By the early 1900s, prickly pear had spread across more than 24 million hectares in Queensland and New South Wales, expanding by about 400,000 hectares a year, according to Queensland Government historical records. At its height, the invasion was expanding by about 1 million acres, or 400,000 hectares, a year, roughly 1,000 hectares a day, according to Queensland Government historical accounts. The problem persisted for years before scientists introduced a small moth from South America, now considered one of the world’s most successful biological controls.
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