The leaf beetle larvae also originated in southern Africa and feed exclusively on the leaves of the invasive weed, bridal creeper.

The plant competes aggressively with native species, smothers trees and bushes, and stops native plants from regenerating.

About 1400 adult leaf beetles were released last week by the Eyre Peninsula Natural Resources Management Board at the Cathedral Rocks Wind Farm.

When the insects arrived in Port Lincoln from the CSIRO in Canberra, they were wrapped up tight in their pupae, so board officers painstakingly cracked open each one by hand to release the adult beetles and speed up the breeding process.

The insects are now busy producing the next generation and these larvae have begun moving up and down the stems of bridal creeper plants and chewing off the new growing tips.

Board senior authorised officer Peter Sheridan said the beetles complemented the work of two other biological control agents being used at the sites the leaf hopper beetle and a rust fungus.

All three biological control agents are very specific to bridal creeper, they don’t affect any other plant, he said.

Mr Sheridan said when the battle against bridal creeper on Lower Eyre Peninsula began in earnest eight years ago, the region had one of the worst infestations in southern Australia.

For more information on bridal creeper control, contact EPNRM on 8682 7555.