O’Moore Innovation EIP web launch recently took place at the Heritage Hotel, Killenard in Co. Laois, involving the presentation of a recent survey conducted on invertebrates (cold-blooded species without a backbone such a dung beetles) associated with pastoral grazing in a dairy landscape.
The survey was conducted to establish a baseline level of dung beetle populations on a dairy farm in Co. Laois by members of the O’Moore Dairy Discussion group EIP from Munster Technological University (MTU) – Killian Kelly, Peter Stuart and Hugh Patrick O’Connor.
The group also looked to implement many measures that have been identified as aiding an increase in dung beetle populations with a further goal to reduce animal remedy usage which is linked to populations of insects declining.
As part of the survey, they listed the many benefits of dung beetles in a farm setting including:
- They remove dung, which prevents pasture growth being hindered;
- Reduce survivability of gastrointestinal parasites;
- Reduce habitat for dung flies;
- Increase oxygenation of faeces;
- Drive nutrient cycling;
- Allow access to faeces by other organisms;
- Transport seeds from dung;
- Transport mites, which feed on eggs of dung flies.
They also included the impact of antithetical drugs on invertebrates which stated that veterinary medicines for parasite control can block nerve signal transmissions.
They are poorly metabolised and pass unchanged from animals into the dung and urine, while having sub-lethal and lethal consequences including paralysis and death.
Anthelminitic drugs can be very effective on parasites which are the target species, but they can also have an impact on non target species.
There may be benefits for dung beetles, and the wider invertebrate community with the reduction of anthelmintic drugs.
Important processes including decomposition, nutrient cycling, seed dispersal are affected by the death or impairment of dung beetles.
Method used on dung beetles
As part of the method, the students went to five farms, with five baited pitfall traps per farm and collected the beetles after 10 days.
They then repeated this a total of four times which took place in autumn 2022; winter 2022-2023; spring 2023 and summer 2023.
The samples were then collected by farmers and posted to Kerry where they were cleaned and stored and identified in a laboratory with a microscope and keys.
A total of 21,605 individuals were captured, across 45 species, of which 8,275 were beetles.
The other insects collected included flies; isopods; spiders; ants; mites; earwigs; slugs/snails; collembola and bugs (Hemiptera).