Invasive non-native species cost UK economy an estimated £4bn a year, new CABI-led study reveals
CABI scientists have carried out a study which reveals invasive non-native species (INNS) – such as the aquatic water weeds floating pennywort and Japanese knotweed as well as signal crayfish – cost the UK economy an estimated £4bn a year. However, when species only covered by the GB Non-native Species…
CABI to investigate using parasitic fly as a classical biological control agent against Japanese beetle
It may look pretty but the Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is one pesky pest – which feeds on the foliage and fruits of hundreds of fruit tree species – that in the USA alone costs a staggering $450 million a year to control. But CABI scientists from its centre in…
Biocontrol agent released to control noxious parthenium weed in Pakistan
A “major step forward in the fight against noxious parthenium weed” in Pakistan has been taken with the release of a biological control agent at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC) in Islamabad. The move is seen as a significant measure to help combat the risks parthenium poses to human…
Project advocates village-based biological control of fall armyworm in Zambia
CABI working with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) and the University of Zambia (UNZA) is embarking on a project, funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), to advocate village-based biological control of the devastating fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) in rural Zambia. The project will help improve…
New study reveals willingness of papaya farmers in Kenya to reduce pesticide use
A new study published in the CABI Agriculture and Bioscience journal has revealed a willingness of smallholder papaya farmers in Kenya to reduce their chemical pesticide use to fight the papaya mealybug (Paracoccus marginatus). Researchers from CABI surveyed 383 farming households in four counties in Kenya alongside key informant interviews…
Samurai wasp has minimal impact on native stink bugs, new CABI-led study confirms
A new study led by CABI has confirmed that the Samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) – a natural enemy of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) pest – has minimal impact on native stink bugs. Dr Tim Haye, Head of Arthropod Biological Control, based at CABI’s centre in Switzerland, teamed-up…