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BIOCONTROL FOR MILFOIL
News excerpt from Farmer's Market Online
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BIOCONTROL FOR MILFOIL
University of Minnesota Sea Grant researchers report that a tiny freshwater weevil (Euhrychiopsis lecontei) shows promise as a control for Eurasian watermilfoil, an invasive exotic plant that has infested North American waters since the late 1940s.
The weevil lays its eggs on the tips of the milfoil plant. Once they hatch, the young burrow down the stem, eating their way through the plant, which slows down the growth of milfoil. Under the right environmental conditions, this could provide a chemical-free control method.
Milfoil is currently controlled through harvesting and chemical treatments, both labor intensive and costly.
Source: http://www.d.umn.edu/~seagr/news/weevil.html
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