Different dung beetles suit various climatic zones, what may suit tropical areas of northern Australia, may not necessarily suit Victoria, Tasmania, Southern NSW, and South Australia. There are summer active and winter active dung beetles, there are dung beetles that fly during daylight, and others prefer the night. The female lays one egg in each dung ball. In addition to the various dung beetles that have been introduced, there are also predacious dung beetles that predate on fly and parasite eggs and larvae, just like the mites that hitch a ride with Dung Beetles. To get the most benefit from Dung Beetles, one needs to have a range of different types. On our Wagga Wagga farm, we had approximately 15 different types which meant there was activity all year round and no flies in the summertime. I’ve watched a cow pat sensationally disappear in one hour. 🐂
Good morning, Tim, I love dung beetles, and I had them here for a while when I had cattle. I actually worked in the animal health area as a rep, so I was able to attend countless lectures at field days. I was told that they can reduce the amount of fly infestation. Which as you know are problematic in many ways. Great video Tim, keep them coming.
Well done on a great story about the amazing little dung beetle. I know John Feehan personally and he is an absolute Australian icon who deserves much more recognition than he gets in his tireless work to get the introduced dung beetle populations established in Australia. Thanks Gavin and Tim for calling him out in this video. John's company used to be called Soilcam, I think it still is. Look him up. Cattle, Sheep and Horses are introduced species, so it's logical that we would need to introduce dung beetles to help complete the eco cycle.
I'm not a farmer or an Australian but I stumbled across your channel a year ago. I think your channel is great and your videos are informative and interesting. Stay safe out there.
Thanks mate. No matter if you are farming or not, these days it’s really important to understand and respect food and fibre production. I’m stoked that you like the channel and I hope that you continue to enjoy the content. Thanks again!
Really enjoying this branch of your videos Tim. Please keep them coming. Based on the cow pats on my property looks like I’ve got a healthy population of dung beetles. I’ll be looking at ways to maintain / promote their growth. Looking forward to the next “Regenerative Ag” themed video.
Well done Gavin, your field cages are raised. We developed these at WA Ag. Dept. in the 1990s. Different design and a bank of six. Each 2m x 2m. Recycled railway sleepers. Recently, a number of failed efforts had the field cages dug into the soil. These ended up becoming 'spa pools'. Maybe OK for water beetles, but not for valuable dung beetles. Good luck with your Onthophagus vacca- The French strain, I presume.
Tim I used to be a farmer in Australia but have now lived in England for over 20 years. We now live in Norfolk on a 44 acre common that is let for cattle grazing over the summer. Last week I was at a community meeting about problems with local ponds & waterways which are badly impacted by nitrates. While septic tanks are an issue, the cattle dung obviously also contributes. The talk by a local wildlife organisation went down well with the audience although I thought it was overly simplistic. When I asked whether dung beetles might be one option to consider, I was met with blank stares & total silence. What became obvious was that for all the fine talk & ideas all that really mattered was the fall in income as farm subsidies fall post Brexit. This focus on short term income when there is an already identified environmental problem that is made worse by cattle seemed bonkers. I'd love to show this video to the community members at the meeting to try and help them understand the real complexities of land management but so far all they seem to see is the money & whether the common could me made to look "pretty"& easier to walk over, if the cattle farmer would to harrow the entire area!
From my understanding there are different types of dung beetles which are active at different times of the year. When I first moved up to the Corryong area I seem to remember there had been a release program of two new types of beetle one was early the other was late, this increased active time of dung beetles by about 4 weeks in the year. Seems to have made a big difference in fly numbers. Could see similarities in Gavin with my father and his father, both ahead of their times in farming practices and faced push back from other farmers. Back about 25yrs ago I was back in the old country and with work was going around many farms in the area my Grandfather worked in. The old boys when they found out who I was would love to tell stories about my Grandfather, mainly what a bastard he was to work for or be given advice from. But at the end of their story they would always add a comment along the lines he was right though. But my Grandfather thought my father was mad not running his land at full tilt but aimed more at conservation, especially for butterflies. Funny how we have found working with nature helps long term yields and costs.
@@FarmLearningTim Most chemicals used as parasiticides in cattle, sheep and horses are ok with dung beetles if timed right, but the moxidectin family of drenches has a claim on the l;abel to be dung beetle friendly.
Interesting vid Tim - thanks. Just had a look at the website you list above and apparently not so good with sheep dung...that's a shame because that's all we have.
You’re likely to find soil built up around the pellets if they are active. Different species are active at different times of the year. That’s why multiple species are recommended.
Would be fantastic if there was an indigenous species that could be bred up and circulated But guess cows n sheep aren't locals It'd be a trajectory to see an equivalent beetle, to the 2.7kg cane toad in a few years
There are indigenous species but they don’t consume cow dung (one does but only for one season in limited locations) so hence the need for dung beetles that evolved to consume placental herbivorous mammal waste.
![We bought Dung Beetles for the Pastures [Poop-eating Farmhands]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kD5Ia6tU1w4/mqdefault.jpg)
Thanks Tim & Gavin. Bugs & grubs are another facet of regen farming I want to implement on the farm (when we find it....).
Cheers mate
Different dung beetles suit various climatic zones, what may suit tropical areas of northern Australia, may not necessarily suit Victoria, Tasmania, Southern NSW, and South Australia.
There are summer active and winter active dung beetles, there are dung beetles that fly during daylight, and others prefer the night.
The female lays one egg in each dung ball.
In addition to the various dung beetles that have been introduced, there are also predacious dung beetles that predate on fly and parasite eggs and larvae, just like the mites that hitch a ride with Dung Beetles.
To get the most benefit from Dung Beetles, one needs to have a range of different types. On our Wagga Wagga farm, we had approximately 15 different types which meant there was activity all year round and no flies in the summertime. I’ve watched a cow pat sensationally disappear in one hour.
🐂
Good morning, Tim, I love dung beetles, and I had them here for a while when I had cattle. I actually worked in the animal health area as a rep, so I was able to attend countless lectures at field days. I was told that they can reduce the amount of fly infestation. Which as you know are problematic in many ways. Great video Tim, keep them coming.
Well done on a great story about the amazing little dung beetle. I know John Feehan personally and he is an absolute Australian icon who deserves much more recognition than he gets in his tireless work to get the introduced dung beetle populations established in Australia. Thanks Gavin and Tim for calling him out in this video. John's company used to be called Soilcam, I think it still is. Look him up.
Cattle, Sheep and Horses are introduced species, so it's logical that we would need to introduce dung beetles to help complete the eco cycle.
Link to John’s website in the description. Glad you liked the video! Yes, John is an amazing man. Hope to do more with him in the future!
I'm not a farmer or an Australian but I stumbled across your channel a year ago. I think your channel is great and your videos are informative and interesting. Stay safe out there.
Thanks mate. No matter if you are farming or not, these days it’s really important to understand and respect food and fibre production. I’m stoked that you like the channel and I hope that you continue to enjoy the content. Thanks again!
Thank you Tim for highlighting this brilliant bio tool - a boon to no-till pasture improvement and for negligible cost! Brilliant.
Really enjoying this branch of your videos Tim. Please keep them coming. Based on the cow pats on my property looks like I’ve got a healthy population of dung beetles. I’ll be looking at ways to maintain / promote their growth. Looking forward to the next “Regenerative Ag” themed video.
Well done Gavin, your field cages are raised. We developed these at WA Ag. Dept. in the 1990s. Different design and a bank of six. Each 2m x 2m. Recycled railway sleepers. Recently, a number of failed efforts had the field cages dug into the soil. These ended up becoming 'spa pools'. Maybe OK for water beetles, but not for valuable dung beetles. Good luck with your Onthophagus vacca- The French strain, I presume.
great video - looking foward to more with gavin - would love to see how hes set up his tree lanes and the fencing around them too.
I guess his electric fence was off, as Gavin was very casually leaning on the wire
Yeah
Tim I used to be a farmer in Australia but have now lived in England for over 20 years. We now live in Norfolk on a 44 acre common that is let for cattle grazing over the summer. Last week I was at a community meeting about problems with local ponds & waterways which are badly impacted by nitrates. While septic tanks are an issue, the cattle dung obviously also contributes. The talk by a local wildlife organisation went down well with the audience although I thought it was overly simplistic. When I asked whether dung beetles might be one option to consider, I was met with blank stares & total silence. What became obvious was that for all the fine talk & ideas all that really mattered was the fall in income as farm subsidies fall post Brexit. This focus on short term income when there is an already identified environmental problem that is made worse by cattle seemed bonkers. I'd love to show this video to the community members at the meeting to try and help them understand the real complexities of land management but so far all they seem to see is the money & whether the common could me made to look "pretty"& easier to walk over, if the cattle farmer would to harrow the entire area!
It’s a slow process to change community thinking and I think Gavin summed it up perfectly and positively. Keep at it I reckon!
Dung beetles would eliminate the need to harrow, substantially reduce nutrient runoff, and the beetles work free of charge!
Great video. A topic we want to learn more about. Luckily we have lots of dung beetles
From my understanding there are different types of dung beetles which are active at different times of the year. When I first moved up to the Corryong area I seem to remember there had been a release program of two new types of beetle one was early the other was late, this increased active time of dung beetles by about 4 weeks in the year. Seems to have made a big difference in fly numbers.
Could see similarities in Gavin with my father and his father, both ahead of their times in farming practices and faced push back from other farmers. Back about 25yrs ago I was back in the old country and with work was going around many farms in the area my Grandfather worked in. The old boys when they found out who I was would love to tell stories about my Grandfather, mainly what a bastard he was to work for or be given advice from. But at the end of their story they would always add a comment along the lines he was right though. But my Grandfather thought my father was mad not running his land at full tilt but aimed more at conservation, especially for butterflies. Funny how we have found working with nature helps long term yields and costs.
We have a lot to learn from people like Gavin and your dad mate. Glad you enjoyed the video!
My dung beetles disappeared about 3 years ago after the bush fires.
now just lately the dung is gone before I turn around
Excellent idea
Very interesting, will definitely look at implementing these guys
Hi Tim Would you and Gavin be able to do a video on what ate the dung beetle friendly chemicals.
I’m reaching out to a few people with regards to animal health. I’ll see what I can do.
@@FarmLearningTim Most chemicals used as parasiticides in cattle, sheep and horses are ok with dung beetles if timed right, but the moxidectin family of drenches has a claim on the l;abel to be dung beetle friendly.
This makes so much sense. It’s almost comical.
But so fundamentally important.
Interesting vid Tim - thanks. Just had a look at the website you list above and apparently not so good with sheep dung...that's a shame because that's all we have.
I’ve had good success with sheep dung and beetles that were already on site but yes, better with Cattle.
@@FarmLearningTim Are the sheep dung beetles very active as we have sheep but I've never seen beetles moving dung...in the UK
You’re likely to find soil built up around the pellets if they are active. Different species are active at different times of the year. That’s why multiple species are recommended.
Dung Beetles prefer horse and cow dung but they will work sheep dung providing there is reasonable moisture content.
Peter Mason
Would be fantastic if there was an indigenous species that could be bred up and circulated
But guess cows n sheep aren't locals
It'd be a trajectory to see an equivalent beetle, to the 2.7kg cane toad in a few years
There are indigenous species but they don’t consume cow dung (one does but only for one season in limited locations) so hence the need for dung beetles that evolved to consume placental herbivorous mammal waste.
there are native dung beetles that eat roo manure etc...you will find them in cow dung = less active and not as strong
are not ate