Packages of dung beetles
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (388180)
Rockingham, Australia
June 26, 2026 10:22pm CST
Australia has a lot of cattle scattered over our land and of course they all defecate. Where there are a number of cows per acre/hectare, the ‘cow pats’ are the ideal breeding place for flies. One method of dealing with the problem is to introduce dung beetles. The different dung beetle species go dormant at different times so now cattlemen are introducing a variety of species so that the cleaning of paddocks is continual.
It seems there are three types: rollers, tunnellers and dwellers. Tunnellers bury and consume dung thus improving the soil, helping disperse seeds and keeping pastures clean. In the USA, an estimated $US380 million is saved annually by dung being buried.
In Australia, an exchange program between Tasmania and South Australia, and involving dung beetles has been going on for five years. Over 8,000 Bubas bison dung beetles are sent express post from South Australia to Tasmania, and in return, South Australian livestock farmers receive shipments of blue bomber beetles. Postal workers say you can hear the buzzing of the beetles from 5 to 10 metres away.
I wonder if they count out the 8.000 beetles one by one. (That’s a joke.)
The photo (courtesy Wikimedia, Kay-africa) shows a dung beetle moving a dung ball with its hind legs.
19 people like this
18 responses
@Orson_Kart (8724)
• United Kingdom
27 Jun
In my ignorance, I thought there was only dung beetles in Africa. I’ve often watched wildlife documentaries showing them rolling the dung across the Sahara desert. Fascinating! Now you are telling me you have them in Australia, and not only that but there isn’t just rollers, but tunnellers and dwellers. Mind-blowing!
I wonder how they do know there are 8,000 beetles in the box? Maybe by weight? Did you find out how?
Talking of how. Did you ever watch the British tv program called “How”? Jack Hargreaves (he used to smoke a pipe on the show), Fred Dineage, and others, whose names I can’t recall, used to tell you how things worked.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (388180)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun
Maybe they counted out 80 and weighed that then multipied it by.... 1,000? Does that work? lol
I haven't watched that show but I've heard of similar programs that give information on how things work.
@JudyEv (388180)
• Rockingham, Australia
29 Jun
@rebelann There is a machine now which is supposed to clear horse paddocks of dung. A lot of horses here are in quite small paddocks and flies can become a real issue. Dung beetles will deal with horse poo too but where there are no beetles, people often pick up the dung or use a machine.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (46592)
• Denver, Colorado
28 Jun
This fellow would love to volunteer to count the beetles one by one. 
2 people like this
@snowy22315 (212786)
• United States
27 Jun
I guess every animal has some kind of use.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (40023)
• Toccoa, Georgia
28 Jun
Wow, very interesting, never knew that about dung beetles.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (100845)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
27 Jun
Glad that they can try this natural method; I hope it works.
1 person likes this
@Shiva49 (28861)
• Singapore
27 Jun
Nature provides adequate cleaning agents which go about their work unobtrusively.
But this dung beetle seems to have chewed more than it can swallow but it is equal to the task it looks like.
And they do travel a lot in search of better pastures helped by us of course.
1 person likes this
@Dreamerby (10389)
• Calcutta, India
28 Jun
Its indeed amazing how such small creatures can produce a large-scale effect.
1 person likes this
@valherma00 (5346)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
28 Jun
you are right, who can count them ah, bugs, i don't like them but i support the big purpose behind this.
ah, bugs, i don't like them but i support the big purpose behind this.1 person likes this
@valherma00 (5346)
• Zagreb, Croatia (Hrvatska)
8 Jul
@JudyEv and let that continues
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (170568)
• United States
27 Jun
So you have answered to my education. I never understood that dung beatles had a purpose. I knew they existed, though.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (388180)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun
You would think that there would need to be a whole lot of dung beetles before it would make much difference.
@changjiangzhibin89 (17302)
• China
27 Jun
The dung beetles play an important role in the cleaning of paddocks ! Even though they do so out of the need for survival.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (388180)
• Rockingham, Australia
28 Jun
I found this on a website: The Australian Dung Beetle Project ran from 1964 to 1985. During this time, 55 species of dung beetle were imported into Australia from Hawaii, Africa and southern Europe.
I can only suppose that that is correct.
@wolfgirl569 (140444)
• Marion, Ohio
27 Jun
That's a good way to deal with the problem
1 person likes this
