Adelaidean
8 September 1997
Foreign moths to bite into SA weed problem
Thousands of moths from Spain, France and South Africa will be released
in South Australia in a bid to combat two common species of
introduced weeds:
Boneseed ( Chrysanthemoides monilifera,
ASTERACEAE ), which
which is found throughout the Adelaide Hills, and
White Horehound ( Marrubium vulgare,
LAMIACEAE ),
which cover an estimated 20 million hectares of land, including pasture.
Over the next four months Craig Clarke, a PhD student with the University of
Adelaide's Department of Crop Protection, will release more than 8,000
Bitou Tip Moths ( Comostolopsis germana,
GEOMETRIDAE ), and
Horehound Plume Moths (
Wheelaria spilodactylus,
PTEROPHORIDAE ).
In their natural habitats these moths
eat the Boneseed and Horehound plants, helping to keep their numbers down.
"Although it's unlikely that we'll ever eradicate the weeds completely
in South Australia, we're trying to restore the balance," Mr Clarke
says. "Hopefully with these moths we can begin to control the weeds
and allow native vegetation to become more dominant."
Similar biological control programs have been implemented in
Victoria and New South Wales.
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