Earlier this year Landscape juice reported that DEFRA had approved the release of the psyllid insect, Aphalara itadori to help control Japanese knotweed.
After ten years of research, the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International, CABI, has begun the introductory programme.
Dick Shaw, the principal investigator, said: 'like all invasive species the plant has no natural enemies in Britain. This is the first time that this natural form of pest control is being implemented here although it is a common technique outside Europe'.
The knotweed problem is also rampant in Canada and the USA, being in 41 American states and 8 provinces in Canada.
Recently the BBC reported that two knotweed control programmes are being run, the other at Glamorgan University. Professor Murphy, Head of Biotechnology said 'our work is on Geographic Information Service GIS and the possible fungal pathogens'.
According to Dick Shaw, they are also investigating fungi programmes but they are not as developed as their insect programme: " We have only one approach being implemented at the moment and that is with the psyllid, since research on the leafspot fungus is not as advanced."
As far as progress in the bug programme goes, the first limited releases have taken place.
"We have been able to initiate Phase one of the release programme and my ecology colleagues are engaged in an intensive monitoring programme to generate data for the Government to decide whether wider scale releases are appropriate," Dick Shaw said.
All being well they anticipate Phase 2 continuing next year.
Below is an interesting clip from BBC Today 2009 about Japanese knotweed and Aphalara itadori.
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