DESERT BOTANICAL GARDEN HOSTS WORLD SUMMIT ON CACTUS MOTH
Government scientists and insect experts from around the world are coming to Phoenix to discuss a voracious moth that is destroying natural populations of prickly pear cactus. The conference, which will feature presentations from scientists from Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia and the U.S., will be held at the Desert Botanical Garden, May 8- 10.
The “cactus moth” (Cactoblastis cactorum), a native of northern Argentina, has already eliminated the prickly pear cactus from Australia and South Africa, and it is now moving through southern Mexico and into the southeastern United States. Already a problem in Florida, the moth had been moving about 100 miles a year. They are now found in Alabama and Mississippi, and are slowly heading west toward Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.
“This is a very prolific insect with no natural predators in North America, and it is becoming a larger international problem,” said Raul Puente-Martinez, Curator of Living Collections at the Desert Botanical Garden. “Prickly pears are an important food source in Mexico, and the cactus moth is already threatening Mexico’s prickly pear farming industry.”
More than 30 scientific papers will be presented to an audience of about 100 experts working to stop the spread of cactus moths. The attendees will include officials from the USDA, Bureau of Land Management, National Forest Service, National Parks Service, the Mexican federal agriculture department (SAGARPA) and members of Arizona’s nursery industry.
The cactus moth was first used as biological control in Australia, where the non-native prickly pear was introduced as a source of forage for cattle but became a nuisance covering millions of acres. Australians imported the cactus moths to eat the prickly pear, with a great success in destroying the prickly pear’s dense populations. Now there are no prickly pears in Australia, but the moths have found new homes on new continents.
“We will be discussing detection of the moth, controlling its spread and the economic impact it is having in Mexico and the U.S.,” said Puente-Martinez. “We hope to inform our desert community about this problem and hopefully find some concrete solutions to this growing international problem.”
For more information on the Cactus Moth Conference, call the Desert Botanical Garden at 480-941-1225.
