A secret weapon has been unleashed to fight leafy spurge in the Battlefords area.
That weapon is beetles, and they were sprung loose in various areas around North Battleford, Battleford and elsewhere this week to find and eat the leafy spurge that infests some areas.
According to Katherine Finn, manager of North Saskatchewan River Basin Council, there are a variety of ways to combat leafy spurge. Chemicals can be used, but Finn says doing battle biologically using beetles is also effective.
"We purchased beetles from the Ministry of Agriculture and took them out to a few different sites in the Battlefords area," said Finn.
One was by the wastewater treatment plant in North Battleford, as well as along the Battle River and along the industrial park near Battleford.
They also released beetles on Poundmaker First Nation land to the south.
"The beetles will reproduce and they will eat the leafy spurge and help keep it from becoming much of a problem." said Finn.
The beetles are an effort by the North Saskatchewan River Basin Council to fight leafy spurge, an invasive weed that has been noticed in the Battlefords in recent years.
Leafy spurge has all kinds of ill effects, according to Finn. The weed is poisonous to livestock, and can cause severe rashes on humans from the milky residue that results when the leaves are broken.
It's a species native to central and southern Europe. However, Finn said beetles have been deployed since the 19th century to manage the problem.
Two types are used - black spot and brown-spot spurge flea beetles. Both are tiny, said Finn. The brown are more effective in moist habitats while the black tend to navigate towards drier conditions.
Beetles themselves have somewhat of a bad reputation as being pests in some instances.
"There's definitely some beetles that cause a lot of issues," Finn said.
In this instance, these carefully-deployed beetles have particular benefits to the environment. Among other things, the insects will eliminate the risk associated with chemical and pesticide use.
"There's a risk some chemicals and pesticides can run off into the water system," said Finn. Using beetles prevents the risk of contaminating the water supply, which she noted is particularly important around the Battle River.
"Our organization is all about promoting source water protection," said Finn.
There is another side-benefit in introducing the beetles, and that is the beetle population can be used in the fight against leafy spurge again in the future.
"In the future we can sweep for them with nets and recollect them," said Finn. The beetles can then be redeployed in more areas where leafy spurge is still a problem.
