Circuit City

Reports at the Times Online (and elsewhere) are indicating that the state of Texas is under attack from electronics-eating ants. The "crazy rasberry ant" (no, that's not a typo, they're named after the exterminator who brought them to attention), which for now has been identified taxonomically only as "Paratrechina sp. nr. pubens," was discovered in Texas back in 2002. Since then, the ant has been a nuisance for homeowners and businesses, invading electrical equipment and sometimes causing it to short out. No one knows exactly why the ants are attracted to electrical equipment, but they are not the only species known to be. As the article notes, circuitry is not the crazy rasberry ant's only sustenance - they also eat everything from lady beetles to baby birds, and even fire ants.

These ants do sound pretty crazy, but not as crazy as the people photographed with the ants running up their arms. That's just INSANE.

But Does It Have A Popcorn Button?

An article in New Scientist details an interesting technique for dealing with ballast invaders: zap them with microwaves. Researchers at Louisiana State University have developed industrial-strength microwave generators that can heat ballast water to 55'C (131'F), killing potentially invasive aquatic organisms (and everything else as well!). Now they're working to find a way to integrate the technology into ships, providing a relatively cheap and effective method of treating ballast water. If you want to learn more, check out the original research, published in last month's issue of Environmental Science & Technology (bonus points to them for providing the entire article free of charge!).

Thanks to Michael K. for sending in a link to this story.

Postal Service

In case you are wondering why the posts aren't quite so "daily" here at the ISW, it is because I have a new job that came with a new website and I have been blogging a bit over there. The Massachusetts Introduced Pests Outreach Project is, as you can guess, focused on the state of Massachusetts, so the flavor of the posting there is decidedly New England-centric. Feel free to stop by.

Fun With Weeding

In my yard today...

• Pulled: 20 Norway maple seedlings (Acer platanoides)
• Cut: 7 Norway maple saplings/suckers (note to self: get Weed Wrench!)
• Severed: 5 Asiatic bittersweet vines (Celastrus orbiculatus)
• Spared (from said bittersweet vines): 2 cherries, 2 maples, 2 dogwoods, 1 sassafras
• Eyed with disdain: blackberry lily (Belamcanda chinensis) growing in my compost pile

DidyMaryland

In case you missed it in the Twitter feed, Maryland announced Tuesday that they are the latest state to become host to the nasty invasive alga affectionately known as "rock snot" (Didymosphenia geminata, or didymo). The freshwater algae was discovered by anglers (go anglers! :-)) at Gunpowder Falls. Click through to the press release for a map of the area and contact information if you're in Maryland and think you've found didymo.

Psyllid Sting

The Telegraph has a report today about plans to introduce a biological control to Britain in the hopes of squashing the invasion of Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica, Reynoutria japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, etc. etc.) in that country. This news is significant not because of the control (a sap-sucking insect) or the weed (perhaps the very bane of the UK) but for the fact that it would be the first introduced species ever approved for use as a biological control in Britain. The proposal still needs to go through a public review, so the psyllids would be on the attack no sooner than the summer of 2009. The insect in question appears to be Aphalara itadori, a psyllid that attacks knotweed stands in its native Japan. You can check out a photo of it here (scroll almost all the way down the page).

Washington State Knotweed

If you are in Washington State and you know some good sites to check out Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica, Polygonum cuspidatum, Reynoutria japonica, et al.) or Giant knotweed...and especially if you are willing to give a quick tour of those sites, please drop me an email (jennforman AT knottybits DOT COM). My Japanese photographer friend, Koichi, is planning a West Coast visit this summer, and I've been having trouble getting in touch with my contacts there.

For more about Koichi's interesting artistic study of Japanese knotweed, click here and here.