Dieback On Bell Miners

120 Words1 Page

Dieback is a condition in which trees progressively die, from the top downward. The condition spreads through the leaves and branches and often the whole plant will eventually die. The hardwood forests of north-east NSW are increasingly suffering from a form of dieback. This type of dieback is strongly associated with sap-feeding insects called psyllids and psyllids are strongly associated with the native bell miner or bellbird. Bell miners are a natural part of eucalypt forests, and they normally have a minor (and positive) impact on forests. However, bell miner populations have increased in size, and the birds have become more widely distributed. Bell miners have been implicated in the spread of dieback, in addition to other factors such

Open Document