Milfoil Weevil as a Barrier to Invasive Milfoil
The milfoil weevil is a tiny, specialised marine insect native to The Us that might have some very beneficial effects for people and local ecosystems. 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 sorts of milfoil to be found in the United States. Eurasian Milfoil is invasive and non-native and the other is simple native. The indigenous species places no menace but the Eurasian strain is very harmful. It is this one that is making the milfoil weevil so significant.
Eurasian milfoil (from this point forward all milfoil will be believed Eurasian milfoil unless otherwise noted) was most likely introduced to the Us sometime between the late 1800’s to 1940’s as either a stowaway on a Ships ballast or discarded shipping material. Milfoil can easily travel on the bottom of a ship and grow rapidly, which causes terrible ecological changes and causes problems for people. Luckily this can spread the milfoil weevil as well.
It propagates quickly and destroys ecosystems by choking out the indigenous flora life which reduces food for water fowl, reduces habitat for fry, and reducing fishing by creatures. The mats constituted by the milfoil do not allow the wind to bring refreshing oxygen to the water and this will result in the ultimate death of fish and a rush in algae growth.
For people, it reduces the recreational uses of the water by swimmers, boatmen, and fisherman. For residential areas, the dense mats can choke water intakes or overflows, causing water shortfalls in some places and flooding in others. In dams, they clog and break generators and reduce power production.
One small weevil could hold the answer to the milfoil dilemma. Eurasia milfoil is a favorite of the milfoil weevil rather than the native kind; this results in the invasive species being bit by bit destroyed and native plants slowly returning to their natural place. With a high breeding rate and a taste for milfoil, the milfoil weevil and a smart and safe way to remove the unwelcome milfoil. The weevils are a clear solution to the milfoil problem, especially considering the rate at which the flora spreads.
It spreads when little pieces break off and sink to the bottom, there they take root. Using large marine harvesters are not the answer as the break up the milfoil too much and it grows right back. Vacuum dragging is a little better in that it gets the small pieces, but cause a great deal of water disturbance and leaves the bottom bare, so it will need replanting with native species.
The milfoil weevil will destroy the whole flora by digging into the stem and eating from the inside out, which will kill the flora. With a short life span (milfoil weevils live about thirty days) at least three generations will live and die till they head to the land to winter. Milfoil weevils do have wings, but no one has ever seen them fly so no on knows exactly how the come ashore for the winter. The weevils are hearty little bugs and once they are introduced to an area, they can survive the harshest weather.
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