Florida is a beautiful state. With it’s endless beaches,
blue/green waters, expansive woodlands, breath taking sunsets and a climate
that is near perfect 365 days a year, is it any wonder that people flock here?
But the annual influx of snowbirds is not the invasive species I will discuss
here. Snowbirds are a positive invader of our state. The invasive species I’m
referring to are the ones that threaten to destroy our wildlife, waterways and
entire ecosystem.
Invasive species, what are they? They are any plant,
animal, fish, or insect, that has been introduced to an ecosystem, whether this
is done by accident or on purpose, that is a non-native species.
The problem with introducing a non-native species to an
ecosystem is that there are no natural predators to keep them in check.
Predators help keep a natural balance to the ecosystem, without natural
predators the invasive species take over and can even put some native species
on the endangered species list, as is the case with the everglades bunny. The
Burmese python has eaten so many of these bunnies that it is on the brink of
being on the endangered species list.
Florida has more than 500 non-native species of plants and
animals, including;
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Fire ants
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Lionfish
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Brazilian peppertree
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Monk parakeet
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Iguanas
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Wild Boar
And so many more including a “colony of vervet monkeys,
living In the Fort Lauderdale area.” www.sun-sentinal.com These
monkeys carry numerous diseases including Herpes B.
Before we take a look at the afore mentioned invasive
species, how did they get into the Florida environment? Some escape zoos during
hurricanes, others are brought in on ships at port and still others are exotic
pets released by unthinking people.
The first invasive species I’ll take a look at, is one that
people run into everyday, The Red Imported Fire Ant. If you aren’t from the
south you might not know the painful sting of the fire ant, but if you are
vacationing down here and unknowingly step in a fire ant mound, you will soon
find out. The swarm of ants that come out will number in the hundreds and all
will sting you as many times as they can. When they sting, the fire ant injects
a toxic venom into the area. The sting will leave a painful and itchy wound,
that gets a puss-filled head. These stings have been known to kill animals and
cause people to go into anaphylactic shock and even death.
Where did these ants come from and how did they infest the
South Eastern United States? Fire ants arrived at a port in Mobile, Alabama in
the 1930’s. The average fire ant mound is eight to twelve inches around, but I
have personally seen a few mounds longer than three feet and over a foot tall.
In his pamphlet “Invasive insects of Florida” Roy F. Morris II tells us that
since their arrival in the United States, there are five times more red
imported fire ants here than in their native home of South America.
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| Fire ant raft |
Fire ants have mutable queen colonies. Each queen can
produce more than 1,600 eggs a day and can live for seven years. Most of the
time you will find these colonies in in dry open areas, but they can be in the
thickest part of your Floratam lawn. 250,000 ants can be in each colony and
during a flood, so the colony survives the ants band together and create a
living raft.
You can see why these invasive ants can be so troublesome.
The red imported fire ant is here to stay. So, what can we do to protect ourselves, and our
property? In my experience the best thing to do is hire a reputable pest
control company in your area. If you attempt to treat these ants yourself, read
the label on what ever product you choose. If you use too much of the product
it won’t work and it’s detrimental to the environment.
So, when you vacation in the sunbelt, watch your step.
Under the beautiful waters surrounding Florida, there are
numerous game fish, bright lively coral reefs and the devastating lionfish.
While there are many invasive species of fish in our
waters, the Lionfish is one bad hombre. No one knows for sure how these
attritive and destructive fish were introduced to the Florida waters, but they
were first reported in 1985 near Dania Beach on the east coast. www.myfwc.com Lionfish
grow up to 18 inches length with the average size between 12 and 15 inches.
Lionfish are pleasing to the eye. With its red, brown and
white stripes and its long flowing dorsal and pectoral fins the lionfish is a
beautiful fish. Beauty can be dangerous. These pretty fins are preceded by 13
spines with “…glandular tissues that are located in the grove of the spine.”
When the spine enters the skin it injects venom into its victim. “…it really is
not nice to be stung by a lionfish…my colleagues that get stung…were in agony.”
www.lionfish-hunting.com
One of the reasons these fish are becoming such an
overwhelming problem, is because the females can release 12-15,000 eggs and in
Florida’s warm water they can spawn every four days. www.myfwc.com
Lionfish hail from the Indian and South Pacific oceans and
are wreaking havoc on our coral reefs. These fish eat everything in their
stolen habitat. “A single lionfish is capable of counsuming 80 percent of young
reef fish.” www.plantingpeace.org
Many of these fish are cleaner fish and these fish help keep the reef alive by
controlling the coral reef’s algae. This lets enough sunlight through keeping
the plant and marine life healthy.
What can we do to control this invasive species? For
starters if we catch one on rod and reel, do not put it back and report it to
your local warden service. There are no bag or size limits and no closed season
on lion fish. There are permits required in no take zones of the keys. These
permits are provided by the Reef Environment Education Fund. www.mywc.com There
are many organized dives to collect these fish and lionfish are very good eating. They have a
higher concentrate of the beneficial fatty acid Omega-3 than other fish.
As with most invasive species lionfish provide no
ecological or economic benefit to the state of Florida and we need to eradicate
them from our waters.
There are many invasive plants in Florida least of which is
the Brazilian Pepper Tree. No matter where you look in Florida you will see a
pepper tree. Some people trim them back for a hedge but most just try to keep
them from encroaching on their property and taking over. That’s what the pepper
tree does. It takes over.
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| A bee spreading pollen from a pepper tree |
With its red berries and bright green leaves it is an
attractive plant. The problem starts when it gets out of hand. Brazilian pepper
trees can grow to thirty feet and live for decades. As it grows the canopy
grows so thick it blocks any sunlight from getting through and that kills the
native plants in the area. Pepper trees also makes a poor habitat for most of
Florida’s native wildlife.
The Brazilian pepper tree was first introduced as an
ornamental plant in the 1840’s from South America. www.insasivespecies.com
Needless to say the plant has flourished. It is Florida’s most widespread “…non
native invasive plant species occupying more than 700,00 acres.” www.myfwc.com
What are the best methods of controlling the Brazilian
pepper tree? According to www.patch.com the best way to get rid of
pepper trees is to dig it out by the roots, but you must get every root.
Another method is to cut the stump as close to the ground as you can than
chemically treat it. Now the hard part begins. As you remove the tree cuttings
you must make sure that every berry gets gathered up. These berries will start
new trees wherever they are dropped. They are spread by the wind, the
pollinators and by the birds that eat them. I’m afraid that the Brazilian
pepper tree is here to stay.
The bright blue skies of Florida are filled with all kinds
of birds. Many of which migrate with the seasons, so how can birds really be an
invasive species? I give you the Monk Parakeet. The monk parakeet is another
import from South America. The parakeet has been brought in by “…the thousands
for the pet trade.” www.digitalcommons.unl.edu They
have been established in Florida since
the 1960’s.
What harm can this cute little green bird cause? First
let’s consider where they build their nests. They like to nest near electric
poles and transformers. In 2001 South Florida had 198 power failures because of
parakeets, this generated $221,000 in damages. www.invasive-species.wikia.com
The Monk parakeet is also a great threat to crops, feeding on nuts, fruits and
vegetables. They are also very aggressive birds, divebombing people and killing
other birds.
How can we control the monk parakeet? That is a question
that no one really has an answer to.
Florida has it share of invasive reptiles. Let’s take a
look at the iguana. There are three species of this invasive reptile in
Florida, the Green, Mexican Spiny-tailed and the Black Spiny-tailed, along with
many other lizards that are misidentified by people. www.edis.afis.edu.com
These iguanas are just a few of the invasive reptiles that
people have introduced into our fragile ecosystem. Why on earth people think
its okay to release exotic pets into the environment is beyond me. It’s not
only against the law It’s down-right irresponsible.
I’ve seen iguanas as large as four feet, sunning themselves
on sidewalks and roads, in parks and most recently, on the top rail of my
backyard fence. While iguanas aren’t really dangerous unless its cornered, they
can inflict a painful bite to humans and their pets. More often, a startled
iguana will run or jump into the water.
Boca Grande is a resort island where the average price of a
home is 2.5 million dollars and you can get a nice condo for the low price of
$500,000. Boca Grande is a place where former President George Bush and many
entertainers have homes. It is also home to “the worlds greatest tarpon
fishing” as well as thousands of iguanas.
Samantha Russing is contracted by Charlotte county and is
the person responsible for the removal of iguanas on the charlotte county half
of the island. “Russing uses a 22-caliber gun to shoot the iguanas.” www.bocabeacon.com
when you visit Boca Grande, whether you visit for the great fishing, the
amazing beaches or to see the historical light house, chances are you will see
an iguana.
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| Photo Credit T. Wright |
Iguanas are herbivores and love hibiscuses flowers which
causes trouble in the immaculately landscaped homes of some Florida neighborhoods.
They also burrow into the ground, which is not only a nuisance for the home
owner, it also can be dangerous for not only our older population but anyone
who may step into the hole and break an ankle or worse.
So what can be done about the iguana problem in Florida? We
saw how Charlotte county on Boca Grande is handling it, but I wouldn’t
recommend discharging a fire arm in a residential neighborhood. First don’t
feed them. Dispose of food properly. If one iguana finds a food source than
word gets out and you will have many more iguanas in your yard. If you do see
an iguana in your yard call animal control or your local pest control
professional. They can trap it and safely remove it.
The Florida wood and wetlands are home to many invasive
animals. The most prolfic of these is the wild pig, with over 500,000 animals
roaming the state. www.edis.lfas.edu.com according
to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commissions Technical Advisory Group the wild
boar is the most dangerous invasive animal. “Hands down the wild hog out
exceeded any other exotic in all classifications, way over pythons.” www.dadecitywildthings,com
Where did these hogs come from and when did they fist
appear on our landscape? Surprisingly, we have the Spanish explorer Hernando
Desoto to thank. In 1539 he landed near Tampa Bay with an estimated 300 of
these animals. www.gameandfish.com
With 300 hogs turning into 500,000, no wonder he has two counties named after
him.
So why are pigs such a problem anyway? Isn’t that just more
bacon? If you have ever seen a yard, wooded area, of a golf course rutted up
because wild pigs were looking for food than you would know. Wild hogs cause
1.5 billion dollars in damage nation wide to lawns, crops, woodlands and golf
courses annually.
Wild boars can breed all year long in Florida’s warm
climate, with the fall and spring being the peak times of the year. Females
have two litters a year consisting of 5-7 piglets. Someday these piglets may
grow to weigh up to 500 pounds with six inch tusks.
With their only predators being large alligators and the
way, the pigs compete with native species for food, what can we do? Using “…toxicants
and propellants have been suggested as a viable means of controlling
the…population.” www.edis.lfas.ufl.com
There are no toxicants registered in The United States that will work
effectively. Which is probably a good thing. Because than we would be dealing
with the transfer of poisons from the dead hog to whatever eats it. Perhaps, a
Florida Panther or an American Bald Eagle.
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| photo credit Nan Kelly |
In my opinion the best ways are hunting and trapping. On
private lands there is no size, bag limit or license needed and no closed
season, but always make sure that you get the land owners permission firsthand.
On public lands, in some areas you may need a license or tag and there may be a
closed season. Check with your local F.W.C.
Wild hogs are great table fare. I know of churches and
civic organizations that hunt or trap the pigs and use them as the main course
for fairs and fund raisers.
There are so many more invasive species in Florida than
what I’ve discussed here and I’m sure, with time there will be more. Whether
these invasives were introduced accidently or if man in all his wisdom tells
himself “This iguana is too big for the house, so I’ll just let him hang around
the back yard.” They all have one thing in common. They all have a negative
impact on Florida’s fragile ecosystem. But what can we do? As a people we need
to adopt logical management practices, including hunting, trapping, prevention
and real education. We as Floridians need to do this. The government has been
“trying” for decades, we as a people can’t rely on the government. It doesn’t
matter who is in charge, they have all failed Florida in this respect.
Change starts with you, and me!
