Alligator Weed
Alternanthera philoxeroides
An Invasive Biocontrol Plant
This plant has been documented in the Mississippi area. It is a fairly common emergent plant species in the South and can be found easily in drainage ditches and lake edges.
Info
Alligator weed is a good example of an invasive weed that has been successfully managed through biological control programs. Take these numbers for instance: there were 97,000 problem acres of alligator weed in the US in 1963; by 1981 there were less than 1,000 problem acres. Why did this happen? It was mostly the work of the following three biocontrol insects:
1. Alligator weed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila)
2. Alligator weed thrips (Amynothrips andersoni)
3. Alligator weed stem borer (Vogtia malloi) shown in the video
Related Topics
An Invasive Biocontrol Plant
This plant has been documented in the Mississippi area. It is a fairly common emergent plant species in the South and can be found easily in drainage ditches and lake edges.
Info
Alligator weed is a good example of an invasive weed that has been successfully managed through biological control programs. Take these numbers for instance: there were 97,000 problem acres of alligator weed in the US in 1963; by 1981 there were less than 1,000 problem acres. Why did this happen? It was mostly the work of the following three biocontrol insects:
1. Alligator weed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila)
2. Alligator weed thrips (Amynothrips andersoni)
3. Alligator weed stem borer (Vogtia malloi) shown in the video
Common Name:
Alligator Weed
Classification
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Species:
philoxeroides
