Calif releases insect to combat invasive weed (over 5,000 water hyacinth plant hoppers)

SFGate.com ^ | 7/30/11 | AP

[JimRed]

After the critters finish off the hyacinths, what will they devour next?

[NormsRevenge]

Ok OK.. don’t all panic at once..

Donate to FR first..

and then panic.. :-]

[Brilliant]

Or maybe they will find something they prefer to water hyacinths.

[Maceman]

Somehow I can’t stop hearing that song about the old lady who swallowed a fly.

[Uncle Ike]

Gee - what could possibly go wrong???

[Calusa]

After the critters finish off the hyacinths, what will they devour next?

They never learn.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Water hyacinths don’t even compost properly! I’m in the Northeast, and I’ve used them in a fish pond. In fall, I tossed ‘em onto the compost pile, and the roots form a black mass that is resistant to breakdown.

[cripplecreek]

We couldn't spray or cut the eurasian milfoil this year. (Thank you DEQ)

[MaxMax]

The unintended consequences will be protecting those bugs as an endangered species.

[Roccus]

This will not end well.......it NEVER does.

[Clara Lou]

And here’s hoping that these imported critters don’t create a new problem as they chomp along on the water hyacinth.

[mnehring]

Why do I have a feeling that ten years from now, they’ll be looking for something to bring in to kill the invasion of these ‘hoppers’.

[mylife]

Stop all irrigation to save the Delta Smelt and introduce a new voracious bug to eat the Water Hyacinth, and do it all at Taxpayer Expense.

What could go wrong?

[Sacajaweau]

My feelings, too. It’s not like these hoppers are on leashes.

[Flycatcher]

Why do I have a feeling that ten years from now, they’ll be looking for something to bring in to kill the invasion of these ‘hoppers’.

No worries.

They'll just bring in cane toads.

[dhs12345]

Someone made the decision. Names? And if anything bad happens, they should have to explain themselves.

[mylife]

Gee,California has really gone downhill.
When I lived there all you needed to worry about was the canyon meth head crazies.

[GeronL]

This is going to turn out bad. It always does when they think they know better than nature.

[tumblindice]

The chances are slim that the cane toads will develop needle-sharp teeth but if they do, then all they have to do is import the only slightly venomous rake snakes, which love cane toads.