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Weed Biocontrol articles

  1. More damage, less biomass: monitoring progress of tradescantia biocontrol

    Four classical biocontrol agents targeting tradescantia have been present in New Zealand’s environment for up to 14 years.

  2. Biocontrol of giant reed encounters hurdles

    The team in the BSI have been exploring options for biocontrol of giant reed (Arundo donax) in both the Pacific and New Zealand, but success remains elusive. Giant reed is a tall, woody, Eurasian grass that now occurs in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate regions on all continents except Anta...

  3. More countries in the Pacific identify their top weeds for biocontrol

    Two countries in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands, recently held workshops to determine their top priority weeds for biocontrol. Both countries are home to some of the world’s richest biodiversity, but their unique flora and fauna and ecosystems are being threatened by inv...

  4. Register now for ISBCW 2026!

    Next year, the Bioeconomy Science Institute will be hosting the International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds (ISBCW) from 8-13 March 2026 in Rotorua.

  5. African tulip tree beetle exceeds early expectations in Rarotonga

    In mid-June, two Bioeconomy Science Institute, Manaaki Whenua Group staff, Quentin Paynter and Lynley Hayes, travelled to Rarotonga to monitor the establishment and spread of the African tulip tree beetle (Paradibolia coerulea).

  6. It’s time to tackle lagarosiphon

    More than 10 years after first proposing to target lagarosiphon (Lagarosiphon major) for biocontrol, MW-BSI has finally started preparing a release application for the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

  7. Spotting trouble early

    Every two years, thousands of rural landowners take part in the Survey of Rural Decision Makers (SRDM) – a nationwide effort to understand what’s happening on the ground in Aotearoa New Zealand’s food and fibre sector. In the last three rounds of the survey (2019, 2021 & 2023) we have included quest...

  8. Heather biochemistry differs between its native and invasive ranges

    All plants have a biochemical profile, which can be altered by abiotic conditions such as light and nutrient availability and biotic factors such as herbivory and plant pathogens. In issue 99 we wrote about plant metabolomics (the study of plant biochemistry at the molecular level) and how it can af...

  9. A newly established wasp unanimously welcomed

    The bud-galling wasp (Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae) was released at two sites in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region against Sydney golden wattle (Acacia longifolia) in December 2022 and 2023. We are now excited to report that this agent has successfully established at both sites and numbers are expe...

  10. Progress for taro vine in the Pacific

    MWLR’s biological control programme against Devil’s ivy, also known more commonly in the Pacific as taro vine (Epipremnum pinnatum cv. ‘Aureum’), began in 2020 when the weed was chosen as a novel target for work under the Managing Invasive Species for Climate Change Adaptation in the Pacific (MISCCA...