A review of chemical, biological and fertility control options for the camel in Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Lapidge ◽  
Charlie T. Eason ◽  
Simon T. Humphrys

Since their introduction to Australia in 1840 the one-humped camel, Camelus dromedarius, has gone from the colonist’s companion to a conservationist’s conundrum in the fragile arid ecosystems of Australia. Current management techniques are failing to curb present population growth and alternatives must be sought. This review assess the applicability of currently registered and developmental vertebrate pesticides and fertility control agents for camel control, as well as examining the potential usefulness of known C. dromedarius diseases for biological control. Not surprisingly, little is known about the lethality of most vertebrate pesticides used in Australia to camels. More has been published on adverse reactions to pharmaceuticals used in agriculture and the racing industry. An examination of the literature on C. dromedarius diseases, such as camel pox virus, contagious ecthyma and papillomatosis, indicates that the infections generally result in high morbidity but not necessarily mortality and this alone may not justify their consideration for use in Australia. The possibility exists that other undiscovered or unstudied biological control agents from other camilid species may offer greater potential for population control. As a long-lived species the camel is also not ideally suited to fertility control. Notwithstanding, anti-fertility agents may have their place in preventing the re-establishment of camel populations once they have been reduced through mechanical, biological or chemical means. Delivery of any generic chemical or fertility control agent will, however, require a species-tailored pathway and an appropriate large-scale deployment method. Accordingly, we put forward avenues of investigation to yield improved tools for camel control.

1997 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Glenys Oogjes

Proposals to manipulate the fertility of wild, free-living animals extend the domination humans already exercise over domesticated animals. Current lethal methods for population control include poisoning, trapping, hunting, dogging, shooting, explosives, fumigants, and deliberately introduced disease. Animal welfare interests are based on individual animal suffering, but those interests are often overshadowed by labelling of groups of animals as pests, resource species, national emblem or endangered species. Public concern for animal welfare and acceptance of new population control methods will be influenced by such labels. The animal welfare implications of new population control technology must be balanced against the existing inhumane lethal methods used. It will be difficult to resolve the dilemma of a mechanism for disseminating a fertility control agent that will cause some animal suffering (e.g. a genetically-manipulated myxoma virus for European rabbits), yet may reduce future rabbit populations and therefore the number suffering from lethal methods. An Animal Impact Statement is proposed as a tool to assist debate during development of fertility control methods and for decision making prior to their use. A comprehensive and objective Animal Impact Statement may introduce an ethic that moves the pendulum from attitudes that allow sentient animals to be destroyed by any and all available means, towards a more objective selection of the most effective and humane methods.


EUGENIA ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina L. Salaki

ABSTRACT   The research aimed to explore potential entomopathogenic bacteria as biological control agent for insect pest of P. xylostella and Spodoptera sp. in cabbage and broccoli. The indigenous bacteria were explored by taking 103 samples from location around North Sulawesi. Bacteria were selectively isolated by using Ohba and Aizawa method and then identified based on morphology. Subsequently the isolates were screened by their potency to kill test insect of P. xylostella and Spodoptera sp. The isolates were able to kill ≥ 50 % test insect considered  as potential for biological control. The potential isolates were then selected and would be developed  as powder and liquid bio-pesticide through large scale production. The result of the study showed that 145 Bacillus thuringiensis isolates and 202 Bacillus cereus isolates were obtained from 103 samples. The screening of the isolates based on standard test insect for cabbage and broccoli were in progress. The potential isolates would be further selected on the basis of their pathogenicity test. Based on pathogenecity test, chosen isolates will be developed as  bio-pasticide to control insect pest of cabbage and broccoli. Keywords : Exploration, entomopathogenic bacteria, biological control, Plutella xylostella, Spodoptera Sp.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 790
Author(s):  
Dale A. Halbritter ◽  
Min B. Rayamajhi ◽  
Gregory S. Wheeler ◽  
Jorge G. Leidi ◽  
Jenna R. Owens ◽  
...  

Pseudophilothrips ichini is a recently approved biological control agent for the highly invasive Brazilian peppertree in Florida, USA. Prior to approval for field release in 2019, thrips colonies used for host specificity testing were produced and maintained in small cylinders to fit in restricted quarantine spaces. This next segment in the classical biological control pipeline is mass production and distribution of P. ichini. To accomplish this, we developed novel techniques to expand from small colony maintenance to large-scale production. We first quantified the productivity of the small cylinders, each containing a 3.8 L potted plant and producing an average of 368 thrips per generation. Given the amount of maintenance the cylinders required, we investigated larger cages to see if greater numbers of thrips could be produced with less effort. Acrylic boxes (81.5 × 39.5 × 39.5 cm) each contained two 3.8 L plants and produced an average of 679 thrips per generation. The final advancement was large, thrips-proof Lumite® screen cages (1.8 × 1.8 × 1.8 m) that each held six plants in 11.4 L pots and produced 13,864 thrips in as little as 5 wk. Screen cages and cylinders had the greatest thrips fold production, but screen cages required ten times less labor per thrips compared to either cylinders or boxes. The efficiency of these large screen cages ensured sustained mass production and field release capacity in Schinus-infested landscapes. The screen cage method is adapted and used by collaborators, and this will expand the literature on beneficial thrips mass rearing methods.


2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (9) ◽  
pp. 923-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay W. Whistlecraft ◽  
Tim Haye ◽  
Ulrich Kuhlmann ◽  
Richard Muth ◽  
Henry Murillo ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 ◽  
pp. 141-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan D. Ridenbaugh ◽  
Erin Barbeau ◽  
Barbara J. Sharanowski

EucalyptusL’Héritier, 1789 (Myrtales: Myrtaceae) plantations are a global economic resource with a wide array of uses. As this forestry crop grows in popularity around the world, the exotic introduction of pests such as the leaf beetles belonging to the generaParopsisOliver, 1807 andParopsisternaMotschulsky, 1860 increases in frequency. These pest introductions have spurred a need to understand the natural enemies of these pests for use in classical biological control programs. One such enemy,EadyaparopsidisHuddleston & Short, 1978 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), has shown potential as a biological control agent againstParopsischarybdis, an exotic pest of New ZealandEucalyptusplantations. However, observations made by biocontrol researchers have raised concerns thatE.paropsidisis a complex of cryptic species. A comprehensive large-scale phylogenetic study utilizing both host and molecular data (Peixoto et al. 2018), as well as a morphological multivariate ratio analysis, was utilized to ensure accurate delimitation of the species ofEadya. Here we formally describe the three new species (EadyaannleckieaeRidenbaugh, 2018,sp. n.,EadyadaenerysRidenbaugh, 2018,sp. n.,EadyaspitzerRidenbaugh, 2018,sp. n.), and one additional new species discovered in the Australian National Insect Collection (EadyaduncanRidenbaugh, 2018,sp. n.). All distributions and host associations forEadyaare listed as well as a redescription of the originally describedE.paropsidisandE.falcata. An illustrated key to all known species is included to assist biological control researchers. The value of citizen science observations is discussed, along with the need for a further understanding of mainlandEadyapopulations given the recent spread of paropsine pests. Finally, we discuss the subfamilial placement ofEadya, and suggest it belongs within Euphorinae based on morphological characters.


Insects ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 610
Author(s):  
Federico Marco Bocca ◽  
Luca Picciau ◽  
Stefania Laudonia ◽  
Alberto Alma

The most important exotic leafhopper pests currently affecting the Italian vineyards are the leafhoppers Scaphoideus titanus, Orientus ishidae and the planthopper Metcalfa pruinosa. Their highest population density is detected in the uncultivated areas with wild grapevines. Should these habitats be considered only a problem or a potential resource for Palearctic entomophagy of these three exotic pests? The aim of this work was to study the biotopes and biocoenosis present in the Piedmontese vineyard agroecosystem, evaluating the parasitization rate and other crucial aspects for a possible application in biological control. Several specimens of egg-parasitoid wasps were obtained from filed-collected two-year-old grapevine canes. The most prevalent one belonged to the Oligosita collina group (Trichogrammatidae) emerged only from M. pruinosa eggs with a parasitization rate of over 40%. The new association is the first report of such a high level of parasitization on the flatid planthopper. The parasitization rate mainly relied on the host egg density and the abundance of plants suitable for the oviposition. A second parasitoid generation on the overwintering eggs is discussed, as well as other hypothesis. Furthermore, the parasitization rate was higher than the one showed by the dryinid Neodryinus typhlocybae, the control agent introduced in Italy under the biological control strategy, highlighting a possible implication in this biocoenosis. We assume that the egg parasitoid adaptation may contribute to M. pruinosa control.


Koedoe ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
L.C. Foxcroft ◽  
J.H. Hoffmann

Chemical control efforts, the introduction of Cactoblastis cactorum and attempted releases of Dactylopius opuntiae Cockerell into the expanding infestation of Opuntia stricta in the Skukuza region of the Kruger National Park (KNP) have had limited suc- cess in preventing the spread and densification of 0. stricta. To boost the biological control component, a new strain of D. opuntiae was introduced into KNP during 1997. The new strain established readily and has destroyed large clumps of plants in the vicin- ity of the release site. A large-scale redistribution programme with D. opuntiae is now needed to exploit this biological control agent to the full. In order to match the frequency of manual releases with the natural rates of spread of the insects, surveys were conducted under field conditions to determine the dispersal abilities ofD. opuntiae, with regard to rate and direction of movement. Dispersal of D. opuntiae was found to be slow and restricted and that the insects need to be redistributed by placing them onto plants at approximately 10 m intervals to ensure that they become quickly and evenly distributed on the weed. This information will be crucial in the revision of the integrated management plan for 0. stricta in the KNP, in integrating the cochineal and other control mechanisms.


Mathematics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (16) ◽  
pp. 1858
Author(s):  
Wahyudin Nur ◽  
Trisilowati ◽  
Agus Suryanto ◽  
Wuryansari Muharini Kusumawinahyu

Schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by the schistosoma worm. A snail can act as the intermediate host for the parasite. Snail-population control is considered to be an effective way to control schistosomiasis spread. In this paper, we discuss the schistosomiasis model incorporating a snail predator as a biological control agent. We prove that the solutions of the model are non-negative and bounded. The existence condition of equilibrium points is investigated. We determine the basic reproduction number when the predator goes to extinction and when the predator survives. The local stability condition of disease-free equilibrium point is proved using linearization, and the Lienard–Chipart and Routh–Hurwitz criteria. We use center-manifold theory to prove the local stability condition of the endemic equilibrium points. Furthermore, we constructed a Lyapunov function to investigate the global stability condition of the disease-free equilibrium points. To support the analytical results, we presented some numerical simulation results. Our findings suggest that a snail predator as a biological control agent can reduce schistosomiasis prevalence. Moreover, the snail-predator birth rate plays an essential role in controlling schistosomiasis spread.


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