New Weevil Program
TIME TO INVEST IN YOUR LAKE
The scugog Lake Stewards are very excited to let you know about our new milfoil weevil implant program and we are looking to our community for approximately $13,000 to carry this out. Our goal, through our association with a company called EnviroScience Inc., is to implant an additional 10,000 weevils in an area off of Aldred’s Beach, on the east side of Scugog Island, plus carry out the necessary science before and after the implant. The team has already identified the site and ensured that it has good quantities of milfoil ‘weed’ to keep the hungry bio-control weevils growing their numbers rapidly for a long time .
This project requires not only the support of the Lake Stewards but also the financial support of our community. We encourage everyone who uses the lake to contribute to this ever expanding natural solution to our lake’s Eurasian milfoil weed woes. Milfoil weevils are the only species specific eventual solution for the Eurasian milfoil that clogs our motors and shorelines. 
Should you wish additional information, or if would like to contribute to our initiative, please contact the committee working on the initiative. Tom Phipps, tomphipps@xplornet.ca (905) 986-4806 or Carolyn Hall, robcarhall@hotmail.com (905) 985-7718. Cheques can be sent to the Stewards at 237 Queen Street, Port Perry, Ontario L9L 1B9 . Cheques should be made out to Scugog Lake Stewards but identified as for the Weevil Project. Tax receipts will be issued.
HISTORY
In 2006, the Scugog Lake Stewards became aware of new, large patches of extremely dense Eurasian watermilfoil; but somehow it looked slightly different from the old type that had been in the lake since the late 1960’s and at one time had been so thick it could ‘almost be walked across.’ Slowly that early milfoil had declined to acceptable levels; but now it was back — with a vengeance. This new milfoil had red flowers that rose thickly over the surface, over densely packed plants that prevented recreational boat activity. The Stewards, led by our President at the time, Jamie Ross, began to research solutions. Many ideas presented themselves but all, other than the implantation of the bio-control milfoil weevils were discarded for various reasons. Harvesting was rejected because it is a waste of money. Herbicides were rejected because we do not believe that is a solution in a populated, recreational lake such as ours and also it eliminates both good and bad lake plants that are necessary for lake life. Oxygen diffusion was rejected at this time because scientific analysis by some of the brightest biologists in Ontario indicated that it had little real effect, especially on dense milfoil plants, and might even cause additional problems.
Therefore Jamie and the Lake Stewards raised sufficient cash not only for the initial implant of 25,000 weevils in King’s Bay, but for 3 years of study following the implantation. Unfortunately, we were prevented from expanding our program then because we could not obtain approval from the Trent-Severn Waterway. But in the long run, it proved a great success.
The follow-up research, led by Kyle Borrowman of EnviroScience and Dr. Eric Sager of Trent University, had DNA analysis done on the milfoil in Lake Scugog and determined that the invasive, non-native ‘weed’ in our lake is a hybrid, a cross between standard Eurasian watermilfoil and native Northern watermilfoil. This hybridization resulted in a plant with thicker stems which held the plants more upright, growing in denser stands, with its red flowers are held high above the water. It is a real problem for our lake, but the weevil still really enjoys eating it at every stage of its development.
WHAT WE WANT TO DO
The Lake Stewards are part of the Working Group for a Healthy Lake Scugog. (See that section on the main menu) As such we have taken the stand that while the Working Group may be concentrating their efforts on the Port Perry lake area, we are concerned with the entire lake as well as the urban waterfront. We have members from all around the lake who are experiencing difficulties with milfoil overgrowth. Therefore, we are the lead on the weevil program but the new project is totally endorsed by all the parties of the Working Group. This year, and this project by the Lake Stewards, is a pilot project for all the lakes in the Trent system; so we must succeed. Other lakes are waiting for their opportunity to work on their milfoil using species specific weevils.
Weevils, which spend all four stages of their life cycle in milfoil, destroying it from within, only come out of the lake to the lake shore in late fall to winter in that natural area. They never come into homes, or annoy people while boating. They can have 3 to maximum 4 different life cycles in season, and each cycle and female produces hundreds of eggs. Therefore the population expands very quickly. They are native to as far north as Thunder Bay so they are used to harsh winters. Another part of this program will be to educate shoreline owners about the importance of natural buffer zones along their lake shores.
Please consider contributing to improving your lake. Help make the lake available once again for boating and enjoying. Please call us if we can fill you in on any more data.