Final Insect Diagnostics training workshop in Port Moresby, 23 - 27th May 2016, was the largest group yet

The fourth and final NARI, UNSW, Australian Museum and PestNet Insect Diagnostics Workshop has now wrapped in Port Moresby at the end of May. The workshop was held at NAQIA HQ and was the largest so far with 37 participants coming from the Port Moresby district and further afield from Kimbe, Alotau, Vanimo and Lae, and one participant Fereti Atumurirava from the Pacific Community, Fiji. Institutions taking part included again NAQIA, NARI, FPDA and PNGFA and for the first time participants were welcomed from PAU, PNG OPRA, CPA and UPNG.

The workshop started out getting into the nuts and bolts of insect morphology, the basic knowledge required to be able to use diagnostic tools to identify insects. This was followed by a field day to collect insects and learn about different insect collecting techniques. The group travelled out to NARI's Southern Regional Centre at Laloki, Central Province and collected insects in the agricultural fields and gardens and also from Eucalyptus savannah woodland onsite. The remainder of the week was spent practicing curation techniques (pinning and labelling insect specimens) and then identifying these insect collections to Order using the new Key to Insect Orders of PNG created under this project. Presentations and training also covered insect life histories and evolution, identification of larval insect specimens also using the key, insect micro-photography and resources for insect pest identification and pest management in the Pacific presented by Grahame Jackson of PestNet (including Plant Health Clinics in the Pacific). Participants also had the chance to use the PestNet Pacific Pests and Pathogens App on tablet devices that were made available. The app allows pest diagnostics based on crops or symptoms and contains factsheets for many common and important insect pests in PNG.

We thank NAQIA for their support in hosting and officially opening and closing the workshop and Amanda Mararuai and David Tanakanai for their support in the preparations and planning. We also thank special guests Professors Simon Saulei (UPNG), Lohi Matainaho (CEO Research Science and Technology) for their support and for addressing the group. We were also pleased to have media producer and director Megan Taureka-Andrew (Tok Didiman na Meri) along throughout the ween to document the workshop activities for broadcast across local media.

June 2016

Recommissioning of the National Agricultural Insect Collection (NAIC)

Back in November 2015 NAIC was officially recommissioned in a ceremony organised by Dr Sim Sar (NARI Programme Director) at the collection in Kilakila, Port Moresby. The ceremony was addressed by Dr Sar and NARI Director General Sergie Bang, as well as Prof. Gerry Cassis (UNSW), Dr. Kulala Mulung (Science & Technology Secretariat), Dr. Lawong Balun (UPNG) and Mr Barnabas Wilmot (Environment and Conservation Protection Authority). Thanks to Clifton Gwabu (NARI Research & Development Coordinator)

The collections have been reopened to the public and institutions for access by NARI and are being managed currently by Entomology Cadet, Clementine Sesega. NAIC is the largest insect collection in PNG. It was established after the Second World War with a focus of insects of agricultural importance, but contains a sample of PNG's insect diversity made by entomologists working in the collections over the years, as well as some recent inclusions deposited from biodiversity survey work. The most represented insect orders in the NAIC collections are Coleoptera and Lepidoptera.

If anyone is interested in visiting NAIC in Port Moresby get in contact with Clementine via email: clementine.sesega@nari.org.pg

February 2016

Capacity building training in entomological collections management in Sydney

It's been great to have Clementine Sesega (Cadet Entomologist, NARI) in Sydney to work with us learning collections management and taxonomy related skills both in our lab at UNSW and with Chris at the Australian Museum. It's been a chance for Clementine to work further on techniques and skills gained through the Insect Diagnostics Workshop such as specimen imaging, pinning labelling and curation, as well as insect identification using keys and taxonomic literature.

We wrote a small news post in the Facebook Group that we created here for all the Facebook users out there. You can see the post here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618890301729353/

And for non-Facebookers here is the news and a few photos attached:

Sydney, 8-26th February: UNSW and the Australian Museum have been hosting Clementine Sesega (Cadet Entomologist at NARI) for 3 weeks of entomological collections management and taxonomy training. Clementine has recently taken up the role to manage the National Agricultural Insect Collection (NAIC, Kilakila, Port Moresby). Clementine has been working with Prof Gerry Cassis and Celia Symonds at UNSW and Dr Chris Reid at the Australian Museum. The training is to support the management of the PNG national collections at NAIC in order that these collections be maintained and preserved into the future and so that the information held in the collections be made more accessible for education and research. Work has included going over collection storage and specimen curation, health and safety aspects of managing entomological collections, identification work using taxonomic keys and accessing taxonomic literature and catalogues, as well as specimen data digitisation and specimen imaging for upload to the web. Clementine is looking forward to putting her new knowledge and skills to use back at Kilakila. Clementine also managed to see some of the sights of Sydney at lunchtime with Chris...a stroll from the Australian Museum.

Here's the group page and please join as another way to keep up with news and the network of participants:

facebook.com/groups/1618890301729353/

December 2015

3rd Insects Diagnostics Workshop has been undertaken in East New Britain Province, November 2015

The third workshop in our series of entomology training with the national Agricultural Research Institute (NARI) in Papua New Guinea was held at the NARI Islands Regional Centre in Keravat, East New Britain. The course was led again by entomologists Professor Gerry Cassis (UNSW Australia) and Dr Chris Reid (Australian Museum) with Associate Professor Wendy Shaw and Celia Symonds (UNSW) and Dr Graham Jackson (PestNet).

Twenty four participants attended from NARI, UNRE Vudal, CCI, DPI, FPDA, PNGFA, NAQIA and OISCA (excuse all the acronyms!).

The basics of entomology starts with creating and curating collections and so again participants were sent out to collect insect specimens for pinning and labelling as well as recording collection data in the field. Various passive insect traps were setup at both day and night to collect a variety of specimens and different orders of insects.

In the lab, after participants mastered pinning of their specimens, Gerry and Chris taught the basics of insect morphology which is fundamental for using diagnostic keys to identify insects.

Participants came together in groups to prepare their own keys for 8 insect orders and also "HelpMe" files for getting expert diagnostic help in a pest discovery scenario.

We would like to thank all the workshop participants for their input to the workshop which made it what it was and also we thank all the staff at NARI and the IRC Keravat, in particular Dr Sim Sar the project champion and Mr Fidelis Hela our entomology champion in ENB, as well as Rex and Tio for their support whilst in East New Britain.

Facebook members can login and click on this link to see this post and more photos from the East New Britain training workshop:

facebook.com/media/set/?oa.1657394941212222&type=1

August 2015

"Teaching entomology in Papua New Guinea" by Dr Chris Reid of the Australian Museum - Part Two.

A second blog written by Chris for the Australian Museum website after the second training workshop in Madang with the New Guinea Binatang Research Centre at Nagada in June 2015:

http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/amri-news/amri-teaching-entomology-in-papua-new-guinea-part-two

March 2015

"Teaching entomology in Papua New Guinea" by Dr Chris Reid of the Australian Museum - Part One.

A blog written by Chris about experiences in Lae with the first Insect Diagnostics Training workshop in November 2014, held at NARI's main campus at Bubia:

http://australianmuseum.net.au/blogpost/amri-news/amri-teaching-entomology-in-papua-new-guinea