Dung Beetles in South Western Australia

08/09/2026

Southern Forests Community Landcare is teaming up with Paraboss-accredited Emily Stretch for our Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative feedback workshop on September 18th.
The morning session will focus on analysing monitoring results - discussing possible reasons for wide disparity between sites in our region - and from neighbouring regions. Dung beetles are valuable little marvels as results of the research trial at Keysbrook will reveal - both in $$$ and time.
Emily will guide you through Integrated Pest Management planning to reduce potential parasite burden - and be on hand to accept your dung (livestock) sample for AI analysis.
If you plan on bringing a sample, please indicate when you register so instructions can be forwarded.

08/09/2026

It's a bit of a dung beetle roadshow this month. Really keen to meet up with the Leschenault monitoring team, their monitoring landholder hosts and all the dung beetle enthusiasts keen to hear results of the project's activities - and how you can increase your dung beetle population. Though, you need to be located near native vegetation to attract this fearsome looking native species, Onthophagus ferox.

Beneath our feet, dung beetles are constantly at work cycling nutrients, improving water infiltration, and breaking parasite cycles before they take hold.

To help landholders harness these benefits, we are hosting a practical workshop and field walk dedicated to these underground allies.

Join us as we share new regional data from the Dung Beetle Monitoring Project, highlighting peak activity windows, local species composition, and population drivers specific to the Leschenault Catchment. You will learn how to build beetle numbers through targeted management strategies, see a demonstration of the Fecpak unit for streamlining flock and herd health decisions, and finish with a paddock walk to spot beetle activity first hand.

Wednesday, 23rd September, 10:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Ferguson Hall
Free (includes complimentary lunch, registration essential)
Reserve your spot here: https://events.humanitix.com/underground-allies

08/09/2026

Looking forward to catching up with the Chittering Landcare Centre monitoring team, their participating landholders and everyone who wants to find out how well the area is stocked with dung beetles.
Although very few beetles were trapped in the September to February period, there's evidence some properties in the region have plenty.
We will explore ways to increase and protect your dung beetle army - and provide project research evidence why they are worth consideration in livestock production.
(Did I mention Chittering Landcare Centre's fabulous catering?)

🪲 𝐔𝐏𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐏 🪲

08/09/2026

In the paddock trying to beat the beetles to collect dung for the nursery.
Had a dig to see how deeply Bubas bison was digging to turn up this yellow loam - at least 20cm. The paddock is being renovated and these little fellows are helping!

20/08/2026

Australia's Dung Beetle program has featured in today's Times of India! A great summary of the project's origin, recognising the insight of the main driver, Dr George Bornemissza.

Australia's dung beetle problem began almost two centuries before scientists found a solution, when European settlers introduced cattle whose droppings were unlike anything most native Australian dung beetles had evolved to process. The First Fleet brought five cows and two bulls in 1788, and as cat...

20/08/2026

One aspect of the Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative that has attracted significant interest is the Worm Egg Counting work Katrina Zemke and Emily Stretch (Manjimup) and Kylie Cook (Denmark) have been undertaking using the AI detection unit, Fecpak.

https://fecpak.com/au/resources/customer-stories/katrina-sfcl?fbclid=IwY2xjawTzpF5wZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkEDIyMjAzOTE3ODgyMDA4OTIAAR5Z2uEsyKO4Ue91pXb_fuC9wUZ7sEOyWcMo8szmC4yIHUX7Bktiykc2GgR0Ag_aem_auzspTeI-ByI4FEyVeK_mg

18/08/2026

It's almost a year since we started monitoring across a big chunk of the South West land division. A second round of workshops is about to begin to give you some answers:
Which species are where and in what numbers? Where are the gaps and how can they be filled? Which factors influencing population size can be addressed by practice management and which can't?
How can we capitalise on dung beetle activity to improve the bottom line - what evidence is there they can impact soil fertility?
How can AI f***l egg counting help protect the beetle workforce?
GeoCatch - 27th August
Oyster Harbour Catchment Group Inc. - 31st August
Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee WICC - 15th September
Chittering Landcare Centre - 13th September
Landcare SJ Inc - 22nd September
Leschenault Catchment Councill - 23rd September
Lower Blackwood Landcare - 24th September
Southern Forests Community Landcare - 25th September

Check with your local groups for more details.

12/08/2026

Research demonstrating off-target negative effects of macrocyclic lactones impact plants as well as insects.

"Direct harmful effects of MLs on non-target organisms have been demonstrated, for example in dung beetles, where they primarily impair the survival of larvae...and in coprophagous flies, where they reduce the survival of both adults and larvae as well as pupation rates. In the case of the most thoroughly studied ML ivermectin, negative impacts on the reproduction of dung beetles have been reported, including reduced egg-laying, reduced larval size, and behavioral disorders such as impaired locomotion and sensory functions in reproductive adults. Only recently, direct detrimental effects of MLs on plants were discovered. These include impaired seed germination and seedling emergence as well as a reduction in aboveground biomass, photosynthetically active leaf area, and fruit number and weight. Several studies have shown that MLs, including MOX, are absorbed by roots or leaves and distributed throughout the plant. This suggests that insects that consume plant resources such as nectar, pollen, or phloem sap may also be exposed to MLs that are originally present in the soil and are transferred via the plant as parent compounds, their metabolites, and/or in the form of changes in plant metabolic pathways and products. Obregon et al. (2024) were able to demonstrate the transfer of the ivermectin metabolite abamectin along the food chain — via plant pollen to bees.

12/08/2026

I hope to see the Cosy Creek Farm gang at our Manjimup workshop on 25th September. There will be eight workshops running from late August to the end of September across the eight regions participating in the Dung Beetle Soil Health Initiative project. More details very soon.

06/08/2026

Fox scats filled with shiny black beetles were plentiful in a Lake Muir paddock today. Apparently they are the meal of choice in the area at the moment.