Chomping, boring and sucking on our doorstep - the menace from the north

In a pest risk analysis undertaken for the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service's Northern Australian Quarantine Strategy, 213 species of insects and mites were identified as pests of sugarcane in areas to the north of Australia. The potential for incursion and establishment into Australia was determined for all species, and dossiers were prepared on the 39 species most likely to invade. Of these, the importance of 20 was rated high, 11 were rated medium-high, 3 were rated medium and 5 were rated low. The authors identified 11 planthoppers, 2 leafhoppers, 12 moth borers, 7 whitegrubs, 2 black beetles, 2 scale insects, 1 whitefly, 1 aphid and 1 weevil borer with potential for introduction and establishment.