"BioControl is the act
of reuniting
the weed & its natural enemies"
BioControl Information
For information and photos of BioControl agents that have been
released or observed in Stevens County click on a hyperlink below
Testing
BioControl For Host Specificity
Only the "BioControl" agents that have run
the gauntlet of USDA tests, and demonstrated they will starve rather
than eat anything but their weedy host are released in the US.
See Information about Testing BioControl Agents:
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The information about testing BioControl Agents is from
the book "Biological Control of Weeds in the West". Published
by: Western Society of Weed Science. In cooperation with: USDA
Agricultural Research Service, Montana Department of Agriculture, and
Montana State University.
About BioControl Agents
BioControl agents must first survive and adapt to the environment
in which they are newly released. They are not as handy at this as
the weeds. However, once established, they continue to increase in
number until they reach a natural balance with their weed host. In
the weeds native lands this natural balance has relegated the status
of the weed to "just another plant in the landscape". This
is the ultimate goal of the BioControl program in Stevens County.
BioControl agents are most often insects which utilize the weed
for food, home, and reproduction. They might consume leaves, flower
parts, or immature seeds. They might burrow their way through stems
or roots. They might chew holes in the stems or roots to lay their
eggs. All these activities harm the weed directly, and open the weed
up for additional attack by a variety of microscopic natural
enemies.
Most of the noxious weeds in North America originally came from
foreign lands. Many of the noxious weeds came as seeds. Weed seeds were
contaminates of imported crop seeds. Weed seeds were in the fur of
imported animals. Weed seeds were in soil that was used for ballast, and
then dumped by the sailing ships of old. Weed seeds were imported as
ornamental, as if they were as desirable as a rose.
In moving from the native land to new areas the weed had a huge
advantage over its natural enemies. The weed seed easily survived the
ocean voyage, or even a trip through animal intestine. The natural enemy
required a growing weed for food. It starved before reaching the new
land.
When the weed seeds sprouted in the new land they found themselves in
an environment lacking natural enemies. They gained a foothold and began
to spread.
In many areas of North America weeds have expanded to epidemic
proportions. In Stevens County there exists huge populations of Diffuse
Knapweed and Dalmatian Toadflax. The fact that these weeds are so
widespread, and beyond the practical limits of conventional control,
make them prime candidates for BioControl.
There are currently only a few sites in Stevens County where an
introduced biological agent, or mix of agents, are having a dramatic
impact on a weed species. In the county as a whole, BioControl agents
are not present in sufficient variety, number, and distribution to
substantially impact the target weeds.
It’s known that some BioControl agents are established but not
widespread in Stevens County. The symbiotic effects of multiple agents
attacking a weed species is lacking intensity. To increase this
intensity new agents must be introduced, and established agents must be
distributed throughout the county.
The usual trend in BioControl is to have a shaky beginning. It is
often difficult to get the BioControl established and surviving from
year to year. It faces a long uphill battle to increase its population
and become prosperous in it’s new environment. In cases where the
agent does become established, it may require assistance to spread
throughout a region in a timely manner.
Though BioControl is initially difficult, it is recognized that
natural enemies of weeds are of paramount importance. When these two
living forces of nature finally come back into balance in the "new
land", the "weed" becomes "just another plant in the
landscape", as it is in its native lands.
Residents of Stevens County
- If you would like your property surveyed for BioControl agents
- If you would like to get some BioControl for your property
- If you would like more information about BioControl
- If you have anything to say about BioControl
Direct email to Stevens
County BioControl
Elsewhere in WA
State
If you live outside Stevens County and would like information
on biocontrol programs available to you, contact
Jennifer Andreas,
Integrated Weed Control Project Director, Washington State
University, King County Extension, tel. (206) 205-3135
fax.(206) 296-0952
jennifer.andreas@kingcounty.gov.
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