Practices in Focus: Integrated Pest Management
Queensland horticulture growers are increasingly on the lookout for practical ways to manage pests and limit unnecessary pesticide use, to protect beneficials and reduce input costs. It’s about being more efficient and improving resilience of their farming systems.
In September 2025, Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG) coordinated two Integrated Pest Management (IPM) workshops in Mareeba and Bowen, bringing together growers, researchers and technical specialists to discuss practical pest management strategies, current field trials and emerging opportunities in biological control.
The workshops highlighted how IPM can support growers to make more informed, targeted and sustainable pest management decisions across a range of horticultural systems.
REGIONALLY FOCUSED WORKSHOPS
The content was tailored to regional conditions and crop types. In Mareeba, the focus included tropical tree crops and a field trial investigating banana-spotting bug trapping in soursop. In Bowen, discussions centred more strongly on vegetable production systems and the practical foundations of IPM for pest control in intensive cropping environments.
The workshop in Mareeba, was a joint initiative of QFVG and Gulf Savannah NRM to showcase trials being run by entomologist Jeff Watson at John and Lucy Jennings' orchard. The Jennings are Hort360 GBR certified. Hort360 GBR certification is a third party accredited voluntary certification pathway for growers to demonstrate their environmental stewardship to improving water quality for the Great Barrier Reef though best management practices. It is coordinated by QFVG and funded by the Queensland Government. The Bowen workshop focused on integrated pest management and priorities of that region. Bowen mango grower Dale Williams shared his experiences in managing pest pressure and adoption of IPM. He encouraged growers interested in IPM to start with small steps, learn the basics and build confidence over time.
Other speakers included Dan Papacek – Bugs for Bugs, Ian Newton – Department of Primary Industries, Ebony Faichney – Farmour, and Scott Wallace – QFVG.
Grower perspectives were an important part of the program. This balance of peer-to-peer shared grower learnings and presentations by specialists provided a practical overview of how biological, cultural and chemical controls can be combined to create more balanced and effective pest management systems.
WHAT DOES BMP LOOK LIKE FOR IPM?
Integrated Pest Management is a strategy that aims to achieve good quality produce and strong yields with minimal pesticide use, while taking into account a full range of management options including biological, cultural and chemical controls. IPM encourages growers to understand pest pressures more deeply and respond using the most appropriate tools at the right time.
Best management practice in IPM includes having a clear strategy to manage pests, diseases, weeds and other production risks across the farm. It also includes building skills in pest identification, understanding pest lifecycles and damage symptoms, and routinely monitoring crops for both pests and beneficial organisms. This helps growers make more informed decisions about when intervention is needed and when natural controls may already be working. Other important elements of good IPM include the use of thresholds before spraying, the use of alternate management options such as oils, soaps and biological control agents, targeted spot spraying instead of blanket application where possible, rotating chemicals with different modes of action and considering resistance management in longer-term planning.
Good record keeping, spray calibration and checking spray efficacy through the canopy also remain essential parts of effective pest management.
KEY THEMES FROM THE WORKSHOPS
A major theme across both workshops was that beneficial insects and biological control agents need the right conditions to survive and perform effectively. Presenters highlighted the importance of biodiversity, companion planting, interrow vegetation, mulching, natural habitat enhancement and the management of dust, temperature and humidity to support beneficial populations.
Practical examples of how to encourage beneficial activity through simple changes included:
Leaving strips of unmown weeds in the interrow
Mowing alternate rows
Planting companion species such as buckwheat
Reducing unnecessary pesticide use.
These can create a more balanced farm ecology and strengthen natural pest suppression over time.
Another important theme was the need to view chemical controls as one tool within a broader system, rather than the default response. Presenters stressed that chemicals still have an important role, but they should be used carefully and strategically, with a sound understanding of the target pest, likely side effects on beneficials, resistance risks, residues, drift and crop stages. Even selective products require careful stewardship if they are to remain effective and compatible with IPM programs.
ROLE OF RESEARCH AND TRIALS
The Mareeba workshop gave growers direct exposure to current work on spotting bug management through a field trial in a soursop orchard. Jeff Watson worked with John and Lucy Jennings to monitor the use of traps designed to lure and capture banana-spotting bug (Amblypelta lutescens lutescens) and fruit-spotting bug (Amblypelta nitida). At the time of the workshop, the trial was still in its early stages, but it provided a valuable opportunity to discuss current field methods and future directions for trapping and monitoring.
Participants also heard from Dr Ian Newton, who presented via prerecorded video on a decade of Department of Primary Industries research into spotting bug management, including trapping trials and lure development work undertaken in Queensland. Ebony Faichney from Farmour shared results from a peer-to-peer funded trial investigating the use of the predatory mite Neoseiulus californicus against oriental mite in citrus. This work showed that predatory mites could be as cost effective as chemical-only control when supported by good monitoring, thresholdbased decisions and strong interrow cover.
The workshops also touched on wider innovation in biological control, including more efficient release methods using drones, blowers and sachets. Presenters agreed that continued research into trapping science, particularly pheromone development, will be important in improving the future effectiveness of bug trapping systems.
At an industry level, increasing awareness and adoption of IPM supports more sustainable production systems, helps reduce resistance pressure and contributes to improved environmental stewardship across Queensland horticulture. By partnering with organisations such as Gulf Savannah and working alongside growers already engaged in best management practice, QFVG was able to deliver workshops grounded in real farm experience and informed by current regional issues. The inclusion of host grower perspectives, active field trials and regionally tailored content helped ensure the sessions were practical, credible and directly relevant to participants.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN WORKSHOPS
Sharing information in a relaxed, peer-to-peer environment encourages growers to reflect on their pest management practices.
Seeing how others (their 'peers') are dealing with the same pest issues in a practical sense, makes the solutions feel achievable.
This helps growers feel more confident trialling changes incrementally, rather than assuming they need to overhaul their systems all at once.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE IN IPM
Improve pest ID and damage symptom skills
Understand pest lifecycles
Routinely monitor crops (both pests and beneficials)
Use thresholds before spraying
Consider alternate management options - oils, soaps, biological control agents
Targeted spot spraying where possible
Rotating chemicals with different modes of action
Good record keeping, spray calibration and checking spray efficacy through the canopy
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
QFVG acknowledges the valuable contribution of hosts John and Lucy Jennings, speakers Dan Papacek, Jeff Watson, Ian Newton and Ebony Faichney, as well as Jessica Miranda and the Gulf Savannah team for their support in workshop delivery.
This event was jointly supported by the Integrated Engagement and Capacity Building project funded by the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program delivered by the Department of Primary Industries, and the QFVG Great Barrier Reef Project.
The event was also funded in part by the Australian Government through the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program and delivered by Gulf Savannah NRM as a member of the Regional Delivery Partners panel.
