Biocontrol introduction
Target pest: General pests
Agent introduced: Mallada basalis (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), green lacewing
Imported: ~2010? (accidental introduction)
Import notes:
Early (2019) - the chrysopid lacewing Mallada basalis, accidentally introduced to New Zealand, has recently established in the north of the North Island of this country. The first recent record of M. basalis in New Zealand was in 2010 on Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf in the Auckland region. (A 1976 record, and possibly a 1988 record, exist but these apparently did not lead to an established population.)
Release details:
Bioforce 2020 (accessed 26 Feb 2026), Nielsen et al. (2025) - inundative releases of M. basalis, as the commercially available product "Lacewing-Force", for augmentative biocontrol programmes, are ongoing.
Establishment:
Early (2019) - the first recent record of M. basalis in New Zealand was 2010 [see Early (2019) entry in 'Import notes' section above]. The 2018-19 summer saw many observations of the species indicating that it clearly is now well established in New Zealand from Auckland to the top of the North Island.
Impacts on target:
Early (2019) - Mallada basalis larvae are generalist predators of small invertebrates and probably take anything they encounter.
Bioforce 2020 (accessed 26 Feb 2026) - Mallada basalis, commercially available in New Zealand under the product name "Lacewing-Force", is used as an augmentative biocontrol agent in Integrated Pest Management programmes. [Augmentative biocontrol involves the mass-rearing and periodic inundative release of natural enemies to manage pest populations on a short-term basis.] It feeds on a large variety of prey including aphids, mealybugs, small caterpillars, spider mites, thrips, whitefly, passion vine hopper, scale insects and psyllids. Lacewing-Force is known to be useful in indoor and outdoor crops such as, capsicum, cucumber, vineyards, citrus, and other ornamentals as part of an Integrated Pest Management programme.
References
Bioforce (2020). Bioforce Ltd https://www.bioforce.co.nz
Early JW (2019). Establishment of the green lacewing Mallada basalis (Walker, 1853) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on mainland New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Museum 54, 81-86 https://doi.org/10.32912/ram.2019.54.5
Nielsen M-C, Barratt B, Thompson C, Chhagan A, Puketapu A, Horne P, Vereijssen J (2025). Augmentative biological control of invertebrate pests in Australasia: experiences from down under. Biological Control, Vol. 210, November 2025, Article No. 105895 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocontrol.2025.105895
