Coevolutionary relationships have also been directly exploited, for example for the control of the prickly pear cactus (Opuntia vulgaris) through the use of the cactus moth (Cactoblastis sp.).
In the 1930s, Gravesend was the site of a research station breeding Cactoblastis moths later released to eradicate a devastating prickly pear infestation.