Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests such as insects, mites, weeds and plant diseases using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also involves an active human management role. It can be an important component of integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
Euphorbia esula, commonly known as green spurge or leafy spurge, is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe, and eastward through most of Asia north of the Himalaya to Korea and eastern Siberia.
Aphthona is a genus of beetle, in the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae, native to Europe and Asia. More specifically, Aphthona are flea beetles, meaning they have enlarged hind legs for jumping away from potential danger. There are 135 species known from the Palaearctic region.
Aphthona flava is a beetle of the genus Aphthona. It is native to Eurasia, and has been introduced into North America as a biocontrol agent for leafy spurge. Adults are brown and difficult to distinguish in the field from A. cyparissiae and A. nigriscutis. A. flava is still the dominant beetle at some Manitoba release sites, but it is relatively scarce in North Dakota and Minnesota. Besides Manitoba, it is widespread in Hungary and Italy.
Euphorbia cyparissias, the cypress spurge, is a species of plant in the genus Euphorbia. It is native to Europe and was introduced to North America in the 1860s as an ornamental plant.
Euphorbia myrsinites, the myrtle spurge, blue spurge, or broad-leaved glaucous-spurge, is a succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.
Centaurea solstitialis, the yellow star-thistle, is a member of the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin region. The plant is also known as golden starthistle, yellow cockspur and St. Barnaby's thistle The plant is a thorny winter annual species in the knapweed genus.
The flea beetle is a small, jumping beetle of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), that makes up the tribe Alticini which is part of the subfamily Galerucinae. Historically the flea beetles were classified as their own subfamily.
Aphthona abdominalis is a species of leaf beetle known as the minute spurge flea beetle. It was used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge, but never established a viable population.
Aphthona cyparissiae is a species of leaf beetle known as the brown dot leafy spurge flea beetle. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge.
Aphthona czwalinae is a species of leaf beetle known as the black leafy spurge flea beetle. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge.
Longitarsus jacobaeae is a species of flea beetle known as the tansy ragwort flea beetle. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the nectar-rich noxious weed known as ragwort.
Diorhabda carinulata is a species of leaf beetle known as the northern tamarisk beetle, which feeds on tamarisk trees from southern Russia and Iran to Mongolia and western China. This beetle is used in North America as a biological pest control agent against saltcedar or tamarisk, an invasive species in arid and semiarid ecosystems.
Aphthona nigriscutis is a root-feeding flea beetle of the genus Aphthona. It is one of 5 Aphthona spp. that has been used in Alberta, Canada to control leafy spurge, an invasive plant that reduces pasture quality and degrades natural habitats. It, along with A. lacertosa, is one of only two biocontrol agents thought to be effective against leafy spurge.
Aphalara itadori, the Japanese knotweed psyllid, is a species of psyllid from Japan which feeds on Japanese knotweed.
Chamaesphecia crassicornis is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in south-eastern Austria, southern Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, southern Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is rare in central Europe. It has been released in North America for the biological control of leafy spurge.
Chamaesphecia hungarica, the Hungarian clearwing moth, is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is native to the south-eastern Czech Republic and Slovakia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia and Croatia. It was originally approved for introduction into the United States in 1993. It has been released at several leafy spurge-infested sites in Montana and North Dakota.
Gratiana boliviana is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae. Its common name is tropical soda apple leaf beetle. It is native to South America, where its distribution includes Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. It specializes on tropical soda apple, an invasive plant species. It has been released as an agent of biological pest control against the weedy plant in Florida and other parts of the United States.
The leafy spurge stem boring beetle, also known as the red-headed leafy spurge stem borer is a species of longhorn beetle that is a biological control agent for leafy spurge. It is an effective killer of the pest but only works on certain strains of leafy spurge, namely the subgenus Esula of the genus Euphorbia. Because of this, the beetle is considered as secondary in leafy spurge control to five species of Aphthona flea beetle.
Euphorbia virgata, commonly known as leafy spurge, wolf's milk leafy spurge, or wolf's milk is a species of spurge native to Europe and Asia, and naturalized in North America, where it is an invasive species.
