Lagarosiphon major is considered a vigorous and highly invasive plant in lentic freshwater habitats. The most notable infestations in Ireland occur in Lough Corrib, Co. Galway, one of Irelands largest lakes, renowned for its salmonid fisheries and conservation importance. Successful control of aquatic invasive weeds can be difficult and combating the negative impacts of L. major using traditional methods, such as mechanical and chemical control, are often only effective in the short-term and environmentally unsuitable. Classical biological control could provide a safe, cost-effective method of control of the invasive submerged weed Lagarosiphon major. My PhD was a pre-release evaluation study of the leaf-mining fly, Hydrellia lagarosiphon, a candidate biological control agent of the submerged aquatic invasive weed L. major.

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• Determined the demographic, reproductive and survival parameters of H. lagarosiphon reared on L. major.

• Determined a revised labotatory diet for 

• culturing techniques of biocontrol agents.

• Established leaf-mining flies generate damage with significant impact on the target weed.

• Explored the molecular characterization of H. lagarosiphon across large geographic areas in the native range, South Africa.

• Conducted a risk assessment of the host range of H.lagarosiphon for the biological control of L. major in Ireland.