Bug man hopes beetle can be eradicated

Entomologist Ruud Kleinpaste hopes MAF will be able to stop a new invasive insect in its tracks.

Small colonies of the orange-spotted Hadda beetle have been found in parts of Auckland, close to the city's port.

Mr Kleinpaste says people who grow tomatoes, potatoes, aubergines and capsicums will have to treat their produce more and while nobody knows how long the bug has been here, if it has been detected early there is every chance it can be eradicated.

He says if the Hadda beetle has already set up home here for good, we can expect vegetables to need more spraying.

- NEWSTALK ZB