One of the reasons is the lack of active dung beetles at this time of year. For livestock producers this is an issue that needs to be addressed, and with the help of the Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers, based at CSU Wagga, the spring gap of dung beetles will soon be a thing of the past.

When dung beetles are active, they are rapidly burying dung pads, which reduces fly breeding sites and therefore fly numbers. These nifty beetles have so many benefits for livestock managers.Dung burial also reduces the infective stages of gastrointestinal parasites of livestock, they clean up pastures and replace nutrients in the soil.

The dung beetle tunnels result in greater water retention and less run off, improving root penetration and soil aeration. Producers report healthier pastures, potentially reduced fertiliser requirement, improved resilience to the effects of drought and reduced animal welfare issues such as fly strike when dung beetles are present in large numbers.

Holbrook Landcare has partnered with CSU's Dung Beetle Ecosystem Engineers project to help distribute a new dung beetle species into the region with the aim of filling the identified spring gap.

The Onthophagus vacca originates from Morocco and is active from late winter to mid summer. This new species will take a couple of years to establish before their impact will be noticed in the paddock. However, the process is underway and thanks to this new spring active species, dung beetle benefit could soon be felt year-round.