Dr Valerie Caron ‘Dung Beetles’

Valerie, from Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO, will talk about the wonderful world of dung beetles and the latest importation program.

Abstract
When Europeans brought livestock to Australia, they didn’t realise the issues it would cause. Livestock produce dung that accumulate on the soil surface, fouling pasture, causing water pollution due to runoff and providing habitat for dung breeding flies. To mitigate these issues, dung beetles have been introduced to Australia since the 1960s. While 23 species have established and have spread, there remain many geographical and seasonal gaps in dung beetle activity when there are not enough dung beetle present to control dung. Three species were recently imported from Morocco to fill the spring gap in southern Australia. In this presentation, Valerie will talk about the wonderful world of dung beetles and the latest importation program.

Biography 
Dr Valerie Caron is a Senior Research Scientist in Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO. She is an entomologist with an interest in biological control and invasion biology. Her research has a strong ecological focus - she believes that biological control is applied ecology at its best. Dr Caron has a B.Sc. in Agriculture and Environmental Sciences from McGill University, Montreal, Canada, a M.Sc. in biological control from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and a PhD in invasion biology, from Monash University Melbourne, Victoria. Her research currently focuses on invasive invertebrate species, introduced dung beetles, land snail control and pre-emptive biological control.

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMH

Booking
Lunchtime talks are held at 12.30 pm every Thursday from February to November. Talks last for 1 hour. We welcome donations by gold coins, notes, or electronically. The Friends use donations received at each talk to support Gardens’ programs and development and we thank all those who have donated. 

Unless otherwise indicated, talks are held in the ANBG Theatrette.

It is a good idea to reserve a seat at the talks that you wish to attend; talks may be booked out very quickly.  Bookings can be made from about 30 days in advance until the night before the talk or until seating limits are reached. 

Booking Link: https://www.trybooking.com/CQGMH

The Friends of the ANBG thank the speakers who volunteer their time and talents to further the knowledge of all attending events in the Gardens. Many summaries or PowerPoint presentations of Thursday talks are available to Friends at the ANBG library. Please direct queries about the talks to the Thursday Talks Team: email talks@friendsanbg.org.au.