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2026 Weed Biocontrol articles

  1. A New Biocontrol Target for the Pacific?

    Cordia alliodora, known as cordia or kotia in Tonga and Samoa, is increasingly recognised as an invasive weed of concern. Late last year the BSI weed biocontrol group began assessing whether this tree could be a suitable target for control. A feasibility study was prepared for the Secretariat of the...

  2. A Rust Joins the Fight Against Darwin’s Barberry

    In July 2025 the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) approved the release of the Darwin’s barberry rust fungus and the Darwin’s barberry flower weevil as biocontrol agents for the invasive shrub Darwin’s barberry.

  3. Finding the Weevil in the Horsetail-Stack

    The weed biocontrol team recently visited several release sites to check whether the field horsetail weevil (Grypus equiseti) has established. Signs of plant damage were detected back in 2023, but until now the agent itself had never been found at the field sites. This spring the team’s efforts fina...

  4. Surveying for Biocontrol Agents in a Weed’s Native Range

    The very first premeditated classical weed biocontrol programme was remarkably unsophisticated: 14 insect species collected by Albert Koebele in Mexico were released on lantana (Lantana camara) in Hawaii in 1902. Agent selection was based on Koebele’s judgement and didn’t even include host specifici...