Updating and widening access to BIOCAT

So what's the problem?

Former Director of CABI's International Institute of Biological Control, David Greathead, developed and maintained a global database of classical biological control introductions of insects to control insects: BIOCAT. This database included basic data on all insects introduced for biological control, and was maintained by David Greathead even after retirement, until his death in 2006 at the age of 74. The database should be a key information resource for biological control researchers, pest management specialists, those working on alien species, biological control regulatory authorities, quarantine regulatory authorities, taxonomists and ecologists. When David Greathead stopped updating it in 2006, it contained 5558 records.

What is this project doing?

This project is bringing the database up to date, after which it will be made available via the internet. Existing records are being checked, and modified to a new database structure to make analysis easier, and meet some of the identified uses and needs. BIOCAT has been updated with new introductions published over the last five years.  In future, CABI will work on expanded coverage to include all invertebrates used for the biological control of other invertebrates.

Results so far

A form has been designed to collect information and reformat the original database. Data has been collected for introductions into the Old World since 2005. A partnership has been established with Professor Moses Kairo, Institute of Biological Control, Florida A&M University, to collect data on the New World Introductions, which is on-going.

Project reports

Description and analysis of BIOCAT (Greathead & Greathead 1992)
News item about project from Biocontrol News & Information
Retrospective on David Greathead's life in biological control

Project Manager

Matthew Cock

Address: Bakeham Lane, Egham, Surrey, TW209TY, United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)1491 829037

Email: m.cock@cabi.org