Cactoblastis MemorialPrint Page

The sculpture commemorates the destruction of the prickly pear by the Cactoblastis moth in Queensland and Northern New South Wales between 1926 and 1933.  It is a bronze sculpture of a prickly pear plant (Opuntia Inermis) with moth, caterpillars and egg sticks of the cactoblastis moth all enclosed in a clear acrylic case and mounted on a sandstone pillar.

The memorial was unveiled at Jubilee Dinner on 6 August 1985 of the Queensland Branch of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science and presented to Miles and District Historical Society on 14 September 1985.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest biological invasions of modern times, the introduction and subsequent spread of prickly pear into Queensland and New South Wales had infested millions of hectares of rural land by the 1920s, rendering it useless for agriculture. Prickly pear proved so difficult and costly to control by chemical and mechanical means that enormous areas were simply abandoned by their owners.

Following mass rearing of cactoblastis, 10 million eggs were distributed in 61 localities throughout affected areas during 1926 and 1927 and a further 2.2 billion eggs were released between 1927 and 1931. Eggs were wrapped in paper quills together with pins to attach the quills to the pear plants. They were packed in boxes; each box contained 100 000 quilled eggs and printed instructions to guide landholders in the correct method of release. A fleet of seven trucks and 100 men distributed packed eggs across the state.  This insect proved to be spectacularly successful in destroying the weed.

By 1932, the stem-boring cactoblastis larvae had caused the general collapse and destruction of most of the original, thick stands of prickly pear. By 1932, almost 7 million ha of previously infested land was made available to 1165 settlers. Townships that had been stagnant in the 1920s were revitalised; public buildings, offices, shops and residences were built.

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