CFAES’s Dan Herms talks about Ohio’s cold winter and its impacts on the exotic, tree-killing emerald ash borer … and on the domesticated, hive-living honey bee. The big freeze may have hurt one of them; the other, not so much. Watch (1:30).
invasive species
Trampled under hoof
Why fight feral swine? This photo by Tyler Campbell, USDA-APHIS, shows what they can do to a field.
That won’t do, pig. That won’t do
It’s hard to farm sustainably if wild hogs wipe out your crops. A new fact sheet (pdf) by CFAES’s statewide outreach arm, OSU Extension, tells you how to prevent it. (Photo: USDAgov.)
With a name like stink tree, it has to be … probably less than desirable
What is the urban invasive tree Ailanthus doing in our forests?” Joanne Rebbeck of the U.S. Forest Service answers that question at 4 p.m. tomorrow, Nov. 21. Part of the autumn seminar series of CFAES’s School of Environment and Natural Resources. Free. All are welcome.
Scientists: Grass carp breeding in Lake Erie tributary
Grass carp, one of four Asian carp species threatening to invade the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie, may have done just that. Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey this week announced that four adult grass carp taken from the Sandusky River had been born in the river, which means the species is breeding there. The river flows into Lake Erie at Sandusky Bay. Scientists fear that an invasion of grass carp, silver carp, black carp and/or bigmouth carp may wipe out the lake’s native plants and fish. See stories by NPR, the New York Times and USA Today. (Photo: Grass carp by Eric Engbretson, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bugwood.org.)
Beetle’s invasion: Guess what’s now in Europe?
A disease called ash dieback is killing Europe’s ash trees. And now they face another new threat: Emerald ash borer, an Asian native that has wiped out millions of ashes in the U.S. and Canada, including Ohio. BBC Radio 4 recently talked with CFAES’s Enrico Bonello about the insect’s devastating impact (link to audio; his interview starts at around 19:11 but the whole story’s worth a listen). (Photo: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org.)
Tangled up in green
An invasive species called hydrilla, pictured, is choking parts of the Ohio River, is also in five small water bodies in the Cleveland area, and poses a threat should it reach Lake Erie, says a CFAES expert. But boaters can help fight it. So can anglers, people who keep aquariums and water gardens, and dogs that like swimming. Here’s the story.
The Convention on Biological Diversity calls invasive species the second biggest threat to the world’s biodiversity after habitat loss.
(Photo: Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org.)
Jump the carp. Or hopefully not
Concerned about aquatic invasive species? The Mississippi River Basin Panel of the national Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force meets next week on Ohio State’s Columbus campus (an especially nicely wet part), and you’re welcome to attend. Among the topics will be the status of Asian carp in the Ohio River. The non-native fish, which are actually four different species, including the skittish, jumpy silver carp, shown here, are already established in parts of the Mississippi basin, including the lower Ohio. They threaten native fish and natural ecosystems. And boaters who can’t duck fast enough. (Photo: Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.)
Looking into giant reed
Giant reed can grow in Ohio. But should it? In a recent OARDC study (pdf; p. 35), the fast-growing plant survived winter, grew tall and thick, and gave “exceptional yields.” But the scientists said further research is needed on basic agronomy-related issues, such as weed control, and on whether the propagation methods used in the study will work on a field-scale level. There’s growing interest in giant reed as a big-producing biofuel crop. But there’s also concern about the risk it poses as a possible invasive species. Giant reed, which is native to Asia, has escaped and spread in the South and West. (Photo: Chuck Bargeron, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org.)
Tiny trouble for walnut trees?
The Ohio Department of Agriculture last week announced more detections of the walnut twig beetle in Butler County in southwest Ohio. The tiny insect, some 10 of which are shown here fitting easily on a penny, carries a fungus that causes deadly thousand cankers disease (pdf) in walnut trees, although at this point the disease itself hasn’t been found in the county. If you’re a reporter or a blogger, get a list of CFAES experts you can talk to here. If you’re a gardener, a forest owner, or are otherwise interested, get details on getting a free wallet-size walnut twig beetle ID card here. (Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org.)