ARS began research on biological control of leafy spurge in the 1970s at laboratories in California, Montana, and Italy. The stars so far have been a group of four related flea beetles from Eurasia that belong to the genus Aphthona. The beetles have rapidly expanded from some areas. At one site in North Dakota, where 77 beetles were released, about 2 million were harvested in 1999 for distribution to other spurge-infested areas. The young beetles burrow into the weed's roots.
Adults feed on the leaves.
In addition to harming the plant directly, this feeding allows invasion by disease-causing fungi or bacteria and impairs its reproduction. Leafy Spurge project in 1997. Researchers examine biological, cultural, and chemical methods individually and in combination to manage the weed. The goal is to find the best tools, from an environmental and economical standpoint, so ranchers and land managers can reclaim rangeland lost to the weed and slow its further spread. Last summer, TEAM Leafy Spurge distributed for release more than 22 million flea beetles to 206 ranchers and land managers from 50 counties in 7 states.