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Leaf Beetle Joins Funeral March For Bridal Weed

On Tuesday 19th April, a new biological line of defence against the major weed pest bridal creeper is set to be released for the first time in the East Gippsland region.

By Department of Primary Industries - 19th April 2005 - Back to News

A small, leaf-eating beetle has become the third agent in the campaign for biological control of bridal creeper - one of the nation’s worst weeds, which smothers native vegetation and has the ability to prevent anything else from growing.

Scientists from the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have been rearing the beetles, which have been shown to damage the bridal creeper by stripping the plant and preventing its spread.

Bridal creeper first entered Australia in the 1850s when it was used in gardens, bridal bouquets and hanging baskets, but like many pest weeds has jumped the back fence and invaded vast areas of native vegetation.

DPI scientist Sarah Holland Clift said the leaf beetle would join two other biological control agents - a leafhopper and a rust fungus – that are already widely used in Victoria.

"These are most active from August onwards, while the beetle grub is active from late March until August, so together the three biocontrol agents have the potential to provide year-round control of bridal creeper in Victoria."

"With the help of these agents and the efforts of many hard working people, we are finally seeing a win in the battle against weeds, so this is really great news," she said.

Ms Holland Clift said testing had confirmed the beetle was specific to bridal creeper and would not affect any native or economically important plants.

"Biological control is a good management option for bridal creeper because of the weed’s severity, difficulty of control and the high risk of off-target damage when using herbicides.

For the past four years, school students and public and private land managers across the region have been working together to release the leafhoppers and the rust fungus and monitor their impacts on bridal creeper.

The leaf beetle will be launched this Tuesday 19th April at 12pm by the East Gippsland Bridal Creeper Working Group, which consists of representatives from local and state government, Landcare and the East Gippsland Catchment Management Authority.

What: The first release of a new line of defence against the pest weed bridal creeper
When: Tuesday 19th April, 12 pm
Where: Sarsfield oval and tennis courts, School Road, Sarsfield (approx. 1km west of Nicholson River Bridge, off Alpine Rd).

Source: http://gippsland.com/

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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