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Weed Biocontrol articles

  1. ISBCW is Coming to NZ in 2026!

    The International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds (ISBCW) is the most
    important event for weed biocontrol scientists all over the world. The event provides
    an opportunity for participants to exchange updates on weed biocontrol research and
    work programmes, renew ties of friendship, develop ...

  2. Spring Activities

    Most biocontrol agents become active during spring, making it a busy time of year to check release sites and move agents around.

  3. A Literature Review to Narrow the Search

    A central principle of weed biocontrol programmes is that host-specific natural enemies will have co-evolved with their host plant within their native range. It follows that if there is uncertainty about the native range of a weed, then biocontrol practitioners may fail to prospect for candidate bio...

  4. Welcome to Our New Team Members

  5. New EPA Approvals

    Exciting news! We have five new release approvals from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

  6. Still Searching for Woolly Nightshade Agents

    During early summer last year our collaborators, Nic Venter and Blair Cowie from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, along with Holly Cox (Auckland Council), undertook a survey for the natural enemies of woolly nightshade in Uruguay.

  7. New Team Members

    Welcome Hester Williams and Anna Vaughan

  8. Biocontrol Training for Kaitiaki

    In early April, Science Team Leader Angela Bownes and Senior Researcher Ronny Groenteman ran an introductory weed biocontrol workshop for mana whenua kaitiaki from the Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland region.

  9. Old Man’s Beard Pathogens

    The old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba) weed biocontrol project started in the early 1990s, when a fungal pathogen (Phoma clematidina), sourced from another Clematis species (Clematis ligusticifolia) in the USA, was released in New Zealand. While this pathogen initially caused significant damage to o...

  10. Revisiting Broom Gall Mite Release Sites

    Monitoring the effectiveness of weed biocontrol agents is essential, but it can be neglected. Understandably, stakeholders tend to prefer to invest in new projects rather than make room in tight budgets for expensive, high-quality evaluation studies. To help solve this investment conundrum, here in ...