Biological control against the invasive Comstock mealybug in the Swiss orchards
A new invasive pest of particular concern to Switzerland’s orchard industry is the Comstock mealybug, Pseudococcus comstocki. Originating from Asia, the Comstock mealybug was first detected in 2016 in fruit crops of the Swiss canton of Valais. Following its detection, the mealybug has caused significant local economic damage to apricot,…
Biological control could be the key to saving one of Britain’s rarest birds from extinction
CABI is sharing its expertise on biological pest control to try and help save one of Britain’s rarest birds from extinction on the UK Overseas Territory of Tristan da Cunha - the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world. Dr Norbert Maczey is leading a team of CABI scientists who…
Saving Tristan’s only native tree and its associated unique buntings
Invasive non-native species are a major threat on oceanic islands due to their vulnerability and endemism, typical of island ecosystems. On Tristan da Cunha, a remote group of islands in the South Atlantic, Brown soft scale, (Coccus hesperidum), an invasive alien scale insect, has infested Tristan’s only native tree, Phylica…
Review helps countries prepare for potential invasion of ‘hitchhiking’ yellow spotted stink bug pest
The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI), through its work within the MARA-CABI Joint Laboratory for Bio-safety in Beijing, China, has played a key role in a new review which serves to help countries prepare for a possible invasion of the ‘hitchhiking’ fruit and nut pest – the Yellow…
CABI launches new portal to help facilitate greater collaboration on fall armyworm research
CABI has partnered with leading researchers and institutions to launch a new portal that facilitates global research collaboration to help fight the devastating crop pest fall armyworm (FAW). The CABI-led Fall Armyworm Research Collaboration Portal, is a free-to-access platform that enables the sharing of research data, insights and outputs, and…
Biopesticides effectively halt the devastating fall armyworm in South Sudan
CABI has briefed the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on a successful project to deploy a safe-to-use and environmentally friendly biopesticide in the fight against the fall armyworm (FAW) pest in South Sudan. Dr Ivan Rwomushana, Senior Scientist, Invasive Species Management, based at CABI’s centre in…