VICTORIAN LANDHOLDERS URGED TO REMAIN VIGILANT AS LOCUST SEASON CONTINUES
By Jessica Dempster
Landholders and public land managers across Victoria's Mallee and Wimmera regions are being urged to continue monitoring and reporting Australian plague locust activity as the season moves into its next phase.
Agriculture Victoria incident controller Jo Cameron says the first round of spring hatching has now finished, but further breeding and new generations of locusts remain possible.
She warns uncontrolled hopper bands could develop into flying swarms, with ongoing reports helping authorities identify areas where further control work may be needed.
Agriculture Victoria says the best time to treat locusts is around two weeks after hatching, while they are grouped into bands and before they begin flying.
Landholders are also being reminded to check grain receival standards for limits on live or dead locusts and grasshoppers, which can cause contamination and affect grain deliveries.
Authorities are asking land managers to keep reporting activity at all stages, including egg laying, hatching, banding and swarming.
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