Aphalara itadori To Help in Fight Against Japanese Knotweed

This is one of the biggest nuisances known to man - the Japanese Knotweed! It is a fast spreader, grows very quickly, and is very destructive.

The Japanese Knotweed can even grow through concrete, asphalt, within cavity walls and will choke underground drains. In fact the problem has become so bad that some  mortgage providers now refuse to provide loans secured against property infested with Japanese Knotweed.

So, what can we do to tackle the spread of this hardy, virtually indestructible plant? It seems the solution lies in a tiny insect which will drain the plant of its goodness, causing it to perish. The insect is also, wait for it, from Japan. I wonder why it took scientists so long to come up with this idea, when it`s worked over in Japan for so long?

The tiny sap sucking insect Aphalara itadori will be released into the environment in `trials` to see how it performs against the Japanese Knotweed. Hopefully it will contain the spread of the plant and help keep it under control. Hopefully too the introduction of the Aphalara itadori won`t result in other problems, which can and does happen when foreign insects, animals, fish or plants are brought in to the country.