The Biological Control Brain Bowl seeks to inform the public about biological control.  This pest management approach  is often the most efficient method for dealing with invasive plants and insects. Biological control has been used in Florida for about 100 years as a safe, inexpensive, efficient method to reduce the impacts of invasive organisms on our environment.

Twenty-one students representing Indian River, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties participated in the Biological Control Brain Bowl 2006. 

Students form Martin County will join those from St. Lucie and Indian River counties in the 2007 event.

The program includes activities at the University of Florida/IFAS Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory and the Biological Control Brain Bowl event on May 12, 2007.

  2007 Program Agenda  as pdf file.                Click here for 2006 pdf file.

     Program brochure, click here    [pdf file]      Program flyer:  click here

2007 Program Dates:

Team Practice #1  Saturday March 30, 2007

Team Practice #2  Saturday April 14, 2007

Team Practice #3  April 28, 2007

Brain Bowl: Saturday May 12, 2007 

Publicity and Press Releases:

Photos of EVENT and Practice sessions: 

2007 photos     2006 photos   

UF/IFAS News, as posted on Pest Alert! - click here

County Extension Press Releases: 

Okeechobee Team story before 2006 event 

Okeechobee Award story after 2006 event

News Column: Family Fun at the BioControl Brain Bowl & Bash

  Congratulations to our committee for being named a 

  G o ld Award Winner!!   

Robin Koestoyo, Bill Overholt, Ron Cave, Ken Gioeli, Ed Skvarch, Dan Culbert

The Biological Control Brain Bowl - Event

 Click on the certificate above for more about 2005 IFAS IMAGE Awards  

Team Member Study Materials:

  Brain Bowl Contest Rules and Awards

Indian River Research & Education Center Publications:

Biological Control Successes in Florida

Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory (BCRCL)

  EDIS Documents on UF/IFAS website 

Natural Enemies and Biological Control

Biological Control Containment Facilities in Florida

How Scientists Obtain Approval to Release Organisms for Classical Biological Control of Invasive Weeds

Cycad Aulacaspis Scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi

Mexican Bromeliad Weevil

Classical Biological Control of Brazilian Peppertree (Schinus terebinthifolius) in Florida

Natural Area Weeds: Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)

Classical Biological Control of Tropical Soda Apple in the USA

Project TAME brochures:

   MELALEUCA Help For The Property Owner

A Century of Melaleuca in South Florida

Natural Enemies of Melaleuca

The Area-wide Management Evaluation of Melaleuca quinquenervia

Plants Behaving Badly (Melaleuca weedbusters) So. Florida Water Mgt. Dist

UF/IFAS IPM document: What is IPM?

Research Abstract:  Frank, H & Cave, R.  Metamasius callizona is Destroying Florida's Native Bromeliads. Presented at: Second International Symposium on Biological Control of Arthropods, Univ. CA-Riverside, September 12-16, 2005. (USDA Forest Service FHTET-2005-08 9/05 Volume I.)

Agrosecurity Webpage, Univ. of  Georgia

       More Team Resources and Presentations

(click on the title to open up presentation notes)

Introductory PowerPoint Presentation from Drs. Cave & Overholt 

Skeeter eater sheet (opens in pdf file) from Dr. Rox  

Biocontrol of Mosquitos - Presentation by Dr. Rox on 5/6, in Adobe pdf

Presentations by the "Brassy Drone" on 5/6/06 and 4/13/07, in Adobe pdf

Good Critters Gone Bad  

The Lovebug in Florida: Setting the Record Straight - presentation from Jim Cuda & Norm Leppla

Update on the Cactus Moth Cactoblastis cactorum - presentation from Jim Cuda

2006 Student Project Presentations - in Adobe Acrobat format

St. Lucie: The Evil Weevil Metamasius callizona

All programs and related activities sponsored for, or assisted by, the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are open to all persons with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. Last update: 04/17/2007 This page is maintained by Dan Culbert