If you live in the US or the UK, you are probably familiar with the scourge of Japanese knotweed, even if you don’t know it. Japanese knotweed is one of the world’s most invasive plants and has colonized many disturbed and undisturbed ecosystems in Massachusetts and at least 38 other states. It has no predators in North America or Europe and is notoriously difficult to remove by force. As the armies of knotweed march ever forward, scientists in the UK are experimenting with a dramatic method of weed-killing: the introduction of a non-native, knotweed-loving insect to munch the stalks down to size. Read the rest of Researchers are introducing non-native insects in a desperate attempt to battle Japanese knotweed Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Aphalara itadori , beneficial insects , biological control , biological solutions , controlling japanese knotweed , ecosystem restoration , Fallopia japonica , Frederick Law Olmstead , green pest control , green weed control , invasive plants , invasive species , Japanese Knotweed , knotweed , New England invasives , non-native insects , non-native plants , pest control , psyllid , weed control , weeds
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Researchers are introducing non-native insects in a desperate attempt to battle Japanese knotweed
