Biological control of garlic mustard

Drawing of garlic mustard and weevil.

Biological control of Garlic Mustard using Ceutorhynchus weevils.

Garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata, is a major invasive woodland weed in North America that is native to Europe.  We are investigating the host specificity of two European weevil species that attack it in its native range – Ceutorhynchus scrobicollis and C. constrictus.  These investigations focus not only on laboratory evaluations of non-target plant consumption but also on biological, ecological and climatological factors that could determine the geographic spread of weevils once released.