{"id":259550,"date":"2026-08-07T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/?p=259550"},"modified":"2026-08-06T16:48:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T19:48:33","slug":"em-1926-cientistas-soltaram-mariposas-argentinas-contra-cactos-que-cobriam-24-milhoes-de-hectares-e-passaram-a-distribuir-ate-14-milhoes-de-ovos-por-dia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/2026\/08\/07\/em-1926-cientistas-soltaram-mariposas-argentinas-contra-cactos-que-cobriam-24-milhoes-de-hectares-e-passaram-a-distribuir-ate-14-milhoes-de-ovos-por-dia\/","title":{"rendered":"Em 1926, cientistas soltaram mariposas argentinas contra cactos que cobriam 24 milh\u00f5es de hectares e passaram a distribuir at\u00e9 14 milh\u00f5es de ovos por dia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"emf-summary google-auto-ads-ignore\">\n  <style>\n    .emf-summary {\n      --emf-navy:#00245a;\n      --emf-navy-soft:#0b3b70;\n      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width=\"46\"\n      >\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-eyebrow\">EM FOCO<\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-title\">Resumo da mat\u00e9ria<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"emf-summary-grid\">\n    <div class=\"emf-summary-card\">\n      <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"emf-summary-number\">01<\/span>\n      <div aria-level=\"3\" class=\"emf-summary-card-title\" role=\"heading\">\n        Invas\u00e3o continental\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-text\">\n        As figueiras-da-\u00edndia ocuparam 24,3 milh\u00f5es de hectares, bloquearam \u00e1reas rurais e resistiram aos m\u00e9todos de remo\u00e7\u00e3o usados antes do controle biol\u00f3gico.\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-meta\">\n        Escala da crise\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"emf-summary-card\">\n      <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"emf-summary-number\">02<\/span>\n      <div aria-level=\"3\" class=\"emf-summary-card-title\" role=\"heading\">\n        Teste antes da soltura\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-text\">\n        Os insetos passaram por avalia\u00e7\u00f5es rigorosas de cria\u00e7\u00e3o e alimenta\u00e7\u00e3o para verificar se as lagartas atacariam plantas diferentes dos cactos escolhidos.\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-meta\">\n        Seguran\u00e7a biol\u00f3gica\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"emf-summary-card\">\n      <span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"emf-summary-number\">03<\/span>\n      <div aria-level=\"3\" class=\"emf-summary-card-title\" role=\"heading\">\n        Ovos em massa\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-text\">\n        A cria\u00e7\u00e3o come\u00e7ou com 3 mil ovos importados e chegou ao envio de at\u00e9 14 milh\u00f5es por dia para duas regi\u00f5es australianas.\n      <\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-summary-card-meta\">\n        Pico di\u00e1rio\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Em 1926, as <strong>mariposas argentinas<\/strong> da esp\u00e9cie <strong>Cactoblastis cactorum<\/strong> come\u00e7aram a ser liberadas na Austr\u00e1lia contra uma invas\u00e3o de cactos que ocupava 24,3 milh\u00f5es de hectares. Ap\u00f3s testes de seguran\u00e7a, suas lagartas destru\u00edram as plantas e permitiram recuperar \u00e1reas agr\u00edcolas de Queensland e Nova Gales do Sul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Como os cactos tomaram 24 milh\u00f5es de hectares?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As figueiras-da-\u00edndia chegaram \u00e0 Austr\u00e1lia no fim do s\u00e9culo 18 e outras variedades foram levadas para jardins, cercas e alimenta\u00e7\u00e3o do gado em per\u00edodos secos. Sem inimigos naturais suficientes, os <strong>cactos invasores<\/strong> avan\u00e7aram pelo interior e formaram manchas densas, dif\u00edceis de atravessar ou remover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Na metade da d\u00e9cada de 1920, a infesta\u00e7\u00e3o cobria cerca de <a href=\"https:\/\/csiropedia.csiro.au\/prickly-pear-control\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>24 milh\u00f5es de hectares<\/strong><\/a> de \u00e1reas agr\u00edcolas e pastagens. M\u00e9todos como corte, fogo, esmagamento e venenos exigiam muito trabalho, mas n\u00e3o conseguiam acompanhar a expans\u00e3o das plantas.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Mariposas usadas para controlar cactos na Austr\u00e1lia\" class=\"wp-image-259555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-750x422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645-1140x641.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Cactus_invasion_blocks_rural_pro\u2026_202608061645.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mariposas usadas para controlar cactos na Austr\u00e1lia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Por que as mariposas argentinas foram escolhidas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/pt.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cactoblastis_cactorum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Cactoblastis cactorum<\/strong><\/a> \u00e9 uma mariposa nativa de parte da Argentina cujas lagartas se alimentam de cactos do g\u00eanero Opuntia. Essa rela\u00e7\u00e3o chamou aten\u00e7\u00e3o porque o inseto atacava justamente o grupo vegetal que dominava extensas propriedades australianas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Uma equipe de entomologistas buscou inimigos naturais dos cactos nas Am\u00e9ricas e levou diferentes organismos para avalia\u00e7\u00e3o. Entre eles, as <strong>mariposas argentinas<\/strong> se destacaram pela capacidade de reprodu\u00e7\u00e3o e pelo dano causado dentro das palmas, onde as lagartas consumiam o tecido macio.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Como os cientistas evitaram atacar outras plantas?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Antes da libera\u00e7\u00e3o, os insetos passaram por <strong>avalia\u00e7\u00f5es rigorosas de cria\u00e7\u00e3o e alimenta\u00e7\u00e3o<\/strong> em Chinchilla. O objetivo era observar se as lagartas permaneceriam ligadas aos cactos-alvo ou se poderiam se alimentar de outras plantas cultivadas e nativas presentes no pa\u00eds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Os testes indicaram que a mariposa poderia ser usada contra as figueiras-da-\u00edndia selecionadas. Depois de atravessar a camada externa da palma, as <strong>lagartas trabalham em grupo<\/strong>, abrem galerias no interior e deixam a estrutura sem tecido suficiente para continuar viva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"myth-list-bridge wp-block-paragraph\">A seguir listamos <strong>quatro etapas da prepara\u00e7\u00e3o<\/strong> que transformaram uma remessa pequena em um programa de controle em grande escala:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list myth-bullet-list\">\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Importa\u00e7\u00e3o:<\/strong> 3 mil ovos foram trazidos da Argentina ap\u00f3s tentativas anteriores de cria\u00e7\u00e3o fracassarem.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Divis\u00e3o:<\/strong> metade seguiu para Chinchilla e a outra metade permaneceu em Brisbane.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Multiplica\u00e7\u00e3o:<\/strong> 527 f\u00eameas produziram 100.605 ovos na primeira reprodu\u00e7\u00e3o bem-sucedida.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Libera\u00e7\u00e3o:<\/strong> os insetos aprovados nos testes come\u00e7aram a ser soltos no ambiente em 1926.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Mariposas usadas para controlar cactos na Austr\u00e1lia\" class=\"wp-image-259554\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-750x422.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646-1140x641.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Insect_rearing_room_preparing_sh\u2026_202608061646.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Mariposas usadas para controlar cactos na Austr\u00e1lia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Como 3 mil ovos viraram milh\u00f5es por dia?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As primeiras tentativas de criar o inseto falharam, at\u00e9 que <strong>3 mil ovos importados<\/strong> da Argentina foram divididos entre Chinchilla e Brisbane. De 527 f\u00eameas, nasceram 100.605 ovos, e a segunda gera\u00e7\u00e3o ultrapassou 2,5 milh\u00f5es, mostrando um ritmo de multiplica\u00e7\u00e3o incomum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Com a cria\u00e7\u00e3o estabilizada, os ovos eram enviados para propriedades de Queensland e Nova Gales do Sul e colocados sobre os cactos. As lagartas eclodiam, penetravam nas palmas e aceleravam a destrui\u00e7\u00e3o das plantas, enquanto a <strong>distribui\u00e7\u00e3o di\u00e1ria<\/strong> alcan\u00e7ava escala industrial.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"myth-html-bridge\">A seguir listamos <strong>cinco n\u00fameros da opera\u00e7\u00e3o<\/strong> que mostram como o programa cresceu desde a infesta\u00e7\u00e3o inicial at\u00e9 a distribui\u00e7\u00e3o em massa:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"emf-data-table google-auto-ads-ignore\">\n  <style>\n    .emf-data-table {\n      --emf-navy:#00245a;\n      --emf-navy-soft:#0b3b70;\n      --emf-ink:#1d2731;\n      --emf-muted:#66727e;\n      --emf-line:#d7dde5;\n      --emf-wash:#f4f6f8;\n      box-sizing:border-box!important;\n      inline-size:min(1100px,100%)!important;\n      max-inline-size:100%!important;\n      margin-inline:auto!important;\n      overflow:hidden!important;\n      color:var(--emf-ink);\n      background:#fff;\n      border:1px solid var(--emf-line);\n      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<img\n        alt=\"Logo EM Foco\"\n        decoding=\"async\"\n        height=\"41\"\n        loading=\"lazy\"\n        referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer\"\n        src=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/em_transparente_3000px-scaled.png\"\n        width=\"41\"\n      >\n    <\/div>\n\n    <div>\n      <div class=\"emf-data-table-kicker\">DADOS EM FOCO<\/div>\n      <div class=\"emf-data-table-title\">A opera\u00e7\u00e3o em n\u00fameros<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div aria-label=\"Tabela com os principais n\u00fameros do controle biol\u00f3gico dos cactos na Austr\u00e1lia\" class=\"emf-data-table-scroll\" role=\"region\" tabindex=\"0\">\n    <table>\n      <caption>N\u00fameros da infesta\u00e7\u00e3o, cria\u00e7\u00e3o e distribui\u00e7\u00e3o de Cactoblastis cactorum na Austr\u00e1lia.<\/caption>\n      <thead>\n        <tr>\n          <th scope=\"col\">Etapa<\/th>\n          <th scope=\"col\">Quantidade<\/th>\n          <th scope=\"col\">Resultado<\/th>\n        <\/tr>\n      <\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr>\n          <td data-label=\"Etapa\">Infesta\u00e7\u00e3o inicial<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Quantidade\">24,3 milh\u00f5es de hectares<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Resultado\">\u00c1reas rurais tomadas por cactos<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n        <tr>\n          <td data-label=\"Etapa\">Lote importado<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Quantidade\">3 mil ovos<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Resultado\">Divis\u00e3o entre Chinchilla e Brisbane<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n        <tr>\n          <td data-label=\"Etapa\">Primeira reprodu\u00e7\u00e3o<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Quantidade\">100.605 ovos<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Resultado\">Resultado obtido de 527 f\u00eameas<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n        <tr>\n          <td data-label=\"Etapa\">Segunda gera\u00e7\u00e3o<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Quantidade\">Mais de 2,5 milh\u00f5es<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Resultado\">Expans\u00e3o r\u00e1pida da cria\u00e7\u00e3o<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n        <tr>\n          <td data-label=\"Etapa\">Pico de distribui\u00e7\u00e3o<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Quantidade\">At\u00e9 14 milh\u00f5es por dia<\/td>\n          <td data-label=\"Resultado\">Envios para duas regi\u00f5es australianas<\/td>\n        <\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n  <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leia tamb\u00e9m: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.em.com.br\/emfoco\/2026\/08\/06\/familias-de-baixa-renda-que-vivem-em-reservas-e-areas-tradicionais-podem-receber-r-2-400-por-ano-sem-perder-o-bolsa-familia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fam\u00edlias de baixa renda que vivem em reservas e \u00e1reas tradicionais podem receber R$ 2.400 por ano sem perder o Bolsa Fam\u00edlia<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Por que esse caso entrou para a hist\u00f3ria do controle biol\u00f3gico?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Em poucos anos, grandes campos antes cobertos por cactos apodreceram ou ficaram livres das plantas. At\u00e9 1933, estimativas apontavam a limpeza de <strong>80% da \u00e1rea infestada em Queensland<\/strong> e de 50% a 60% em Nova Gales do Sul, devolvendo terras ao uso rural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">O epis\u00f3dio mostrou que o <strong>controle biol\u00f3gico<\/strong> pode funcionar quando o agente \u00e9 estudado, testado e acompanhado no ambiente certo. Tamb\u00e9m deixou uma li\u00e7\u00e3o duradoura: um organismo \u00fatil contra uma invasora pode causar problemas em regi\u00f5es onde seus cactos hospedeiros s\u00e3o nativos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EM FOCO Resumo da mat\u00e9ria 01 Invas\u00e3o continental As figueiras-da-\u00edndia ocuparam 24,3 milh\u00f5es de hectares, bloquearam \u00e1reas rurais e resistiram aos m\u00e9todos de remo\u00e7\u00e3o usados antes do controle biol\u00f3gico. Escala da crise 02 Teste antes da soltura Os insetos passaram por avalia\u00e7\u00f5es rigorosas de cria\u00e7\u00e3o e alimenta\u00e7\u00e3o para verificar se as lagartas atacariam plantas diferentes [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":259556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":{"format":"standard"},"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[8819],"tags":[2381,3898,237,35788],"class_list":["post-259550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosidades","tag-australia","tag-cactos","tag-historia","tag-mariposas"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Em 1926, cientistas soltaram mariposas argentinas contra cactos que cobriam 24 milh\u00f5es de hectares e passaram a distribuir at\u00e9 14 milh\u00f5es de ovos por dia - 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