Events

 

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14-17 September 2026

Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents (BREBCA 2026)

San Michele all’Adige, Trento, Italy

 

The 6th meeting of the IOBC-WPRS Working Group “Benefits and Risks of Exotic Biological Control Agents” will bring together scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to exchange knowledge, share experiences, and advance the safe and effective use of exotic biological control agents (BCAs).

The BREBCA 2026 meeting will address key topics including:

• Assessing benefits and risks of exotic BCAs through ecological, socio-economic, and policy frameworks
• Rapid deployment of exotic BCAs against emerging pests, pathogens, and invasive plants
• Ecological interactions between exotic agents, native species, and ecosystems
• Innovative tools for safety testing, host specificity, and climate-smart agent selection
• Exotic BCA ecology under global change, including climate and land-use effects
• Governance and regulation, with focus on international coordination and policy harmonization
• Ethical and societal perspectives, including stakeholder engagement and communication
• Long-term monitoring and adaptive management for sustained ecological outcomes
• Integration with IPM, exploring synergies between exotic agents and other pest management strategies

Contributions fitting in with the topics above are most welcome. Although BREBCA is Europe-based, participation is global, reflecting the central role of biological control in sustainable pest, pathogen and weed management.

Meeting website: https://sites.google.com/fmach.it/brebca-2026

 

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1-15 March 2027

Innovations in Rearing High-Quality Invertebrates

16th Workshop IOBC-MRQA Work Group

Joint meeting of the MRQA and the Association of Natural Biocontrol Producers (ANBP)

Tucson, AZ, USA

 

 

We are pleased to announce tentative dates for the 16th Workshop of the IOBC Global Working Group on Mass Rearing & Quality Assurance (MRQA). It will be in Tucson, Arizona USA during the first week of March 2027.

The workshop objective is to explore opportunities for advancing the rearing of high quality entomophagous and phytophagous insects and mites, entomopathogenic nematodes, and other invertebrates for plant and animal pest management, human and animal food, and a variety of other uses. The program will consist of symposia on current “Hot topics,” invited and submitted presentations, and posters on selected aspects of invertebrate rearing and quality assurance as they relate to production and quality control. Presentations will serve as a basis for discussion and exchange, with the final aim of improving collaboration among scientists and practitioners. Accommodation for remote presentations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

The program will include sessions on:

1. Mass rearing and evaluating biological control agents for pests
2. Mass rearing for SIT and other autocidal pest control
3. Methods for assessing the quality of biological control products
4. Mass rearing insects for food and feed
5. Mass rearing and evaluating pollinators
6. Open session on rearing invertebrates

Download: Invitation - Save the Date! (pdf)

More information on IOBC-MRQA: https://www.mrqa.eu

 

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17-21 July 2028

XXVIII International Congress of Entomology in 2028 (ICE 2028)

Cape Town, South Africa

 

The theme of ICE 2028 is: “Entomology for a better future”.

ICE 2028 in Cape Town offers an opportunity for Africa and the rest of the Global South to join in the journey to this better future, while still offering a world class conference venue and city for international delegates.

Website: https://ice2028.com