Yellow Star Thistle Hairy Weevil Eustenopus villosus There are many weevils here at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, but
pictured above is the newest and possibly the most welcomed one ever to
be introduced in California. This insect is the biological control for
the noxious weed, the yellow star thistle. Dennis Haines with the Ag Dept.,
our resident expert on insects and plants in Tulare County, has released
200 adult weevils on a two acre patch of star thistle near the Swamp Trail.
He is going to monitor how much control these weevils will have over the
next few years. We all hope this procedure will help eradicate the dreaded
yellow
star thistle from the Central Valley.
Here is a web sites with more info about this hairy weevil: Entomology Image Gallery for Weevils |