Michigan is about to enlist a tiny new ally in its fight against one of its most troublesome invasive plants.
Later this month, officials plan to turn loose 4,000 weevils in Calhoun County in Michigan’s first effort to use the insect to slow “mile-a-minute” weed.
What happened?
According to a statement from Michigan.gov, the Barry, Calhoun, Kalamazoo Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area is leading the state’s first release of a beetle-sized weevil as a biological control for mile-a-minute weed, an invasive vine that can overrun forests.
Biocontrol works by using a pest’s natural enemy instead of broad pesticide applications. Adult weevils eat the weed’s leaves and flower heads, while larvae tunnel into stems, killing smaller plants and cutting seed production…