JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – A top Missouri Department of Conservation official says new rules banning the hunting of feral pigs on state land could help control the invasive species.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/1ZUz3v2 ) reports deputy director Aaron Jeffries told a panel of state lawmakers on Thursday that the ban will give agents a better chance of trapping family groups before they split up and are pushed into other areas

Jeffries says the pigs damage property and potentially spread disease to other livestock.

The Conservation Department trapped and killed 3,600 hogs last year and already has killed 2,000 of the rapidly multiplying animals this year.

Jeffries says the state is experimenting with remotely controlled traps that cost $6,000 each.

The new rules are expected to be in place by next week.