Biological control or biocontrol is the use of one organism to control the numbers of another. Unwanted or introduced species can have a huge impact on New Zealand’s environment, and native flora ...
Imagine being able to smell your dinner from the other side of a sports field. Insects do this with the pair of antennae on their heads. But insects don’t only use their antennae to smell. They ...
Introduced wasps cause all sort of problems for people and native species, but did you know we have native wasps in New Zealand? What is a native wasp? Our native wasps are very different to the ...
Watch varroa mites (white juveniles and brown adults) on honey bees and learn how they spread viruses that kill bee colonies. Dr Mark Goodwin of Plant & Food Research shows hives being ...
Biotechnology is part of everyday life and has been for thousands of years. People have cultured bacteria to make yoghurt and cheese, used yeasts to make bread, fermented grapes to make wine and ...
Possums are one of New Zealand's biggest pests. Currently they are controlled by poisoning and trapping, but this is expensive and ongoing. Biological control has the potential to provide novel ...
Ryegrass is an important food for cattle, but it is also a favourite food of competing insects. Can biological control offer a solution? What's so special about ryegrass? Ryegrass is an important ...
New Zealand might be an island nation, but that doesn’t stop us from having to deal with a variety of unwanted organisms that find their way to our shores. These pests range from insects like the ...
Answer the questions in this quiz to find out how much you know about biotechnology.
A little mite, like a tiny spider the size of a pin head, has been plaguing New Zealand’s bee industry. The mites, called varroa, are parasites which live on the outside of honey bees and their ...
Scientists in New Zealand investigated whether a roundworm parasite could be used to deliver a hormone toxin to possums. This article looks at the research by scientists at AgResearch. They ...
In January 2006, a tiny wasp was released onto a Waikato farm to kill an enemy that was devastating pastures. Ten years on, these tiny wasps have saved farmers nearly half a billion dollars. An ...
Students carry out a practical investigation to help AgResearch scientists monitor the spread of Microctonus aethiopoides (a tiny wasp) and its success as a biocontrol agent for clover root ...
Bioforce Product Manager Chris Thompson and Research and Development Manager Bruno Gatimel outline the products supplied by Bioforce and some of the methods for growing biocontrol agents for the ...
Kiwi Forever is a week-long leadership in conservation scholarship based at Tirorangi Marae, Ōhakune. In March 2018, 16 rangatahi (young people) from seven colleges participated. A key focus was ...
In this activity, students play a card game that models the journey of a male pea crab (a parasite of green-lipped mussels) from his mussel host and back again. Purpose This activity will help ...
These roundworms live in the digestive system of possums. They are found naturally in possums in the North Island of New Zealand, and don't appear to harm the possums. Scientists are hoping that ...
The advantages and disadvantages of using a vaccine to reduce possum fertility are explained here. Researchers in New Zealand, at AgResearch, Landcare Research, Victoria University and Otago ...
Students of any level develop a board game illustrating knowledge of New Zealand’s possum problem and the strategies used to control it – including biocontrol strategies. Purpose To demonstrate ...
Here, we describe transmissible and non-transmissible methods for delivering biocontrol agents to possums. Scientists in New Zealand investigated a range of biocontrol agents to reduce possum ...
Here, we explain how contraceptive vaccines for possums are made and how they work. Possums are a major pest in New Zealand, so scientists investigated the development of vaccines to make them ...
Here, we explain the function of reproductive proteins GnRH and ZP. These proteins are targets for contraceptive vaccines, investigated in New Zealand to help reduce possum numbers. Scientists in ...
A list of terms used in our content on the biological control of possums. Test pH, DNA and Mātauranga Māori in glossary also These two have formatting in definition: Radiocarbon dating & ...
Introduced Chinese weevils, Cleopus japonicus, are laying waste to large patches of buddleia in the Bay of Plenty, much to the relief of forest growers and biosecurity managers who have been ...
