Cane toad tadpole trapping update
Please note that this MRL project has now finished
Please note that we are no longer supplying cane toad traps. Our friends over at Watergum are working alongside UQ to continue to supply traps and baits. Watergum have a great range of resources available if you are interested. Check out their website – https://watergum.org/canetoads
Program background
Cane toads became pests after being introduced into Australia to control destructive beetles in Queensland’s sugarcane crop. For many years, the only option for reducing cane toad numbers has been hand capture of adults. However this approach has been unsuccessful, the invasion throughout Queensland, and into the Northern Territory, Western Australia and now New South Wales continues unabated.
It has recently been discovered that cane toad tadpoles are drawn to a chemical attractant released by toad eggs. University of Queensland (UQ) isolated and identified this chemical, and developed tadpole attractant baits that are called ‘BufoTabs’. The Cane Toad Challenge (CTC), operated through UQ, aims at fast-tracking the roll out of cane toad tadpole trapping.
Check out UQ’s Cane Toad Challenge webpage for complete details of the project and how they developed the baits: Cane Toad Challenge
