The BBC reports that the Royal Horticultural Society is warning against the spread of an insect in London able to “suck plants dry”.
Wisteria scale bugs, an Asian parasite which targets the wisteria plant, were first found in Vauxhall in 2001.
Andrew Salisbury, an expert at the society, said that since then there had been “very little the authorities could do” to stop the insects’ spread.
He said there has been a “rapid rise” in the 1cm-long brown helmet-shaped insects which feast on wisteria.
The society urges gardeners to use systemic insecticides to control the pest.
Mr Salisbury said the best time to act was mid-summer, when the bugs’ eggs hatch. He asked gardeners across London to check their wisteria plants and act now before the problem becomes more widespread.
Tags: garden care, plants