Insects Thriving—

Combating The Invasive Mile-A-Minute Vine In Newtown

By Kendra Bobowick

Pushing through bursts of golden rod and mugwort, an environmental-minded team found a sea of invasive mile-a-minute vines off Middleton Road.

They also found the vine’s leaves scored with holes — evidence that weevils, tiny insects introduced to patches of mile-a-minute several years ago, are doing their job to combat the plant. Weevils consume the vine, while leaving other native species untouched.

“There is good damage here, good damage,” said research entomologist Carole Cheah, PhD. As the small group worked its way through the mile-a-minute patch, conducted weevil counts, and recorded other observations, Donna Ellis, senior extension educator and co-chair, Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group at the University of Connecticut, said, “I love coming to this site. It really puts your faith in biocontrol.”

After conducting a five-minute count, she and other volunteers compared numbers of weevils spotted on the vine.

As the group entered the thicket and inspected the vines, Ms Ellis spoke with Kate Aitkenhead, supervisory plant protection and quarantine officer with the US Department of Agriculture, and Todd Mervosh with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. Pointing to a cluster of leaves, Ms Ellis said, “That’s a weevil there.”

Dr Cheah spoke with relief: “They are around.” The weevils, an insect brought from China to a host of Connecticut towns to fight the vine, have survived in the New England climate and are now thriving for their fourth season, Dr Cheah said. Surveying the Middleton Road site near Mt Pleasant Road, Ms Ellis stated that “this is the most [weevil] damage in the state.” Newtown is among 11 towns conducting weevil experiments since the summer of 2009.

While she confirmed that all other sites in Newtown, one on Deep Brook Road and two locations on Huntingtown Road, show signs that the weevil is busily consuming the plant, they are doing their best work at Middleton Road on a swath of town open space.

Environmental Consultant Ann Astarita glanced at the underbrush. “All you see is mile-a-minute on top of the other plants.” Its triangular leaves and far-reaching vine wove a thick carpet across slower-growing native plants. Team members searched for the weevils that appeared as small black specks. Mr Mervosh and Nicole Gabelman, with the UConn plant science department, who works seasonally with Ms Ellis, noted the lack of abundant blue berries that the vine produces at this time of year. “There is not much fruit, that’s good,” Mr Mervosh said. Could the weevils be interfering with the berry production? “Possibly,” Mr Mervosh said.

Throughout the year a host of team members meet to inspect the sites, and will return again in October. Also working with the team Tuesday was Christine Grant, a summer research assistant at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, Valley Laboratory, Windsor.

Newtown is one of 11 towns in the state to receive weevils through grant funds from The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. According to Aphis.usda.gov/about_aphis/, APHIS is a multifaceted agency with a broad mission area that includes protecting and promoting US agricultural health, regulating genetically engineered organisms, administering the Animal Welfare Act and carrying out wildlife damage management activities. These efforts support the overall mission of USDA, which is to protect and promote food, agriculture, natural resources and related issues.

Ms Ellis hopes to continue monitoring the sites, as long as APHIS funds are available.