Cibdela janthina (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae) is a folivorous sawfly, native to Sumatra, that was introduced in the French island of La Réunion in the Mascarenes as a biological control agent of the giant bramble Rubus alceifolius (Rosaceae). It was released in 2008 and successfully controlled the ...

To reduce the number of seeds released by Hakea sericea after fires, two seed-feeding insects were introduced into South Africa from Australia in 1970: a seed-moth, C. autologa, the larvae of which destroy the seeds in mature fruits, and a seed-feeding weevil Erytenna consputa, the larvae of which...

This paper highlights the most promising potential biological control agents for S. campanulata, namely Paradibolia coerulea, Bunia pagnana and Colomerus spathodeae that were sampled during the surveys in Ghana, and presents the results of host-specificity testing for one of the agents. The surveys ...

The invasive and predatory harlequin lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, has been introduced as a biological control agent to many agricultural areas worldwide and has now spread from agricultural to natural habitats where it threatens native arthropod biodiversity. The aim of this study was to...

A Chinese biotype of Lilioceris cheni Gressitt and Kimoto (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is being mass reared and released in Florida for biological control of the invasive air potato vine, Dioscorea bulbifera L. (Dioscoreales). Another biotype from Nepal is under investigation for determining whether ...

The nearctic moth Acontia candefacta (Lepidoptera Noctuidae) is expanding its range in Europe. The species is considered a successful agent for biological control of Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Asterales Asteraceae), a weed whose pollen causes allergies in humans. A few additional findings of the moth ...

Biological invasions are a major threat to biodiversity and as such understanding their impacts is a research priority. Ecological networks provide a valuable tool to explore such impacts at the community level, and can be particularly insightful for planning and monitoring biocontrol programmes,...

Thriving populations of invasive species often decline, but the mechanisms behind such declines are rarely elucidated. The microbial community living within insects can have significant impacts on host health and population dynamics and may be one such mechanism. Here, we use Illumina RNAseq and...

To a large degree, the most serious insect and weed pests around the world are non-native, invasive species. Classical biological control, the introduction of natural enemies of invasive species to limit their populations, is a possible mechanism for alleviating the impacts of non-native pests....

Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been introduced widely for biological control of agricultural pests. Harmonia axyridis has established in four continents outside of its native range in Asia and it is considered an invasive alien species (IAS). Despite a large body of work on...