Mile-a-Minute Project
of the Hudson Valley
2010 Weed and Weevil Update
Stephanie Mogil
Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI)
&
Palisades Interstate Park Commission (PIPC)
Mile-a-Minute: Overview
Blueberry-Like Fruits
(when mature)
&
Immature, Green Fruit
Downward Facing
Barbs on Stem and
Leaf Underside
Triangular Leaves
Ocrea (ahk-ree-ah)
Circular leaves that
surround stem at node
Mile-a-Minute:
Country-Wide
OR: 1 county in north (Multnomah)
http://www.eddmaps.org/
Mile-a-Minute
Distribution in the
Hudson Valley
Based on confirmed observations
Preferred MAM habitats include:
1. Wetland/Marsh
2. Forest Edge & Harvest Forest Sites
3. Roadsides/Trailsides/Railroads
4. Gardens/Yards
5. Uncultivated & Open Fields
6. Stream Banks/Riparian Zones
A handful of new MAM locations
found in 2010
Map by Brent Kinal, NY Natural Heritage Program
Mile-a-Minute Management
Hough-Goldstein et
al. 2008
Photo courtesy of
Leslie Mehrhoff
•MAM is an annual vine with shallow roots
- easily pulled, especially small infestations
- growth: up to 6”/day, >20’/growing season
•Seed bank is of concern
- can last 6 years
•Every successful MAM seed crop adds 6 years
to MAM management in area of infestation
- and in other areas, considering travel by
animal and water
•MAM control efforts should, therefore, focus on
reducing or eliminating seed output...
Mile-a-Minute Management:
Current Practices
Spraying...
helps with MAM removal,
but not entirely specific
and can be
environmentally harmful
Hand-pulling...
shallow roots allow easy
removal, but have to be
conscious of bagging seeds
Photo courtesy of Irene Stover
http://www.kiwicare.co.nz
Mowing...
helps control MAM and, if done
regularly, can prevent seeds from
growing, but can also increase the
potential spread of MAM seeds
already present.
http://www.deere.com
Mile-a-Minute: Biocontrol Program
•Past biocontrol:
goats! ... potential to spread seeds;
consumed MAM when last resort and only browsed, did not
remove entire plant upon consumption.
•1996: USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Technology
Enterprise Team (FHTET), University of Delaware, Chinese
Academy of Agricultural Sciences begin surveys to find hostspecific enemies of MAM.
•2001: MAM weevil (Rhinoncomimus latipes L.) colony
established; biology and life cycle studied.
•2004: mass rearing of weevil by NJ Dept. of Ag.
•2004: first weevil release in Delaware; releases in NJ, MD,
PA, and WV followed.
•Search for natural MAM enemies continues in China and
Japan.
Mile-a-Minute Weevil (R. latipes):
Biology
•High reproductive rate
•Short generation time
•Eggs laid on MAM leaves/stems
•Egg hatch >3 days; bore into
stems at nodes, feed internally, and
make way to soil where pupation
occurs
•Adults emerge from soil, make
way up MAM plants, feed and mate,
and lay eggs
•Most often found at MAM apex or
adjacent leaves
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Mile-a-Minute Weevil
Life Cycle
(clockwise)
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Mile-a-Minute Weevil (R. latipes):
Biology - continued...
In China
2 generations/year
Overwinter/hibernate as adult
weevils, emerge mid-May when
MAM is btw 12-15 inches in height
In culture: females lay eggs
(oviposit) 2-8 days after copulation
and continue to oviposit for 80-100
days
In Lab
Delaware lab: time of
development from egg to adult
averaged 26 days
Egg production averaged 130
eggs per female
Test with 25 adult weevil pairs
Adults observed to live up to 1
yielded an average egg production of
year
180 eggs per female
No parasites or insect pathogens
found in weevils both in field and
laboratory
Weevils emerge as adults,
black in color, but turn orangebrown after feeding on MAM
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Host-Specific Studies of MAM weevil
to Test Safety of Release in U.S.
•No-Choice Tests & Choice Tests
•Choice Tests: R. latipes fed, laid eggs, and
survived only on MAM.
•No-Choice Tests: R. latipes fed on little to
no
other plant species and neither laid eggs nor
completed larval development when placed on
plants other than MAM.
•July 2004: MAM weevil release permit
granted by USDA-APHIS.
•Now mass rearing of weevils at: NJ Dept. of
Ag.’s Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect
Laboratory (PABIL), West Trenton, NJ.
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Mile-a-Minute Weevils
Released in New Jersey
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Hough-Goldstein et al. 2008
Floodgate Road (Gloucester County, NJ):
2004: 200 weevils released.
2005: 3,297 weevils released.
Mile-a-Minute Weevil Feeding
Characteristic “shot gun” feeding
holes of adult MAM Weevils
Stephanie A. Mogil
Iona Island
Cranberry Mountain
Wildlife Management Area
Stephanie A. Mogil
Mile-a-Minute Weevil Feeding
Iona Island
Stephanie A. Mogil
Stewart State Forest
Stephanie A. Mogil
The combination of MAM defoliation caused
by adult weevils and larval stem boring
creates stress in the plant and a decrease in
seed production and an increase in withering.
Stephanie A. Mogil
2010
HV Mile-a-Minute Weevil Release Sites
Stewart State Forest:
3 release sites,
3,000 weevils total
Cranberry Mountain
Wildlife Management Area:
2 release sites,
1,000 weevils total
Iona Island:
2 release sites,
2,000 weevils total
(2,000 released in 2009)
Hudson Highland
Gateway Park:
1 release site,
1,000 weevils total
Camp Bluefields, Blauvelt:
2 release sites,
1,000 weevils total
Map created by Don Steinmetz, Highlands Environmental Research Institute (HEnRI)
Mile-a-Minute Weevil
Releases in Other States
Delaware:
4 release sites, 2004-2007.
Weevils recovered in 2008.
Maryland:
3 release sites, 2006-2007.
Weevils recovered in 2008.
http://www.eddmaps.org/
Pennsylvania:
7 release sites, 2005-2007.
Weevils recovered in 2008.
West Virginia:
2 release sites, 2005-2006.
Weevils recovered in 2008.
Information from University of Delaware
Permits
Questions?
Acknowledgements
A special thanks to the following individuals and
organizations for use of images and/or research in this
presentation:
•Judy Hough-Goldstein, Ellen Lake, Richard Reardon,
Yun Wu at the University of Delaware
•Don Steinmetz, Highlands Environmental Research
Institute (HEnRI)
•Brent Kinal, NY Natural Heritage Program
•Leslie Mehrhoff, IPANE
•Irene Stover
•All the hard-working volunteers involved in the Milea-Minute Project of the Hudson Valley