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Exotic mango munchers threaten Territory's $36m industry
23 October 2000
With mango season upon us, Quarantine is urging growers and residents to keep watch for two exotic pests that could threaten one of our fastest-growing industries.
The Territory mango industry virtually doubled in value to $35.9 million in 1999, up from $18.8 million the previous year. To ensure this growth continues, Quarantine is on the lookout for two exotic pests of mangoes — one of which has already been found on islands in the Torres Strait.
The red-banded mango caterpillar — a serious pest in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea — has been moving southwards towards Australia during the past two years. It has been found on six Torres Strait islands since 1997, most recently this September. The other mango pest on Quarantine's hit list is the mango pulp weevil. Although present in countries to our north, it hasn't yet been found in Australia.
According to Darwin-based entomologist for the Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Glenn Bellis, the risk of these pests entering the Territory is relatively high.
"Australia's quarantine laws and checks are among the strictest in the world," Glenn says. "But even the strictest systems can't completely eliminate the risks."
"In the three months up to September 2000, Quarantine seized more than 100 kilograms of fresh fruit and vegetables from international passengers at Darwin Airport, in more than 200 separate seizures. This shows some people are prepared to ignore or defy the law. Another quarantine risk is food carried ashore from international vessels landing — illegally — on remote coastline.
"So we can catch new pests early, Quarantine surveys our northern coastline for warning signs Early detection will mean quicker and cheaper eradication if an exotic pest does make it ashore."
Glenn says red-banded mango caterpillar eats mango seeds and will attack fruit from as small as 2 centimetres to fully grown. "The caterpillar's just a couple of centimetres long, but it has distinctive red and white stripes running around its body, making it easy to identify. It leaves holes and sap stains on the outside of the fruit, but you'd most likely see the caterpillar itself when you're cutting up or eating fruit."
"Mango pulp weevil is similar to the mango seed weevil that's found in the Territory, but the pulp weevil tends to live in the fruit pulp rather than the seed. It's a more insidious pest than the red-banded mango caterpillar because you won't see signs until you cut open the fruit. It makes distinctive brown chambers in the flesh, up to a centimetre wide."
"The Northern Territory is free of these pests so far," Glenn says,"and that's the way we want to keep it. The only way we can be sure of this is for growers and the community to report any suspicious sightings to Quarantine — simply contact your local Quarantine office if you find any unusual caterpillars or markings in mangoes."
Photography
· Glenn can be photographed inspecting the mango orchards at Berrimah Farm
· High-res images available (all as B+W tif files - 300dpi at 9x14cm)
From left: red-banded mango caterpillar on whole mango shows size of pest; close up image of caterpillar tunnelling into fruit; and mangoes on tree showing sap stains, a characteristic sign of infestation
For more details
Contact: Glenn Bellis, Entomologist, Northern Australia
Quarantine Strategy(NAQS)
Phone: (08) 8999 2046
Contact: Kay Carvan, Public Awareness Officer, NAQS
Phone: (08) 8999 2046