Defining the
Problem

Design
Requirements

Problems

Human Factor

Life Cycle

Kudzu

Environmental
Impact

Other Needs?
Other Insects?

Lesson Plans

Introduction

Links

Documentation

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Kudzu Impact

Kudzu made a large impact on the United States when the Japanese at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania introduced it in 1876. Gardeners were attracted to it for its ornamental purposes.  It was not until 1935 that the plant was introduced into the Southeastern United States by the U.S. government. They spread about 84,000,000 seedlings in this area for erosion control.   Declared a weed by the Department of Agriculture, it now has literally covered the Southeastern U.S. It is a nuisance and needs to be controlled.

Other Insects' Impact

The introduction of the Fire Ants into the southeastern United States in the late 1930s has resulted in a massive out brake of these ants all across the southern and Midwestern United States as you can see by the map ants have run rampant in the southern states. A quarantine area has been setup to prevent the spread of the ants into other states in the U.S.

The Fire Ant was imported from their native land of Argentina and Brazil in a shipment of fruit into Mobile, Alabama. The ant has spread quickly and now occupies about 250 million acres of the United States.  On average, they have spread about five miles per year since their introduction.

In Florida, the uncontrollable Fire Ant rips apart the citrus trees bark and they pack a mean bite that can sting and burn. These ants are marching across the United States so far unchecked by pesticides but there is a natural enemy to the fire ant. It is the Brain –eating Brazilian killer fly. This fly is soon to be released into the skies of south Florida in the near future.

We will keep track of the fly and its accomplishments to see if the fly can really make a difference in the spread of the Fire Ant in Florida.

Kudzu Butterfly's Impact

The introduction of a new species such as the Kudzu butterfly into nature can cause a major imbalance, in the environment and in the food chain of small animals and birds. If the Kudzu Butterfly does become a real creature in nature the recoil from its introduction can alter the food chain. In return could cause an epidemic of insects that usually were eaten by the birds or bats that now are drawn to the Kudzu Butterfly as there main source of food. Nature has a reason for everything. If the kudzu plant were a problem in nature, nature would have adapted an animal to rid itself of the Kudzu plant therefor the Kudzu must have some kind of purpose for the specie to exist.