The Environment Ministry says it is winning the war on Kudzu ? ?the worst invasive species in Bermuda?.

They Ministry said yesterday that the ?conservation programme to get rid of the dangerous plant Kudzu has met with encouraging success, thanks to the concentrated removal scheme and the alert response by the public?.

The programme involved personnel from both the Parks Department and Conservation Services who spent several weeks this summer battling the plant that can grow one foot per day and completely smother native plants underneath their weight.

The main target was near the railway trial at Grape Bay, Paget. Kudzu will no longer continue its slow spread at Bulkhead Drive in Warwick or at Parson?s Road in Pembroke as these areas were also targeted.

?These areas were treated several times with a systemic herbicide which effectively killed most of these invasive plants and stopped its spread,? the Ministry said.

Parks Department official Drew Pettit told in May that the best way only way to deal with Kudzu is to kill their extensive root system. In large fields the surface vines will be scraped off using machines.

Once the whole area is cleared, it will be easy to see the new shoots that the roots send up through the soil.

Mr. Petit said they put Tordon, the herbicide proven to kill Kudzu in 75 percent of cases, directly on to the root through the new shoot holes. He said this is the most effective method of killing the parasite.

Kudzu was originally introduced to the US in 1876 as a garden plant but now covers seven million acres of the southeastern US alone.

Conservation Officer, Joseph Furbert said: ?This is the first time in a number of years that we have been able to slow Kudzu growth at the Paget site which represents the largest infestation in Bermuda.

?To date the Kudzu Eradication Programme has been a great success and although we have much more work to do, we look forward to replanting this site with suitable plants in the near future.?

Kudzu can uproot trees and knock over telephone poles or walls with its weight alone.

The vine has three dark green leaves and small purple or white flowers similar to a Morning Glory vine.

However, Kudzu is considered to be the most dangerous invasive plant in Bermuda because of its tough constitution and astronomical rate of growth.

Mr. Furbert said the eradication programme has been a success because of public involvement.

?We made many site visits in response to phone calls from the public asking to identify a vine that they had growing near their homes.

Kudzu only grows in the hot and humid months when our climate most resembles Asia.

However, the eradication of Kudzu will continue again for the next growing season when an informative pamphlet about Kudzu will be distributed.

?We would like to thank the public for being alert and contacting us with their concerns about Kudzu,? Mr. Furbert said.