The Top 10 priority plant pests for the Northern Territory have been released by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries today to coincide with National Biosecurity Week.
National Biosecurity Week is on from 25-31 August each year and shines a spotlight on the vital role biosecurity plays in protecting our environment, food supply, economy, and way of life.
The Top 10 priority pests have been prioritised in order of which is the greatest threat to national and regional industries, with priority pest lists guiding biosecurity actions and investment to address these threats.
Listed species are either exotic to Australia, such as Xylella, exotic to the Northern Territory including Red imported Fire Ants and Varroa mite or have established in the NT and are under management including Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus and Fall armyworm. Individual species have been assigned into functional groups based on how they impact plant health.
The 2025 Top 10 priority pest list for the NT includes:
#1 - Tramp ants: top our priority pest list because they're a triple threat. Species like the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) can injure or kill humans, livestock & wildlife, and even plants. Combined with their hitchhiking skills, they are a major risk to the NT's industries & way of life.
#2 - insect-borne diseases: It's not just mozzies that spread disease - plants are vulnerable to a range of pathogens spread by insects. Xylella and Citrus greening may be microscopic, but they have significant impact on the NT's fruit and vegetable production and make it hard to grow many garden plants.
#3 - sucking insects & mites: A range of bugs and mites, including Yellow-spotted stink bugs and spider mites, drink plant sap through tube-like mouthparts and destroy fresh leaves and shoots of plants in the process. Others, like Citrus psyllids, are a double threat because they can also spread crippling diseases like Citrus greening through their feeding behaviour.
#4 - Fruit flies: Fruit flies are a major risk to the NT's tropical fruit production. Adult flies lay their eggs directly into fruit, which is turned to pulp by their maggots. While quality checks have reduced fruit fly risk, anyone smuggling fruit into the Territory is risking the NT's iconic mangoes and tropical fruit production.
#5 - Leaf & stem diseases: Like humans, plants can also catch a cold. Viruses, bacteria and phytoplasmas can really get a plant down. Diseases like mosaic viruses, cankers and tomato brown rugose virus can turn plants to mush very quickly. And everything from the humble backyard tomatoes to forest giants like Eucalypts or Gum trees are at risk.
#6 - Bee pests & diseases: Bees are the lifeblood of our planet - and the NT is one of the last remaining strongholds against threats like Varroa and Tracheal mites, and diseases like Chalkbrood and Foulbrood. If they enter the NT in illegally imported hives, bees, or bee products, the NT's apiculture industry will 'bee' at risk. Help keep the Territory's bees buzzing - register your hives and don't bring bees or bee products into the NT.
#7 - Timber pests: While some bugs suck, timber pests are boring! Exotic threats like the Polyphagous shot-hole borer (PSHB) and even the NT's own Giant termites can decimate entire trees, reducing tree cover in forests and urban areas.
#8 - Wilts, rots & nematodes: Wilts, rots and nematodes are insidious and can cause widespread disease that can quickly destroy entire crops before harvest. By damaging the water and nutrient transport channels in plants, these pathogens affect numerous crops and are difficult to treat and eradicate.
#9 - Beetles & caterpillars: With voracious appetites, a range of exotic beetles and caterpillars will quickly shred important crops and forest trees. Pests like the Red-banded mango caterpillar, leaf miners and fall armyworm threaten to make short work of our crops and environment.
#10 - Snails & slugs: Cuban slugs are skilled hitchhikers and can spread via cargo and machinery.
Quotes from Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Senior Executive Director Biosecurity Lorraine Corowa:
"Biosecurity week is an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the vital role biosecurity plays in protecting our environment, food, economy and way of life.
"Pest lists identify key threats to national and regional industries, enabling informed decision making on surveillance, research and preparedness to enable the export of Territory-grown produce.
"Biosecurity is everyone's responsibility-if you see unusual pests or signs in plants or animals including invasive animals and weeds report it to the Biosecurity Hotline."
