Australia to Use Wolbachia Bacteria to Halt Buffalo Fly Spread

Australian cattle farmers, especially those from the northern part of the continent, has had to contend with the serious threat that is the Buffalo fly. Now that the notorious insect is moving southward, the government relies on bacteria to stop this southward expansion.

Led by Dr. Peter James, a senior research fellow at the Centre for Animal Science and Postgraduate Coordinator with the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI), the joint effort involving the academe, industry, and the Queensland government will rely on the bacteria Wolbachia to halt the fly's breeding cycle.