More than 1,300 citizen scientists have taken part in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s latest Pantry Blitz.
The Department’s Pantry Blitz aims to unearth potential pests that could threaten the State’s biosecurity defences.
Senior Development Officer at the Department, Rosalie McCauley said no serious pests were discovered in the latest blitz but plenty of creepy crawlies were reported.
“The most common report was of cigarette or tobacco beetles, which is a common pest of store cupboard products,” Dr McCauley said.
“While these tiny, reddish-brown critters are generally not considered a threat, in large numbers they could post a threat to stored grain and animal feed.”
She said there were also several reports of Indian meal moths, also known as pantry moths, which could infest a wide range of vegetable foodstuffs, like cereal, flour and dried fruits.
“These reports all add to the Department’s ongoing surveillance efforts for invasive ants, like red imported fire ant and browsing ant, extending our survey territory,” Dr McCauley said.
“Molecular testing by the Department’s entomologists was used to identify a European carpet beetle larvae specimen (pictured) which was caught in a Pantry Blitz trap.”
She said the European carpet beetle larvae was significant as there were known to be destructive pests in the same family.
“Many larvae in this family look similar and can only be distinguished by molecular analysis so our team was diligent and sought both visual and molecular confirmation to ensure it wasn’t a destructive beetle,” Dr McCauley said.
This is the third time Pantry Blitz has been run in the past six years to support the Department’s surveillance efforts.
