Of weeds and weevils

Bundaberg Regional Council natural resources manager Nick Mclean with Councillor Danny Rowleson holding a handful of salvinia weed.

Mike Knott

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VERY small allies in Bundaberg Regional Council’s war against the invasive salvinia plant are back and breeding happily for the next onslaught.

The council’s salvinia weevil breeding facility at the Baldwin Swamp Environmental Park is back in full swing after repairs to damage that was caused by the summer floods.

Council natural resource management spokesman Danny Rowleson said the floods damaged the pumps and electrical equipment but they had been repaired with financial assistance from the Burnett Mary Regional Group.

Cr Rowleson said salvinia was one of Australia’s worst aquatic pest plants and regularly invaded the region’s waterways and water storages, including the Burnett and Kolan rivers and Baldwin Swamp, affecting water quality, flow, wildlife, irrigation and recreational activities.

“Under optimal growth conditions salvinia can double in volume every two to three days and reach 400 tonnes of wet weight per hectare,” he said.

Cr Rowleson said the weevil breeding facility was an integral part of the region’s overall salvinia control program, providing a major link in the war against the plant.

“The council has been breeding the weevils for several years, not only for its own use but to assist landholders and adjacent local authority areas affected by the plant.

"With the breeding facility again operational the council anticipates having a supply of weevils available by September this year and will begin releasing the insects into the region’s rivers in an effort to control outbreaks.”