Introduction of Cactoblastis cactorum ("cactus moth") in Australia

The targeted use of the Cactoblastis cactorum, a South American cactus moth, is an example of biological control. Prickly pears (Opuntia), themselves introduced around the turn of the nineteenth century, had afflicted millions of hectares in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, replacing other plant forms. After the introduction of cactus moths in 1925, some ninety percent of the region’s prickly pear plants were destroyed in less than ten years.