Successes in biological control of weeds.

There have been many successes world-wide in the biological control of weeds. Forty-one weeds are listed which have been successfully controlled using introduced agents (insects and pathogens) and a further three which are controlled using native fungi applied as mycoherbicides. Many of the successes have been repeated in subsequent programs in different countries or continents. Biological control programs have saved millions of dol-lars and, despite the high initial costs, are very cost-effective. Why then are biological control successes not more generally recognised? This can be attributed to: failures from poorly resourced programs; long time lag (20 years or more) required to achieve full suc-cess; failure to record or remember the full extent of the pre-biocontrol weed infestations. Biocontrol scientists need to publicize their successes so that biological control is appre-ciated as a truly successful, cost-effective and environmentally-sustainable method of weed control.