As industries become more confident and experienced in managing this pest, and natural enemies start to suppress outbreaks, FAW is likely to become more easily managed in our farming systems. silverleaf whitefly outbreak in CQ and solenopsis mealybug). This has been the pattern for other exotic species in recent years (e.g. It is possible that FAW infestations will be severe in the first few years of this incursion. In the interim, Industry bodies are collaborating to secure emergency permits to provide growers with chemical management options should control be required. Insecticide resistance management of this pest, and the consideration of how its management will impact on resistance development in Helicoverpa armigera and other species will be a key focus of research. Insecticide resistance has been a feature of FAW infestations with almost complete failure of all options in Brazil causing significant management issues. In partnership with industry, staff at the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will be conducting research to understand the pest status of this insect within our production systems with the aim of identifying and developing a range of sustainable practices (cultural, biological and chemical) to enable effective control. Crops recorded as preferred hosts of this pest in other regions include maize, sweet corn, rice, sorghum, cotton and sugarcane, along with many horticultural species. Originating from tropical and sub-tropical areas of the Americas, FAW was reported in Africa in 2016 and has subsequently spread across much of Africa and southern Asia.

State and federal biosecurity organisations have determined it to be unfeasible to eradicate this pest and it is now classified as an endemic pest. Fall armyworm (FAW, Spodoptera frugiperda) is an exotic pest that was detected in northern Queensland in a maize crop in February 2020.

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