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Hooray! Advances in garlic mustard control!

According to a new article on the Wisconsin Master Gardener web site, scientists are having some luck with a weevil that eats garlic mustard and only garlic mustard.

For those of you who aren’t already super bitter about garlic mustard, here’s the scoop from the Web site:

“Garlic mustard is an invasive plant that gets a lot of attention,” says ecologist Adam Davis, who has been studying the weed for years. “It’s very noticeable and hard to eradicate because of its seed bank.”

A single plant can produce hundreds of seeds.

“You can spend a lot of time and money pulling garlic mustard up or spraying it with pesticides, but it’ll just come back the next year,” says Davis. “That’s why it’s such a problem. It’s very resilient.”

And here’s another problem: The insects and fungi that feed on garlic mustard in its native habitat are not present in North America, increasing the weed’s seed productivity and allowing it to outcompete native plants.”

I’ve been battling garlic mustard in my little woods for three years, and haven’t seen any significant improvement. I’ve also seen fewer native plants.

Here’s the story on the weevil: It’s called C. scrobicollis it lays eggs on garlic mustard’s leaf stems in the fall. When the eggs hatch in the spring, the larvae feed on the weed’s root crown, the area from which the rosette’s leaves grow and where nutrients are stored.

By feeding on the root crown, C. scrobicollis stops the flow of nutrients and water from the roots. It also damages the area of the plant where new growth takes place. As a result, garlic mustard produces fewer seeds or, in areas with high weevil populations, dies prematurely in early spring without producing any seeds.

We love the C. scrobicollis, and we haven’t even met it.

C. scrobicollis also appears to be monophagous, meaning it eats just one thing: garlic mustard (It’s like that story, “Bread and Jam for Francis”).

C. scrobicollis is currently in quarantine at the University of Minnesota. If all goes well, this beneficial weevil may soon be coming to a wood lot near you.

Now if only they could do something about buckthorn.

Another reminder! From 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 17 (that's this Saturday), Rotary Botanical Gardens is having a volunteer work day. Here's a message from Mark Dwyer, Horticultural manager and volunteer haranguer:

Hi Gang,

Frost has found us.

For those interested, we have a workday this Saturday (October 17) from 8 am until noon. We’ll be planting bulbs and removing annuals in the entrance garden near the Parker Education Center. We have 3,000 tulips, 500 allium and 500 daffodils to get in the ground (priority) and will then shift to flower bed clearing.

Meet at the main parking lot of the visitors center at 8 am sharp, dress for the weather, bring gloves and we’ll get busy.

Thanks!

Mark