Biological Controls
Biological Controls
FCWP has a long history of success in using biological agents for the control of invasive plants.
Biological controls are, in most cases, insects that suppress the growth and spread of specific species of noxious weeds, either by feeding on them directly or other means.
The leafy spurge flea beetle, Apthona nigriscutis, helps suppress leafy spurge growth by feeding on the tops of plants during the growing season and on the root hairs throughout the winter.
The salt cedar leaf beetle, Diorhabda elongata, defoliates salt cedar by feeding on the leaves as a larva and adult.
A mighty midge
The Russian knapweed gall midge, Jaapiella ivannikovi, lays its eggs on the growing tip of a plant, causing a gall to form which reduces the plant’s height and ability to produce seeds.
First released in Fremont County in 2009, Jaapiella is now well established and spreading to new areas of the county on its own. FCWP collects hundreds of galls each summer for redistribution to new sites in Fremont County and to other Wyoming weed and pest districts.
Wyo-Bio
Learn more about biological controls in Wyoming from the pages of “Wyo-Bio.
Lander
332-1052
56 Tweed Ln
Lander, WY 82520
Riverton
856-2192
1446 Cowboy Ln
Riverton, WY 82501