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2022 Weed Biocontrol articles

  1. Spring Activities

    Most biocontrol agents become active during spring, making it a busy time of year to check release sites and move agents around.

  2. Who's Who in the Biological Control of Weeds

    Comprehensive list of weed biocontrol agents under investigation at Manaaki Whenua.

  3. Further Reading and Agents Released 2021/22

    Recent relevant publications from the Biological Control of Weeds group.

  4. Event videos: Pacific Battler Lounge

    The 'Pacific Battler Lounge' promotes awareness of invasive species issues and activities. This virtual event features video clips and panel discussions.

  5. Selwyn MP, Nicola Grigg, Visits the Lincoln Team

    Following on from the publication of a report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment on the issue of weeds in New Zealand, a Parliamentary Select Committee hearing was held to discuss the findings. At the hearing a question about non-chemical control options for weeds came from none o...

  6. Two Recruits to Battle Old Man’s Beard

    Recent efforts to get two biocontrol agents established on old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba), one of New Zealand’s worst invasive weeds, have proven successful. According to Arnaud Cartier, our technician on the project, this last season was full of exciting developments with new populations of the...

  7. Yellow Flag Iris Project Soldiers on

    The yellow flag iris (Iris pseudacorus) biocontrol programme has been progressing at a steady pace, with activities in both New Zealand and South Africa contributing to the project’s momentum. Host specificity testing of the iris flea beetle (Aphthona nonstriata) by the Centre for Biocontrol (CBC) a...

  8. Coming Soon! The Chilean Flame Creeper Beetle

    Research on the biocontrol programme for Chilean flame creeper (Tropaeolum speciosum) has progressed well, continuing simultaneously in New Zealand and in the weed’s native range of Chile.

  9. Disappointed but not Defeated

    In September 2021, more than a decade after receiving permission from the EPA to import a rust fungus (Uromyces pencanus) as a candidate biocontrol agent for Chilean needle grass (Nassella neesiana), we finally got export approval from the Argentinean government. The full story behind the 10-year de...

  10. Woolly Nightshade Still a Tough Target

    The search has been on again for new biocontrol agents for woolly nightshade (Solanum mauritianum), and fortunately we didn’t have to look far to find a candidate agent worth considering. Our plans to revive the woolly nightshade programme coincided perfectly with the same plans in South Africa. Eve...