Aquatic Weed Control – Milfoil Weevil as a Control Method to Invasive Milfoil

Milfoil weevils  may be more helpful to local habitats and humanity than anyone recognizes. This weevil could prove it usefulness in eating milfoil and restoring the  health of an ecosystem while causing no harm to people.

There are two types of milfoil to be found in the Us. Eurasian Milfoil is invasive and non-indigenous and the other  is simple indigenous. The native species is not a problem but the Eurasian one is a major environmental threat. Eurasian Milfoil is the reason the milfoil weevil is so significant.

Eurasian Milfoil (the primary milfoil that will be referenced from  this point on) probably came to America between the 1800’s and the 19404’s as an unwelcome  passenger on some large ship. Because of its ability to travel on boat anchors,  bottoms, and propellers it spread widely, bringing with it drastic ecological shifts and  additional problems for humanity.   Luckily this can spread the milfoil weevil as well.

This water flora grows  quickly, devastating local plants and limiting the food and living area for many marine  beasts.   The mats formed by the milfoil do not allow the wind to bring fresh oxygen to the water and this will result in the ultimate  death of fish and a surge in algae growth.

The milfoil is more irritating for humanity than harmful because it can lose weight  the amount of water available for boating, fishing, bathing and waterskiing.  For residential areas, the dense mats can choke water intakes or overflows, causing water shortages in some places and flooding in others.   The mats can be particularly detrimental to dykes by breaking or clogging generators and  reducing electricity production.

The milfoil weevil may  well be the solution to this flora epidemic.   The milfoil weevil prefers Eurasian milfoil to the native variety, which  means that the invasive species are destroyed over time and native plants are allowed to  step by step recover. Add to that the number of generations of milfoil weevils per year (at least 3) and you have a natural pest remover with none of  the troubles associated with other methods.   The weevils are a clear solution to the milfoil problem, especially considering the rate  at which the flora spreads.

This water plant spread rapidly because broken pieces can sink to the bottom and easily form new plants. Marine  harvesting devices are not productive because they break the plant and pieces come off and  replant themselves elsewhere. Vacuum dredging works a small better because no broken pieces are left behind, but at  the same time the vacuum disrupts the water and could leave no plant life at the bottom.

The milfoil weevil will  destroy the whole plant by digging into the stem and eating from the inside out, which  will kill the flora. Weevils  have a short life, living no more than 30 days, so before the winter comes, three  generations will live and die before they come ashore for the winter. The weevils do have wings, but have never been seen flying, so whether they swim or fly ashore will remain a mystery.   Once based in a habitat, the milfoil weevil will live even through the coldest Minnesota winters.