Weevils take bite out of Lake Scugog weeds

Spiel · October 3, 2009

Weevils take bite out of Lake Scugog weeds

Scugog Lake Stewards say summer pilot project a success

Oct 02, 2009

SCUGOG -- The jungle of weeds lying beneath the surface of Lake Scugog has proven to be a tasty buffet for the large army of weevils that now call the lake home.

According to the Scugog Lake Stewards, a pilot project carried out this summer, using 20,000 additional weevils introduced to the lake in an effort to combat the unruly weed problem, has been quite a success.

The effort, which began in early July with the release of the small bugs, has proven to not only be an effective tool in the battle to get bogged-down boats across the lake, but has also revealed a new species of milfoil, said Jamie Ross last week.

Mr. Ross, president of the stewards group, summarized the project's results while speaking before a collection of Scugog Chamber of Commerce members attending a breakfast meeting on the Woodman tour boat on Sept. 24.

"It's not a quick fix, but it does work and we're happy with our progress to date," said Mr. Ross.

The project stretches back almost two years, said the SLS president, pointing to complaints in recent years about weeds so thick "that you could almost walk across" the Port Perry bay to Scugog Island.

That got the SLS members thinking about a biological control that would be effective in reducing the tangle of the unwanted underwater plant life, he said.

A trip to Puslinch Lake, near Cambridge, in August 2008 to review a success story there sold the group on the idea of increasing Lake Scugog's weevil population. From there, the idea continued to grow and, thanks to $30,000 in support from the Baagwating Community Association, the pilot project got off the ground this past summer, said Mr. Ross.

And while a paperwork mess nearly derailed the plan before the weevils could even get their first bite of Lake Scugog weeds, the project came together in early July. With the help of two American biologists, 20,000 weevils were transplanted into Lake Scugog near King's Bay, where they were left to work as milfoil gluttons.

At that time, it was also discovered the milfoil that inhabits Lake Scugog is hybrid of the invasive Eurasian variety and the native northern species.

"The plant that has taken over the lake is a hybrid between the two," said Mr. Ross. "It's a lot more aggressive, it takes over quicker and grows quicker."

Almost two months later, at the end of August, the biologists returned to survey the weevils' work, said Mr. Ross.

"The bugs really did like this hybrid," he said.

While at first glance it's hard to tell that the weevils are making a huge difference, further scrutiny has shown that the bugs are quickly mowing through the weeds, stressed the SLS president.

"The weevils work, the weevils like to eat the hybrid which is critical," he said, noting the weevils have not impacted the local fish population.

Reducing the amount of hybrid milfoil in the lake will also make room for native plants, he added.

The next step in the project, continued Mr. Ross, is to see how well the weevils survive the winter, how the weed test plot fares next summer and to carry out a study of all the underwater vegetation in Lake Scugog.

If all goes well, the group hopes to continue to gather evidence in favour of the weevil work and pursue government grants to continue efforts in the future.

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