October 15, 2008

Tamarisk-Eating Beetles Expand Territory

A little progress in the war on tamarisk -- imported tamarisk-eating beetles are spreading in Fremont County.

Tamarisk-eating beetles found in Fremont County likely are the descendants of bugs that were released in a nearby area two years ago, providing some hope that beetles released elsewhere in Southeastern Colorado could turn up later.

You go, beetles.

2 comments:

Peculiar said...

My decidedly non-scientific observation this summer, when I returned to Dinosaur after several years' hiatus, was that the tammies in Echo Park and Lodore are looking decidedly ratty. Go beetles! In many areas, the hope is that if the tammies are sufficiently inconvenienced, other species such as box elders may be able to compete and eventually shade them out. Shade is one of the very few things tamarisk really don't like.

mdmnm said...

To echo- go beetles!

I hope they're spreading south right now.