A
Buggy Story
Amanda
Kobelt, Entomologist
Department of Primary Industries, Victoria.
My
main activity on that day was being on the phone! I was organising
one company in Melbourne, one in
South Australia, and the Tatura office
of DPI to send me live insects for an experiment I was doing
straight after Easter.
I was also confirming with my technician that all the plants
were ready for the following week. I also did some identification
of beetles collected in the field. I also compiled an e-mail
about the many winged bullants we were seeing near the workplace
that week.
Organising the insects were essential for part of my project
on beneficial invertebrates in native grasslands and cropping
systems. As well as identifying the insects we collect in
the field, we are testing the technique of marking the insects
with Rubidium Chloride.
We are seeing whether this also marks the predators and then
if we can track the movement of insects in the field. This
part of my job is to show that beneficial insects are present
in cropping systems, particularly when native vegetation is
present. The presence of these insects can mean a reduction
in pest numbers and reduced pesticide use.
I was interested in animals, natural history and biology.
Although I originally wanted to be a vet, I went on to do
a degree in biological science and majored in Zoology. |
|
