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Microbats are ferocious insectivores that provide valuable pest control services in South African macadamia orchards. During the 2024-25 macadamia season, PhD student Rani Davis has recorded high levels of microbat activity in southeast Queensland orchards, indicating their potential to deliver similar benefits in Australia. Her ongoing research is examining the diet of microbats, including their consumption of macadamia pests, and how orchard management influences their activity.

In the upcoming production season, Rani will investigate how canopy openness – shaped by tree variety, planting density and alleyway width – affects microbat activity within orchards. Canopy openness influences the amount of flight space available for microbats, which likely impacts their pest control services within an orchard. Some microbat species prefer open spaces with more room to fly, while others can maneuverer through dense foliage. By identifying which orchard types support the most microbats, this research will help growers encourage these natural pest controllers on their farms. 

Rani is seeking expressions of interest from growers across Australia with orchards ranging from open (low density, wide alleyways) to mature, closed-canopy (high density, narrow or no alleyway) systems.

What’s involved?

- Rani will conduct up to 4 short ecological surveys (3-5 days each) using equipment like bat detectors and invertebrate traps.

- This equipment is small and won’t interfere with farm operations. 

- Daytime visits to set up equipment and nighttime bat captures for dietary analysis. 

If you would like to participate or learn more about this research, please contact Rani Davis at [email protected]