invasive species

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Latest Threat to Forests: Invasive Jumping Earthworms

It turns out earthworms are not always so great for the soil

(Newser) - Earthworms have long been popular with gardeners and fishermen, and no doubt the slimy wigglers play an important role in many ecosystems. However, invasive worms can wreak havoc in forests, especially if they’re Asian jumping earthworms. Also known as crazy worms, snake worms, Georgia jumpers, Jersey wigglers, and sharks...

California&#39;s New Scourge: Creepy Jumping Worms
Destructive Jumping Worms
Are Now in California
in case you missed it
May 28, 2022 10:45 AM CDT

Destructive Jumping Worms Are Now in California

They were spotted in the state in July, and they have ecologists worried

(Newser) - It sounds like a decent setup for a horror movie: an area plagued with "extremely active, aggressive" worms that can jump a foot into the air and have "voracious appetites." That's a reality California is staring down right now, according to multiple reports on recent sightings...

Hardy, Non-Native Tree May Be a Little Too Hardy

States are taking efforts to curb spread of Callery pear trees, descendants

(Newser) - Stinky but handsome and widely popular landscape trees have spawned aggressive invaders, creating thickets that overwhelm native plants and sport nasty four-inch spikes. Bradford pears and 24 other ornamental trees were developed from Callery pear trees—a species brought to America a century ago to save ravaged pear orchards. Now,...

These Giant 'Flying' Spiders May Take Over East Coast

'Try to learn to live with them' is scientists' advice

(Newser) - Last fall, Georgia residents were dismayed to make the acquaintance of the Joro spider, a palm-sized, "flying" creature hailing from East Asia that showed up in the Peach State by the millions. Now, scientists say, people further north should prepare, because the 3-inch-long arachnids with bright yellow stripes, also...

Gypsy Moth Is Being Renamed
Gypsy Moth Gets a New Name
UPDATED
Mar 7, 2022 4:42 PM CST

Gypsy Moth Gets a New Name

The spongy moth's old name was considered a slur

(Newser) - Update: Scientists have settled on a new name for the gypsy moth, a damaging invasive species whose name was considered a slur by Romani people. The Entomological Society of America says a group of more than 50 scientists considered around 200 nominations and settled on "spongy moth," which...

Army Is Creating a 'Zone of Chaos' for Invasive Carp

They hope acoustic, bubble, and electric barriers will keep them out of Lake Michigan

(Newser) - The US Army Corps of Engineers wants to send a message to invasive carp trying to enter the Great Lakes through Chicago-area waterways: Welcome to Hell. The Biden administration has released funding for a project that will create a "zone of chaos" for the unwanted fish, Cleveland.com reports....

Calif. OK's Plan to Blanket Islands In Poison

Mice threaten wildlife at Farallon Islands

(Newser) - The California Coastal Commission has approved a plan to poison invasive mice threatening rare seabirds on the Farallon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, per the AP . The agency that regulates California's coastline voted 5-3 Thursday night to approve a plan to drop about 3000 pounds of poisoned bait from helicopters...

Escobar Had 4 Hippos. Dozens Now Threaten Colombia

Wildlife officials are now sterilizing the invasive species, whose population has exploded

(Newser) - Play a word association game using "Pablo Escobar" to start, and you'll likely hear such terms as "drug lord," "cocaine," and "murderer." "Hippos" may also come up if you're playing with anyone from Colombia, where the animals have surged in...

Boy&#39;s Bug Collection Sparks Federal Investigation
Boy's State Fair Bug Display
Spurs a Federal Investigation
in case you missed it
Sep 19, 2021 8:00 AM CDT

Boy's State Fair Bug Display Spurs a Federal Investigation

Kansas student's collection included invasive spotted lanternfly

(Newser) - A Kansas student's display at the state fair earned him a blue ribbon—and spurred an investigation by state and federal authorities. The 4-H participant's insect collection included a spotted lanternfly, an invasive species that poses a major risk to agriculture in eastern states, the Washington Post reports....

Official Advice on This Bug: 'Squash It, Smash It'

Spotted lanternfly threatens Pennsylvania agriculture

(Newser) - "Kill it! Squash it, smash it ... just get rid of it," is the official advice from the government of Pennsylvania for residents who encounter the spotted lanternfly. The insect, an invasive plant-hopping species from Asia first detected in the US in 2014, is considered a major threat to...

'One of Most Damaging Snails' Seized at Houston Airport

Passenger had 15 live giant land snails

(Newser) - Some 15 snails that can grow to be the size of small dogs were seized from a passenger's luggage in Houston earlier this month, officials say. The banana rasp snails, also known as giant land snails, were found in the luggage of a passenger traveling from Nigeria, CBS reports....

California Scrambles to Wipe Out Algae Invader

Species that can overtake habitat has been spotted in state waters for the first time

(Newser) - For the first time, scientists say they have seen a species of bright green algae growing in the waters off California—and they are hoping it's the last. The invasive algae can overtake the environment and displace critical food sources for ocean animals on the southern California coast. A...

They Killed the Rats of 'Rat Island,' With Unexpected Results

Study finds the full ecosystem has fully recovered

(Newser) - The name "Rat Island" has persisted for decades, but it 2012 it was officially done away with , and for good reason. The rats are gone. Popular Science dives into how that came to be and what the longer-term results have been via a March study published in Nature Scientific ...

Scientists Unravel Mystery Ailment of Bald Eagles
Scientists Unravel Mystery
Ailment of Bald Eagles
NEW STUDY
Mar 26, 2021 11:43 AM CDT

Scientists Unravel Mystery Ailment of Bald Eagles

New study attributes deaths to toxin triggered by bromide

(Newser) - For the last 25 years, a mysterious ailment has been killing bald eagles in the US and leaving them with holes in their brains. Researchers identified vacuolar myelinopathy (VM), a deadly condition that brings on paralysis, blindness, and seizures in bald eagles and their prey, including fish, turtles, snakes, and...

In Pet Shops Across America, an 'Incredibly Destructive' Find

Invasive zebra mussels have turned up in moss balls, an aquarium accessories, in 21 states

(Newser) - They're as small as a fingernail, but the damage that zebra mussels can cause belies their tiny size. That's why the feds are concerned that the invasive, quickly multiplying mollusks have been popping up in pet stores across the US, specifically in ornamental moss balls used as decor...

There's Only One Option: Kill Pablo Escobar's Hippos

Unchecked, Colombian herd will hit ecosystem's carrying capacity by 2039: experts

(Newser) - In the 6.5 years since we last visited Pablo Escobar's hippo herd , it's become illegal to kill any member of the Colombian population, which is considered something of a country emblem. It's no surprise, then, that the non-native animals are breeding out of control in a...

4-Foot-Long Lizard Is Spreading in Southeast US

Hardy, invasive tegu appears to have begun its spread in south Florida

(Newser) - Wildlife authorities are asking Americans to be on the lookout for a dog-sized, egg-hunting lizard spreading across the southeastern US. The Argentine black-and-white tegu, which reaches up to 4 feet long, is believed to have spread through south Florida after escaping captivity or being intentionally released more than a decade...

Destroyed Murder Hornet Nest Was Crawling With Queens

Caught 'in nick of time,' it contained 500 live hornets, including almost 200 queens

(Newser) - An entomologist who helped destroy the first murder hornet nest found in the US says experts "got there just in the nick of time." Some 500 live murder hornets were found in some stage of development in the nest taken from a tree in Whatcom County, Wash., including...

After Ga. Homeowner Kills Python in Yard, a Warning

'Please do NOT release exotic animals'

(Newser) - Pythons are native to Southeast Asia, Australia, and Africa—so when they turn up in someone's yard in the US, it attracts notice. That's what recently happened at a home in Walton County, Ga., where what looks like a ball python showed up, only to meet its demise...

Wash. Nabs Its First &#39;Murder Hornet&#39;
First Murder Hornet Trapped 
Aug 2, 2020 8:39 AM CDT

First Murder Hornet Trapped

Congratulations, Washington

(Newser) - Good news/terrifying news out of Washington state, which has officially trapped its first Asian giant hornet, popularly known as the murder hornet. As CNN reports, the state has had five sightings since last year, but the specimen found July 14 in Birch Bay is the first ever trapped. "This...

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