Hyacinth cover was 22% on 3 February 2024.

The Centre for Biological Control (CBC) of Rhodes University said this week the hyacinth situation in Hartbeespoort Dam is looking good and the remaining plants all show signs of biological control damage.
According to satellite images on 3 February 2024, hyacinth coverage on the dam was 22%. “The planthoppers eating the hyacinth are starting to leave the plants which indicates that there is not much nutrition left. The plants are turning brown. These insects are dispersing away from the damaged plants to find new water hyacinth that is more nutritious. However, they are attracted to lights that interfere with their navigation ability. The insects are host-specific and cannot complete their life cycles on plants other than water hyacinth. They will not damage garden ornamentals or vegetables. However, they may attempt to feed on other plants to get moisture before they fly. This behaviour is purely investigative, and the insects will not survive on other plants. Furthermore, the insects are herbivores and cannot bite. They do not have biting mouthparts. Any reports of bites are from other insects like mosquitoes or biting flies that breed opportunistically in the water hyacinth mats,” Professor Julie Coetzee of the CBC said.
“Bear with us, they won’t stay around for long.”
Magalies Water held a meeting with stakeholders in the Hartbeespoort Remediation Programme on Wednesday to give feedback on the progress. Currently, the only service provider active on the dam is Hya Matla which is responsible for the removal of the hyacinth. Magalies Water spokesperson David Magae said recently the process to acquire nets for the catchment areas had taken more time than planned. “Once they are available all stakeholders shall be informed about their location.”