Centre for Biological Control - CBC

05/09/2026

Thank you for supporting our work!

27/08/2026

Our incredible team at the 13th Citrus Research Symposium this week at Ch*****ne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg. The symposium is a space where citrus research is shared to southern African growers and industry. Well done Team!!!

26/08/2026

Join us now for this webinar on one of the world's worst aquatic invasive plants ☘️

During this workshop, experts will explore the ecology, impact and management of Salvinia molesta.

18/08/2026

Dr Michael Jukes and Prof Sean Moore attended the 2026 International Congress on Invertebrate Pathology and Microbial Control in Den Bosch, the Netherlands earlier this month (2-6 August). They had the opportunity to share their research and interact with colleugues from all over the world! Society for Invertebrate Pathology

17/08/2026

Please join Prof Julie Coetzee and Dr Kelby English for a ShareScreen Africa Workshop: 26 August at 10am (SAST)
Management of Salvinia Molesta
Join this Workshop
https://sharescreenafrica.org/events/management-of-salvinia-molesta-kariba-weed-d3018
ShareScreen Africa
Leadership for Conservation in Africa - LCA

During this workshop, experts will explore the ecology, impact and management of Salvinia molesta.

12/08/2026

In early August, Grant Martin and Kim Canavan travelled to Portugal to collect a population of the cone weevil, Pissodes validirostris, a potential biological control agent for invasive maritime pines, Pinus pinaster in South Africa. The fieldwork was conducted in collaboration with Dr Núñez and Prof. Hélia Marchante from the Escola Superior Agrária de Coimbra (ESAC).

Pinus pinaster is one of the most widespread invasive trees in the Cape Floristic Region, where it can transform natural ecosystems. This project aims to develop P. validirostris as a biological control agent to reduce cone seed production, helping to limit the spread of these invasive pines and improve the long-term management of invaded landscapes.

11/08/2026

What a wonderful evening celebrating Prof. Paterson

What can a mite tell us about saving a forest? In his inaugural lecture, Entomology Professor Iain Paterson explored decades of research into biological control. From an invasive cactus in South Africa to the African tulip tree threatening biodiversity in the Pacific Islands.

Centre for Biological Control - CBC

Read more: https://www.ru.ac.za/latestnews/inaugural_i_paterson-1.html

📸 Ntomb’Zekhethelo Ncanana

11/08/2026

It is your chance to nominate Mzansi’s Insect of the Year! The The Entomological Society of Southern Africa is running a great competition- watch/read about it here:

While many people regard insects as pests, the reality is that we depend on them every single day. From pollinating crops to recycling nutrients, they keep ecosystems alive. Now you can vote for your favourite one in the Mzansi Insect of the Year competition.

06/08/2026

We are proud to be part of the organising committee for the XXVIII International Congress of Entomology (ICE 2028) at the world-class Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)!

03/08/2026

Salvinia minima at Hartbeespoort Dam update

A strain of the biocontrol agent, Cyrtobagous salviniae, was approved for release against Salvinia minima (or common salvinia) in late 2024. However, due to funding constraints, rearing and release efforts were limited. We could only fund a small first release conducted in March 2025 along the Crocodile River at Hartbeespoort Dam. A second release was conducted in August 2025 at Vaalkop Dam, with the majority of available weevils retained for further rearing. The weevil is proving difficult to rear in high numbers, so since then, several additional small consignments have been released at Harties and Vaalkop dams to support field establishment while rearing populations continue to expand.

Following the successful reduction of water hyacinth at the beginning of this year at Harties, common salvinia cover increased steadily from about 10 ha to 440 ha (24%). Cover appears to have stabilised in recent weeks and we continue to monitor this. The Vaalkop Dam community based rearing programme is performing well, maintaining healthy rearing populations and supporting ongoing production efforts. At our Waainek mass-rearing facility, efforts are focused on optimising rearing conditions and increasing colony sizes to enable larger-scale production and early-season releases aimed at preventing extensive common salvinia infestations in the next growing season.