Mango Flower Beetle (forum)

Cliff Hislop starts with ...
The Qld Museum has identified photos of beetle specimens I presented through the Indigiscapes Centre as Mango Flower Beetle. These beetles have appeared on my small tree in fair numbers during this and last year's seasons. Can you please advise if they are regarded as pests and if so what appropriate management techniques should be applied.

Time: 27th August 2007 11:08pm

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About the Author Cliff Hislop
Thorneside
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Correy says...
The Mango Flower Beetle or Protaetia fusca loves eating flowers for the nector and has been known to hang out in bee hives and also enjoy overripe fruit.

In Australia they have been added to the lists of pests although we don't have that many but I think they are trying to keep them out of WA because they don't have any.

It has a few natural enemies in Australia:
Control: Natural enemies of adult Protaetia fusca in Australia include the bird Dacelo novaeguineae (Hermann) (kookaburra) and the fungus Aspergillus flavus Link. Threskiornis spinicollis (Jameson), the straw-necked ibis, is an effective larval predator and adult wasps of Scolia verticalis F. have been bred from P. fusca larvae (Simpson, 1990).
www.daff.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0015/164004/ll_finalb.doc)

As to management I assume that you may have success with some pesticides however I don't have enough knowledge to comment further.

More Information
You can always do a google search limiting it to Australia like this however the specific information is not that good at the moment.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&q=Protaetia+fusca&btnG=Search&meta=cr%3DcountryAU

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Mango's release such a strong and pugnant smell when flowering. It is no wonder that all the beetles and animals are keen to eat them.
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Time: 5th November 2007 8:21pm

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About the Author Correy
Woolloongabba, QLD
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Mason says...
There in Wa. They poped up in my garden a week or two ago. My mango tree wont be getting fruit for another year or s yet, but they're defiantly interested in the plant.
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Time: 16th March 2014 5:53pm

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About the Author Mason
Yokine, WA
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avie.tag says...
Well, I think they’re all in my garden!!! They are loving my dragon fruit plants and eating holes in the fronds!!! They also were getting stuck into a split dragon fruit that I hadn’t picked yet. They seem to be everywhere in my garden. On my Geisha girls, on my mock oranges an in my jacaranda tree. 😱. Starting to get a bit worried as to what damage they’re going to do. 😨. I sprayed my dragon fruit with vinegar & dishwashing liquid to see if that would do anything. They definitely didn’t like it. So will use this method until it has no effect.
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Time: 18th March 2020 7:25am

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About the Author avie.tag
Caboolture
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