HILO, Hawai'i — Yet another type of insect is being considered by state agricultural officials to battle gorse, a noxious plant from Western Europe that has plagued the Big Island for more than four decades.

If approved, the gorse-pod moth, or Cydia ulicetana, would follow five other types of insects and a spider mite that have been released since 1984. A rust fungus that infects gorse was also released in 2000.

With its bright yellow flowers and 2-inch spines, gorse can be found on the slopes of Mauna Kea growing up to 10 feet tall.

A study to determine whether the moth, which feeds on gorse seedpods, is a threat to Hawai'i plants indicated it would be safe to release, according to Patrick Conant, an entomologist in the Department of Agriculture's office in Hilo.

It will take at least a year to clear the remaining regulatory hurdles before the moth could be released in gorse thickets, he said.

Gorse produces thousands of seeds that the plants can "spit" as far as 20 feet.

The seeds, which remain viable for as long as 30 years, can be spread by mud-encrusted tires, cows and feral pigs and sheep, and rain that washes them into streams.

Meanwhile, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands is trying to control heavy infestations of gorse on its property in Humu'ula.

A 250-foot-wide buffer zone, covering 400 acres, has been bulldozed around the core area and is being planted with sugi pine and koa trees.

Mike Robinson, a DHHL forester, said it is hoped that shade from the trees will prevent the spread of gorse and that biological controls will gradually kill off the rest of the gorse.