Project Description
Mile-a-minute, also known as Devil's tearthumb, is a herbaceous, annual vine native to most of temperate and tropical eastern Asia. It is an invasive and highly aggressive weed that grows rapidly; studies indicate that it can grow up to six inches per day. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) classifies this species as facultative, or able to thrive in wetland or upland habitat. Thickets of mile-a-minute can reduce plant diversity and degrade wildlife habitat. Mile-a-minute is a threat to tree regeneration in open meadows and along edge habitat, and is most aggressive in areas with ample sunlight and moist soils. Where established, it is often found along forest edges, stream corridors, riverine islands, fencerows, roadsides, and uncultivated fields. It is particularly aggressive in riparian areas adjacent to rivers and streams, a habitat type that many species depend on. In shady areas, mile-a-minute sprawls over other plants to outcompete them for the available light. Infestations of mile-a-minute currently extend from New Hampshire to North Carolina and west to Indiana. There are also reports of mile-a-minute present in Iowa and Oregon.
To compensate for injuries to natural resources, the Chemical Leaman Tank Lines Trustees partnered with the NJ Department of Agriculture (NJDA) on a biological control project to slow the spread of invasive mile-a-minute in Gloucester and Salem Counties using a species of Chinese weevil. The host-specific weevil was approved for release in the United States for biological control in 2004 and only feeds on mile-a-minute throughout both its native and introduced range. Adult weevils feed on the leaves and new growth, and the larvae bore into the stems where they feed for three weeks until they exit and drop to the ground to pupate. This kills the portion of the stem above the larvae feeding area, reducing seed production. Chinese weevils have a life span of approximately 26 days, and three to four generations can be raised at a patch of mile-a-minute throughout the growing season in New Jersey. The NJDA cultured the weevils at the Phillip Alampi Beneficial Insect Rearing Laboratory in Trenton, and released them at several sites including the Abbotts Meadow Wildlife Management Area in Elsinboro, Supawna Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, and along Floodgate Road in Greenwich Township. The release sites were monitored three times per year by two minute visual surveys to observe the presence of adult weevils and feeding damage. Seed production was also monitored monthly throughout the growing season. The performance of weevils as a biological control agent was encouraging as the mile-a-minute biomass was reduced at the release sites.
Restoration Land Ownership
County or Municipal; Fish and Wildlife Service; Private; State
Parties Implementing Restoration
New Jersey Department of Agriculture; New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
DOI Project Representatives
Fish and Wildlife Service