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Some 5,300 hairy weevils are busy munching on the growing seeds of yellow starthistle in six open space preserves of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
This is the fifth year since 1997 that the district has released the weevils to stop the spread of the invasive starthistle and restore native habitats. Weevils are busy chewing in Russian Ridge, Skyline Ridge, and Monte Bello open space preserves in the northern part of the district, and three more preserves farther south.
The hairy weevil, a native of Greece, has been researched by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an effective agent for controlling yellow star thistle, according to a district press release.
District monitoring of previous weevil releases shows that some star thistle populations have declined; between 40 and 90 percent of seedheads were damaged. “In some areas last year, the weevils outnumbered the available flowerheads,” said resource specialist Lisa Infante. “I expect to see a sharp decline in yellow starthistle this year.”
Other methods used by the district to control the aggressive weed include mowing, prescribed burning, cutting, pulling and application of selected herbicides.
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