Weevils as Biocontrol
The biological control project of placing the Rhinocyllus conicus weevil onto musk thistle flower heads in several contracted acres being undertaken on the Mescalero Apache Reservation by the Sovereign Nation Service Corps raises the question of whether such a method could be used here in Ruidoso. The answer according to the Associate Dean and Director of NMSU’s Agricultural Experimental Station Dr. David Thompson is a qualified yes. “The weevil is a very effective biocontrol agent,” Thompson said. “It is one…