Milfoil Weevil as a Barrier to Invasive Milfoil
The milfoil weevil is a tiny, specialised aquatic insect native to The Us that might have some very beneficial effects for humanity and local ecosystems. This weevil may prove it usefulness in eating milfoil and reestablishing the health of an ecosystem while causing no harm to humanity.
There are two sorts of milfoil to be found in the United States. One is native and the other invasive (Eurasian Milfoil). native milfoil is merely bothersome, but the offensive species is a menace to all bodies of water in North America. It is this one that is making the milfoil weevil so important.
Eurasian milfoil (from this point forward all milfoil will be considered Eurasian milfoil unless otherwise noted) was most likely introduced to the United States sometime between the late 1800’s to 1940’s as either a stowaway on a Boats ballast or discarded shipping material. Because of its ability to travel on ship anchors, bottoms, and propellors it spread widely, bringing with it drastic ecological shifts and additional problems for humans. This is also a great way to spread the milfoil weevil as well.
It spreads quickly and demolishes ecosystems by clogging out the native flora life which reduces food for water fowl, contracts habitat for fry, and reducing fishing by animals. The large mats it forms cuts the oxygenation of water by wind that leads to stressed fish and algae blooms.
For humanity, it cuts the recreational uses of the water by swimmers, watermen, and fisherman. Communities are more adversely affected as the mats can foul intake and overflow pipes ensuing in flooding or droughts. In dams, they choke and break generators and reduce electricity output.
One little weevil could hold the answer to the milfoil dilemma. The fact that it is native prefers Eurasian milfoil over native milfoil, and kills the colonies bit by bit, giving native species time to recover, make this the ideal. With a high breeding rate and a taste for milfoil, the milfoil weevil and a smart and safe way to remove the undesirable milfoil. When taking into account how quick the milfoil spreads, it is obvious that weevils are the perfect answer to controlling the problem.
This water flora spread quickly because broken pieces can sink to the bottom and easily form new plants. Using large marine harvesters are not the solution as the break up the milfoil too much and it grows right back. Vacuum dredging is only slightly more productive in that it catches small broken pieces, but it also causes a great disturbance in the water and can strip the bottom of all plants.
The milfoil weevil though prefers Eurasian to indigenous milfoil so it eats that first, slowly weeding it out by burrowing into the stems and eating it from the inside out. Weevils have a short life, living no more than thirty days, so before the winter comes, three generations will live and die before they come ashore for the winter. Although they have wings they have seldom been know to fly so no one know if milfoil weevils fly to shore or swim. The weevils are hearty little bugs and once they are introduced to an area, they can survive the harshest weather.
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