Hi It looks like we are stuck with the jolly things, just hope it does not get to the stage
that the Cane Toad has, they say the bug is working even if it is killing off some other plants as well.
So thats good news.Have a look at the link below there are different treatments for getting rid of it.
The organic one sounds OK.... Cheers...MM.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lantana bug.Treatment

Greathawks
"Thanks to the powers that be we now have these creatures to deal with".

Im sure there would be lots of people who are happy that Duranta and Lantana are succumbing to the 'bug'. I say this because of the weedy nature of these two species in my area. I plainly sick to death of people making money from the sales of Duranta. Its often too late to control a new weed when every second person has it planted in their garden. The seeds of Duranta are additionally poisonous.

Kris

The Qld DPI had some info also - they seem more prevalent where there are (or were?) fiddlewoods growing. Looking round the neighbourhood, isolated durantas seem a little more the worse for wear than those in situations with other shrubs around them.
I certainly hope it's working with the lantana, but maybe they are too busy chewing up the suburbs.

Here is a link that might be useful: DPI advice

well there's nothing chewing up the lantana around this area.

len

Now Len, when have the powers we now have ever bothered about country areas.
Just like the jolly mozzie, we have so many here at present now if I lived near a river or wetland close to CBD
I bet they would fog or spray but because it in a very southern suburb they dont bother. Send them a e-mail, maybe they dont know ???!!!! ( did I write that ) hound them Len...MM

Maybe you could try planting some duranta, Len, give the little guys a start in your area. I wonder if they just don;t like the smell of lantana (if they have another suitable host)

mmmm maybe but i dunno reckon they may just have landed us with another man made dilemna of the cane toad proportions i suppose not wanting to out do themselves but hey???

len

Greathawks the problem always is someones prized garden plant maybe a weed elswhere. A weed = a plant out of place.

I agree with you Kris. The lantana bugs are working well at least at one place near Wellington Point, east of Brisbane, but have not killed out the vigorous red lantana yet. Some lantana survival may be useful so the bugs survive. They have not done much damage to the Durantas yet but we hope they will because we have about 50 metres of Duranta at the local school planted by a 'misinformed' as a good idea at the time and only 5 years ago. They need removal and replacement!

What lillypilly (Syzigium) variety, 1 to 1.5 metres high do you suggest? We need to phase out hedge trimming for maintenance cost reasons.

I dislike the little buggers so much that I'm ripping out all my beautiful Durantas and replacing them with something else. There were fiddlewoods across the road that the neighbour removed, but we have a lot more around the neighbourhood. I live on the Gold Coast, my mum lives in Nambour and doesn't have any there yet...

Gum Tree