melaleucas requires followup work in
from Australia, arriving nearly a century
which new seedlings are destroyed by
after John Gifford's initial packet of seeds.
flood, fire, or chemicals, or by simply
"If we can stop the spread of it, then that's a
pulling them up out of the ground.
major accomplishment," says Robert F.
Biocontrol is still in the research stages,
Doren, assistant research director for
with scientists studying the use of insects
Everglades National Park. "We will never
that will attack melaleuca seed pods and
get rid of the melaleuca completely. It's just
new seedlings. It is both ironic and fitting
not possible."
that the weevils and sawflies under consideration for biocontrol are imports