Agriculture Canada Releases European Moth to Eat Invasive Vines

Oct 02, 2013

Agriculture Canada Releases European Moth to Eat Invasive Vines

By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com

Agriculture Canada said it has approved the release of a European moth to eat invasive vines. The first group of moths have been released near Ottawa. About 500 insects have been discharged, which are supposed to eat ‘dog-strangling vine,’ an invasive weed from Europe.

The invasive species has taken over gardens and pasture land in North America. The vine is also toxic to livestock, which leaves the vine to spread further. The Hypena month is native to Ukraine and was tested in Switzerland and Rhode Island to see the impact it could have on our native plants and agricultural crops.

While the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not yet approved the release of the Hypena moth, it will likely spread there since they have been released in Canada. Scientists say it is unlikely that anything will go wrong with releasing the moth.

Video: A chain harrow is a game changer

Utilizing a rotational grazing method on our farmstead with our sheep helps to let the pasture/paddocks rest. We also just invested in a chain harrow to allow us to drag the paddocks our sheep just left to break up and spread their manure around, dethatch thicker grass areas, and to rough up bare dirt areas to all for a better seed to soil contact if we overseed that paddock. This was our first time really using the chain harrow besides initially testing it out. We are very impressed with the work it did and how and area that was majority dirt, could be roughed up before reseeding.

Did you know we also operate a small business on the homestead. We make homemade, handcrafted soaps, shampoo bars, hair and beard products in addition to offering our pasture raised pork, lamb, and 100% raw honey. You can find out more about our products and ingredients by visiting our website at www.mimiandpoppysplace.com. There you can shop our products and sign up for our monthly newsletter that highlights a soap or ingredient, gives monthly updates about the homestead, and also lists the markets, festivals, and events we’ll be attending that month.