Biological pest control predatory midge "Feltiella acarisuga", and a ladybird "Stethorus punctillum". The bug "Orius insidiosus" has been successfully used against the two-spotted spider mite and the western flower thrips ("Frankliniella occidentalis"). Predators including "Cactoblastis cactorum" (mentioned above) can also be used to destroy invasive plant species. As another example, the poison hemlock moth ("Agonopterix alstroemeriana)" can be used to control poison hemlock ("Conium maculatum"). During its larval stage, the moth strictly consumes its host plant, poison hemlock, and can exist at hundreds of larvae per individual host plant, destroying large swathes of the hemlock. Not all biological control agents are directed at
Croton (plant) Croton (plant) Croton is an extensive flowering plant genus in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The plants of this genus were described and introduced to Europeans by Georg Eberhard Rumphius. The common names for this genus are rushfoil and croton, but the latter also refers to "Codiaeum variegatum". The generic name comes from the Greek (""), which means "tick" and refers to the shape of the seeds of certain species. "Croton" is a diverse and complex taxonomic group of plants ranging from herbs and shrubs to trees. A well-known member of this genus is "Croton tiglium", a shrub native to Southeast