Good news for Tradescantia haters

Have a look at the latest Weed Biocontrol news.  The tradescantia beetles are starting to bite into Wandering Jew.  One of NZ’s worst bush weeds has a new enemy.

History in New Zealand

The tradescantia leaf beetle is native to south-eastern Brazil and north-eastern Argentina.  It was first imported from Brazil by Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research into containment for testing in 2007. Permission to release this beetle was granted by ERMA towards the end of 2008, but releases did not begin until 2011 because of the need to clear the beetle of a gut parasite. The beetle is establishing well, particularly in northern regions, and heavy feeding damage has been observed at some sites. This beetle has not been used as a biocontrol agent anywhere in the world before.

How would I find/recognise it and what is its lifecycle?

Adults may be seen feeding or resting on the upper leaves and shoots during the warmer months but may fall or fly away when disturbed. They are dark metallic bronze in colour with slight iridescence. Adults are 4–5 mm long and females are usually slightly larger than males. Adults have survived up to 5 months in captivity.

If you need to deal to Wandering Jew or Tradescantia with chemical control, use our Cut’n’Paste Original Gel applied with a roller to the mat of leaves on the ground.  Because the gel is sticky it will coat the leaves without dripping off and you can easily kill large areas this way.