Weapon: The psyllid will be introduced into the UK to tackle knotweedAn Asian insect is to be released to stop the spread of one of Britain's most invasive weeds.
The sap-sucking psyllid is the natural enemy of Japanese knotweed, a tenacious plant introduced by the Victorians which is slowly choking the countryside.
Ministers ruled yesterday that the insect may be safely released in the UK without any threat to other wildlife.
It is the first time scientists have been allowed deliberately to introduce one alien species to wipe out another in this country.
The move will raise concerns because previous attempts to introduce predators have done more harm than good.
For example, in the 1930s the Australian sugar industry tried to control pest beetles by introducing cane toads from South America.
The amphibians moved on to other insects and today they are a bigger pest than the beetles they were supposed to destroy.
Knotweed is one of the world's most invasive species. It grows 3ft a month and has roots that go 6ft deep. Even the smallest fragment left in the soil can develop into a new plant.
It grows through concrete and asphalt, damages buildings and walls, weakens flood defences and crowds out other plants.
Its removal costs £1.6billion a year in Britain. The plant is common in Japan, but it rarely grows out of control there because it has natural predators.
Yesterday, Huw Irranca-Davies, the wildlife minister, said: 'This project is not only ground-breaking, it offers real hope that we can redress the balance. These tiny insects, which naturally prey on Japanese knotweed, will help free local authorities and industry from the huge cost of treating and killing this devastating plant.'
Prey: The psyllid, right, dies out after destroying knotweed, aboveScientists at the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International in Oxfordshire have tested the psyllid louse on 90 types of native British plant - including crops and garden shrubs.
They found it will only eat its host plant and once knotweed has been destroyed it dies out.
They have been given a licence to introduce the bug and plan to set it free at two sites and watch progress for several months.
source: dailymail
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