Davis supervisor sees bugs as future of weed control

In a couple weeks, Brandon Hunt's work will take him across Davis County, where he will battle all sorts of unsavory characters.

He'll fight purple loosestrife, dyer's woad, salt cedar, phragmites and yellow star thistle — just a fraction of the noxious weeds in Utah.

But there are enough in Davis County to keep Hunt and his two-man crew busy until the snow comes back for good.

"We stay quite busy," Hunt said.

Hunt, who has been the county's weed supervisor for the past year, said he plans to make strides in his war on weeds over the next couple of years. Part of his offensive will include the use of bugs that target specific weeds and leave other vegetation untouched.

"Bugs are the future," he said.

In some areas, it's impossible to spray herbicides, Hunt said.

Bugs — officially known as "biological controls" — have been shown to be effective against purple loosestrife and yellow star thistle.

As with many noxious weeds, purple loosestrife was brought to Utah as an ornamental plant in flower beds. Its purple flowers are quite pretty. But the weed's reproductive capabilities are astonishing, Hunt said.

"If it gets too close to a wetland it will go like wildfire," he said. "Every bad weed seems to have been brought in for good reasons, initially."

This year, Hunt has about $23,000 to spend on supplies to fight back. Bringing bugs into the county will save money, but until he can implement that kind of control, he's stuck using tractors and herbicides to disrupt growing cycles.

Currently, there are no bugs to specifically treat dyer's woad or phragmites, Hunt said. But researchers are working on it.

Even after an effective bug is discovered, there is a five-year mandatory research period to make sure the bug won't latch onto native vegetation once the weed is destroyed.

Robert Smith, Davis County Public Works operations manager, said Hunt is committed to weed destruction.

"He's done as much in one year as had been done in three years," Smith said.

Most of Hunt's efforts are focused in unincorporated areas of the county, along county roads and in flood control channels. But Smith said Hunt's duties include helping anyone in the county with a weed problem.

Hunt says he doesn't foresee that the county will be overrun with weeds.

"We're just trying to slow their progress," he said.

That way, preferable vegetation, like cattails and grasses, can take hold and provide a beneficial habitat for ducks and other waterfowl.

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E-mail: jdougherty@desnews.com