has also preserved about 2,500 specimens of predator, parasite and non pest species in conjunction with regular stored grain pest resistance testing, many of them first recorded in Australia.
Following this Andy worked on the project entitled "The biology and identification of native and pest Trogoderma species". This project demanded the extensive use of his taxonomic knowledge and German and Latin skills.
Andy is currently fulfilling the duties of the Insect Collection Curator and provides identification and control advice of pest and non pest species to the public, farmers, Department staff, officers of Entomology Branch and Quarantine Service.
He is particularly interested in the taxonomy of Dermestidae and Scarabaeidae.
He has participated numerous courses and workshops on the insect identification (Thysanoptera, Fruitfly) and on molecular techniques (Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD). He has detailed practical knowledge in Scanning and Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy. Andy is a member of the Australian Entomological Society.
Marc Widmer
Phone: +61 8 9368 3759
Email: marcw@agric.wa.gov.au
(Cert App. Science; Cert. Audio Eng.). Marc joined the Agency in 1981 and became involved with the Sterile Insect Release Program which successfully eradicated fruit fly from the Carnarvon district. Marc then worked on the Wingless Grasshopper Program developing a mass-rearing technique for grasshopper hosts and the protozoan biological control agent, Nosema locustae. This involved developing new methods for the laboratory rearing and the eventual dispersal of this bio-control agent in the field and was terminated when large field trials demonstrated effective control. This also included assessing the salt and grasshopper susceptibility of 40 tree species in farming districts. Following this, Marc worked on integrated pest management techniques for commercial orchards involving the release and assessment of the predatory mites Typhlodromus sp. and Phytoseiulus sp. He also looked for replacements for organochlorine insecticides for the control of African black beetles and white fringed weevils in commercial potato production.
Since 1986 Marc has worked as a Technical Officer with the Social Insect Research Section giving him extensive experience in the rearing, control and identification of a wide variety of insects and other invertebrates (specifically ants, wasps, termites and the exotic green snail). His work involves the study of the biology of social insects and other quarantine or domestic pests, research into the chemical and non-chemical control of these pest species, and ecological studies with regard to their impact and pest status in Western Australia. Marc has recently completed a senior first aid certificate course and courses in mammal identification and scanning electron microscopy.
Paul Wilson
Phone: +61 8 9368 3758
Email: paulw@apb.agric.wa.gov.au
(Dip. App. Sci. (Biol)) - Paul joined the Department in 1978 as a laboratory technician working on the biological control of lucerne aphids. This work precipitated a number of related research projects including field testing of American and Australian lucerne varieties for aphid resistance, and assessment of damage to clovers by blue green aphid.
In 1984 he was responsible for the technical supervision for the biological control of several broadacre pests during which he gained valuable experience in quarantine protocols. From 1985 to 1990, Paul provided technical support for programs aimed at control of insect pests and insect vectored diseases of crops, pasture legumes and horticultural crops. Subsequently he has worked on many projects in entomology including the rearing, release and monitoring of several species of dung beetle, the control of wingless grasshoppers, the development of new methods to eradicate Argentine ants and the study of European wasps in Western Australia.
Through his participation in these and many other projects Paul has broadened his knowledge of insect biology and developed innovative and cost effective techniques in the rearing of numerous insect species in the Agency's quarantine and non quarantine facilities.
Paul has specific knowledge in biological control and has supervised the rearing and distribution of several biological control agents of Paterson's curse (Echium plantagineum), since 1992.
Bill Woods
Phone: +61 8 9274 5355
Email: wwoods@agric.wa.gov.au
( B.Sc Agric., M.Sc Agric.) - Bill has over 20 years experience as a economic entomologist. He has worked on integrated control of cotton pests, control of pests of broadacre agriculture, biological control of insects and weeds, control of wildflower pests and eradication of exotic pests. Bill was entomologist in charge of the successful codling moth eradication program. Currently his major field of work is in integrated control of pests of apples, citrus, table grapes and fruit fly eradication. He is currently developing a proposal for the eradication of Medfly from Western Australia.
Page last reviewed January, 2005
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