Category

Dung Beetle

There are close to 150 species of dung beetles in the U.S., and at least a dozen serve important roles in agriculture, burying livestock dung, returning key nutrients to the soil, and cleaning pastures of manure that may contain pests. However, chemicals used to control livestock parasites have cut back on these beetle populations, hurting the health of livestock and the larger landscape.

Interviews

Narrator: Walt DavisTitle: Never Ending CycleDuration: 00:02:40Date: October 19, 2000Walt Davis, a cattle rancher, writer and consultant, explains the value of the insects that ensure that nutrients cycle through soil, plants and animals. He points out that the parasiticides and other chemicals used in modern agriculture can interrupt that cycle, and cause valuable nutrients to be lost.Narrator: Pat RichardsonTitle: Wormers and BeetlesDuration: 00:03:27Date: April 8, 2020Pat Richardson, a Ph.D. biologist, studied dung beetles in the field and at the University of Texas for years, and here tells about the pest control trade-offs between using biological tools, such as the dung beetle, vs. applying chemical parasiticides.