Jean White-Haney

She was officer-in-charge of the Queensland Board of Advice on Prickly Pear Destruction and helped develop biological control methods for managing the invasive cactus.

The Queensland Board of Advice on Prickly Pear Destruction placed her in charge of their experimental station at Dulacca in 1912.

[1] Dr. White-Haney had success against one species of tree cactus (Opuntia monacantha) prevalent in North Queensland using cochineal insects (Coccus indicus) and, although this insect was not effective against the most prevalent species of pear, this success encouraged the continuing search for biological controls that led eventually to the introduction of the Cactoblastis cactorum moth that eventually brought the pest under control.

[3] She published three reports on the work of the experimental station, where she remained in charge until its closure in 1916 when the war made it difficult to obtain staff and chemicals for experiments.

She attended the Pan-Pacific Science Congress in Tokyo in 1926 and was contracted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, a position which took her all over Australia.