FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 10, 2012
Contacts: Christi Lightcap, (303) 239-4190, Christi.lightcap@ag.state.co.us
Dan Bean, (970) 464-7916, Dan.bean@ag.state.co.us
CDA
Celebrates Tiny, Hungry Bugs
LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Today, the Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) hosted a
tour along Fountain Creek near Pueblo to highlight a unique program that
focuses on conservation through biological pest control. The Palisade Insectary
is among only a handful of programs across the US that provides farmers,
ranchers and resource managers with dozens of species of beneficial insects and
mites as tools for use in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs.
“The Insectary is
a symbol of Colorado’s commitment to combating weeds and insect pests in an
economical and environmentally sound way,” said Commissioner of Agriculture,
John Salazar.
The Fountain
Creek tour highlighted a major success for the Insectary. For the past seven years, the Insectary has
been focused on collecting and releasing the tamarisk leaf beetle, Diorhabda carinulata. The little bug has had a tremendous effect by
defoliating and eventually killing tamarisk on Colorado’s waterways. During the tour, attendees were able to see
first-hand how the tamarisk leaf beetle has helped a
landowner manage a serious infestation of tamarisk.
Approximately
1,000,000 of these little weed eaters have been released on the Arkansas River
and tributaries, including Fountain Creek.
In just the past few years, the small yellow and black striped beetle
has helped to defoliate tamarisk along at least 300 miles of river ways in
western Colorado and left native vegetation, such as willows and cottonwoods,
untouched and thriving. A similar
success story is just beginning on the Arkansas River and its tributaries.
Colorado has about 92,000 acres of tamarisk infested lands and of that
nearly 70,000 acres are found on the Arkansas River and tributaries. This infestation depletes water resources,
alters stream channels, decreases wildlife habitat value, competes with native
plants, decreases recreational opportunities and increases fire hazard.
The Arkansas River has more tamarisk than any other river in Colorado
and major control efforts are underway with the cooperation of multiple
agencies and landowners. The biocontrol program on the Arkansas includes the release of
1,000,000 tamarisk leaf beetles.
Tamarisk was
introduced into the US from Europe and Asia nearly 200 years ago and has since
spread through the waterways of the west. At first it was considered useful since it was
fast growing and required little attention but it has become a problem as it
forms dense thickets and crowds out native vegetation. Tamarisk is highly flammable and can help fires
spread rapidly through river ways. It
also uses about 20 gallons of water per day for an average plant, which means
tens of thousands of gallons used by dense thickets of tamarisk. The leaf
beetle is a natural enemy of tamarisk and eats nothing else. It was collected from tamarisk in central
Asia and brought over to the US to help in the fight against this noxious weed.
Some of the first releases of this beetle in North America were made 11 years
ago near Pueblo but it is just in the past two years that the insect has really
started to take off in eastern Colorado.
The tamarisk
beetles are one of about 20 species of beneficial insects and mites that the
Insectary distributes for use against weeds and insect pests in Colorado. Some
of these include the bindweed mite which slows the growth of and may eventually
kill field bindweed. The knapweed flower
weevil has controlled diffuse knapweed at many locations in Colorado and the
leafy spurge flea beetles have controlled leafy spurge in many areas. The Insectary is also constantly working to
provide the newest available beneficial insects for weed and pest control
including beneficial insects for use against Russian knapweed and yellow
toadflax.
For more information on the Palisade Insectary,
visit www.colorado.gov/ag/csd and click on “Biological Pest Control Program.”
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Editor’s
Note: An Insectary fact sheet is
attached.