Invasives in Indiana
The Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. The beetle has spread to the Fort Wayne area in 2004. (USDA)
Invasive species can be found in Indianapolis and throughout Indiana. The most recent example is the Emerald Ash Borer Beetle. This beetle was discovered in Michigan and has quickly moved into Ohio, and in 2004, Indiana. The borer has killed at least 8 million to 10 million ash trees in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Most of the devastation is in southeastern Michigan. Not only does the beetle destroy native hardwood forest ecosystems, it also destroys nurseries that grow the tree for sale.
Most invasives start by quickly spreading over a small geographic area. If humans can eradicate it at this stage, they have a good chance of stopping the invasive spread. For the Emerald Ash Borer, it is likely too late. All the government can do now is slow the spread. All it takes is someone to drive a pickup truck of firewood containing the beetle to spread the beetle great distances.
The following is a list of a few other invasive species found in Indiana.
Fighting
Back.The best way to defeat Invasive species is for communities
to work together. The state of Indiana has an Invasive
Species task force, and the U.S. has a tiny
office to manage information on invasives. To read more on the spread
of invasive species, "Attack
of the Alien Invaders" article in the March 2005 National
Geographic. (All links are optional)
- Bush Honeysuckle: This invasive bush/tree was introduced on purpose to help with erosion control. However, the tree grows a deep root system, and crowds out native trees and kills them off by starving them of sunshine. Additionally, the plant's roots secrete a poison to prevent other trees from growing.
- Bighead Carp. This fish was imported to aquiculture ponds (ponds were fish are raised to be eaten--this is where your Long John Silvers fish comes from) to help reduce algae. The fish escaped from the ponds into streams. This fish crowds out native fish by eating the same food supply more aggressively than the native species.
- Gypsy Moths. The state of Indiana and other states spend millions of dollars each year to prevent these moths from destroying our forests. Pesticides have to be sprayed from aircraft to control the Gypsy population. This moth was brought the the U.S. from Europe in the 1800s for study. A jar of the moths was accidentally broken, and the moths escaped. These moths decimate native trees by eating their entire leaf canopy. Without leaves, the trees are weakened and eventually die off.Kudzu gains stranglehold in state. Skim this fact sheet on where Kudzu is located in Indiana, how it thrives, and how it can be controlled.
- Kudzu. Known as a dominant invasive in southern states, kudzu is a vine that can grow up to 1 foot per day! Kudzu is an invasive that was purposefully brought over from Japan in the late 1800s as an ornamental plant, a feed for livestock, and a plant to prevent erosion. By the 1950s, agriculturalists realized it caused much more harm than good. In the past few years small patches of Kudzu have been found in southern Indiana. Kudzu grows over native vegetation and starve it of light, killing off trees. Kudzu can cover entire houses or farmfields if not contained.
The Purdue Agricultural Extension Office has put out this 2010 publication on the Japanese Beetle. Click here for more information.
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Japanese Beetle: Anyone who’s had a Japanese beetle devour his green bean plants, crab apple trees, or ornamentals, knows how problematic this beetle. This beetle lives as a grub in the soil during the Fall and Winter, only to emerge in the summer as a beetle. You may have seen your neighbors putting out traps for these critters or spreading “milky spore,” a nematode that eats the grubs, in their yard. This beetle was introduced to New Jersey in 1916. Infestations of this beetle have been limited mostly to states east of the Mississippi River.
Once an invasive takes hold across the landscape, the best practice for people is to eradicate the invasive in a local landscape, like a park or forest preserve.