Eventually it's hedgehogs all the way down.

Wave after wave of chinese needle snakes

I suspect we'll learn (the hard way) that these weevils are the catalyst to turn the snake head fish from an aggressive invasive species to a terrifying giant seaborne monster, swallowing cars and fishing boats, crawling ashore to devour beach-goers and boardwalks. It'll be the end of us.

This kind of reminds me of what happened in the town I grew up in.

When I was younger there were a lot of owls in the area. Then in the 90's it became popular with people in the town to own small dogs. Suddenly people's dogs started going missing, for some reason they didn't pay attention to what cat owners had done for years and keep them inside at night. So outrage started mounting and the town and others in the area decided to catch and relocate the owls. Small dogs stopped disappearing and people were happy for a while. Then it seemed like over night that the rabbit and field mouse population exploded, and it got to the point were it is now that they are all over the place.

So last year what did the town do to try to control the rabbit population? Well it was rumored that they started releasing coyotes at night to eat them. I don't know if they were being released on purpose, but last summer while visiting my parents, I had seen coyotes 4 different times and I'm not the only person to have seen them. And trust me, this isn't an area where you see coyotes or a coyote accessible area.

HailRobonia: Why does every horrible invasive species seem to come from Asia? Japanese beetles, Chinese snakehead fish, Kudzu, Asian longhorn beetles, etc.?

Koreans.

/I kid.

The imported species only feeds on the invasive plant, which is useful. It implies that the imported insect will naturally die off once their food supply is exhausted, rendering them... well, no longer inhabiting their non-native habitat.

I also understand that a different similar species was considered for the task, but it breeds more slowly so gathering enough to be effective would be cost-prohibitive. It appears that, in regard to expense, the scientists tasked with making the decision went with the lesser of two weevils.

BKITU: The imported species only feeds on the invasive plant, which is useful. It implies that the imported insect will naturally die off once their food supply is exhausted, rendering them... well, no longer inhabiting their non-native habitat.

Until that species decides another plant is suitable enough to eat so it can survive. Living things adapt to their environment, Rick Romero reporting.

ongbok: This kind of reminds me of what happened in the town I grew up in.

When I was younger there were a lot of owls in the area. Then in the 90's it became popular with people in the town to own small dogs. Suddenly people's dogs started going missing, for some reason they didn't pay attention to what cat owners had done for years and keep them inside at night. So outrage started mounting and the town and others in the area decided to catch and relocate the owls. Small dogs stopped disappearing and people were happy for a while. Then it seemed like over night that the rabbit and field mouse population exploded, and it got to the point were it is now that they are all over the place.

So last year what did the town do to try to control the rabbit population? Well it was rumored that they started releasing coyotes at night to eat them. I don't know if they were being released on purpose, but last summer while visiting my parents, I had seen coyotes 4 different times and I'm not the only person to have seen them. And trust me, this isn't an area where you see coyotes or a coyote accessible area.

Coyotes probably just moved to where the food is. They are smart.

I thought kudzu was going to be the answer to our biodiesel needs. Create the ability to extract oil from the plant and then have thousands of retirees wander the highway pulling down the weed, stuffing it into reusable garbage bags and arguing with the guy at the recycling center that he pulled in 20 pounds not 19.

Also, the occasional Fark headline about the kudzu harvester who tried to pull the vine off the power line would be icing on the cake.

KarmicDisaster: ongbok: This kind of reminds me of what happened in the town I grew up in.

When I was younger there were a lot of owls in the area. Then in the 90's it became popular with people in the town to own small dogs. Suddenly people's dogs started going missing, for some reason they didn't pay attention to what cat owners had done for years and keep them inside at night. So outrage started mounting and the town and others in the area decided to catch and relocate the owls. Small dogs stopped disappearing and people were happy for a while. Then it seemed like over night that the rabbit and field mouse population exploded, and it got to the point were it is now that they are all over the place.

So last year what did the town do to try to control the rabbit population? Well it was rumored that they started releasing coyotes at night to eat them. I don't know if they were being released on purpose, but last summer while visiting my parents, I had seen coyotes 4 different times and I'm not the only person to have seen them. And trust me, this isn't an area where you see coyotes or a coyote accessible area.

Coyotes probably just moved to where the food is. They are smart.

I doubt it. Like I said, it isn't a coyote accessible area. It is a very urban area. And it isn't like the coyotes started showing up when the rabbit population started growing, or there had been other sightings over the years, they just showed up out of nowhere one week. Then after people started talking, they disappeared also.

BKITU: The imported species only feeds on the invasive plant, which is useful. It implies that the imported insect will naturally die off once their food supply is exhausted, rendering them... well, no longer inhabiting their non-native habitat.

I also understand that a different similar species was considered for the task, but it breeds more slowly so gathering enough to be effective would be cost-prohibitive. It appears that, in regard to expense, the scientists tasked with making the decision went with the lesser of two weevils.

I read about a year ago that entomologists discovered a June Bug that has a particular hankering for Kudzuu. They've since been selectively breeding these little bugs to eat and survive only on that plant and their hope is to start releasing them in Georgia.

Chattanooga uses goats to help control its kudzu infestation. They have their very own guard donkey...