Superweed predator to be released

SilverTongue

SilverTongue

SilverTongue

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South Wales
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8555378.stm

A tiny Japanese insect that could help the fight against an aggressive superweed has been given the go-ahead for a trial release in England.
Since Japanese knotweed was introduced to the UK it has rapidly spread, and the plant currently costs over £150m a year to control and clear.
But scientists say a natural predator in the weed's native home of Japan could also help to control it here.
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Think this could be a good idea if it helps control the knotweed. Got into my parents garden and took almost 18 months to be rid of it completely.
 
Until the insect runs wild due to no predators here. So we release bunny's to eat them... until they overpopulate so we release horses to eat them... and then we release tigers to eat them and before you know it we are over run by wild tigers! I think ill stick with the weed.
 
Until those insects grow to the size of cats. Then what to we do? Bring in the polar bears?

Also, thread title got me thinking a drug offending superhero/villain was getting released from prison.
 
hmm, quite suspicious of such attempts. Not ruling it out, but such changes can have huge knock on effects, just look at the minks.
 
trent said:
Until the insect runs wild due to no predators here. So we release bunny's to eat them... until they overpopulate so we release horses to eat them... and then we release tigers to eat them and before you know it we are over run by wild tigers! I think ill stick with the weed.
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HORSES EAT RABBITS!?!?!?!?!
 
trent said:
Until the insect runs wild due to no predators here. So we release bunny's to eat them... until they overpopulate so we release horses to eat them... and then we release tigers to eat them and before you know it we are over run by wild tigers! I think ill stick with the weed.
Click to expand...

But when the winter comes the tigers will die.

No problem!
 
trent said:
Until the insect runs wild due to no predators here. So we release bunny's to eat them... until they overpopulate so we release horses to eat them... and then we release tigers to eat them and before you know it we are over run by wild tigers! I think ill stick with the weed.
Click to expand...

Perhaps the Tigers can then be culled by Japanese knotweed................ oh wait.
 
It seems unlikely that an insect would eat exclusively Japanese knotweed and not other things which we'd rather it didn't, however small and nonthreatening the insect might be.
 
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