Invasive weeds cost the united states at least $120 billion annually and significantly impair timber productivity by outcompeting young trees

The highly invasive garlic mustard, alliaria petiolata, is an environmental weed in north america that is of eurasian origin and invades native forest habitats. IT has spread widely across the northeastern, midwestern, and northwestern united states and has proved very difficult to control. A highly specialized weevil species has just been approved as a biological control agent in the united states. In this project university of minnesota will import and rear the insect for eventual release as a biocontrol. The partner will visit two international facilities that have rearing populations of the insect- one in the insect's native range of switzerland, and one in canada which has been successfully rearing and releasing the insect as a biocontrol since 2018. The partner will learn rearing techniques from these institutions, and then import a colony of the insects to the biosecurity level 2 quarantine facility on campus to establish a population there and begin mass-rearing the insect for field release in buckthorn infested forests.