QUANTIFYING SPATIAL MOVEMENT OF THE GREYBACK CANE BEETLE IN THE SUGARCANE LANDSCAPE: DATA AVAILABLE AND RESEARCH NEEDS

The greyback canegrub, Dermolepida albohirtum, remains a major problem in several sugarcane areas in the north Queensland despite years of control efforts. So far, research programs have been mainly focused on the larval stage and its damage to sugarcane fields. However, information is lacking on adult behaviour and movement in sugarcane fields and the surrounding landscape. The adult beetle spends most of its life span swarming and feeding on trees along river banks, forest edges and scrubs or even in farms, where they aggregate, mate and then return to sugarcane fields to lay eggs. It is important to study the dispersal capacity of this species to facilitate prediction of future infestations and improve current management strategies. This paper presents data and information currently available on the ecology of the greyback beetle and proposes several research actions and new technologies to further study the flight pattern of this beetle on a landscape scale.