The Fowl Meadow Area of Critical Environmental Concern, covered in flowering exotic, invasive Purple loosestrife, Aug. 2001-2005. Credit: DCR.

Wetland Restoration 

Be a Beetle Rancher!

This spring and summer, a fun-loving, hard-working community of volunteers will take a hands-on, outdoors, team-work approach to protecting the Neponset Watershed.

Volunteer Beetle Ranchers will care for beetle nurseries in their backyards or at their school, business, or organization; they harvest rootballs out in the field; catch beetles; release beetles; monitor wetland study sites; and/or even...sew! View a list of Beetle-Rancher activities, below. 

To be a Beetle Rancher, your yard should receive a lot of sunlight for most of the day, and have space for a kiddie pool and access to an adjacent garden hose. 

You also must be available to care for your beetle nurseries and participate in project activities, from March through mid-August. 

Sign up to be a Beetle Rancher by contacting Restoration Manager Carly Rocklen at 781-575-0354 x303 or rocklen@neponset.org. 

View project pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/neprwa.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Beetle Rancher Activity Timeline

January - March.   Sign-up to be beetle ranchers or general project volunteers.

March:  Volunteer training sessions. Potential Beetle-Rancher Volunteers learned about Purple loosestrife and its significance, Galerucella beetles used as biological control, the Fowl Meadow wetland restoration project, and beetle-ranching. 

April:  Help harvest Purple loosestrife rootballs at a selected wetland site, pot them, bring them and associated project equipment home and place them in a water-filled kiddie pool, in the sun.

April:  Pick-up Purple loosestrife rootballs from the NepRWA office, and bring them and associated project equipment home. Pot the rootballs. Poke holes mid-way up the edges of the pool. Place the potted rootballs in the kiddie pool, in the sun. Fill the pool with water.

May:  Help sew nets. Create and repair nets that will contain the “seed beetles” on each potted, cultivated plant. Learn more about the nets - e.g., what they look like; how they're used; and how to make them. Contact Carly to volunteer: rocklen@neponset.org, 781-575-0354.

Early May:  When your potted plants have grown to 12-16" high, pinch off the top, young cluster of leaves on each stem to encourage the plants to grow into a bushy shape as opposed to tall and spindly. Either burn the removed plant matter or put it in a sealed black plastic bag in the sun to dry out. Then, place the sealed plastic bag-with-dead-cuttings in the garbage.

Early June 1:  Help divide purchased beetles into containers. Help divide purchased Galerucella beetles into small containers. Pick-up 1 container of Galerucella beetles and a net, stakes, and zip tie -- for each of your pots, from the NepRWA office on a specified day, when your potted plants have grown to about 18". Dates TBA.

Place at least 2 stakes in each pot. 

     Take a look at each of your nets. Check them for holes. If you find a hole, place a small strip of duct tape on either side of the hole, to prevent any beetles from sticking to the tape adhesive or escaping from the net. In place of duct tape, you can sew the hole shut, or safety-pin it. 

     Cover each plant and its accompanying stakes with a net, and close the top end of the net with a zip tie (Important: Make sure to leave enough net free to secure around the pot, itself.). 

     Insert 1 vial of beetles into each netted plant. Then, quickly secure the bottom of each net tightly around the plant's pot to prevent beetles from escaping. Make sure that you will be able to open up the net again without damaging it - e.g., avoid using duct tape to make a seal around the pot. Instead, use the draw-string included in the net. Or, use additional string to tighten the net around the pot. 

     Attach the tops of the nets to the wire that you earlier strung between poles on either side of your kiddie pool; you can use clothespins for this. Securing your nets to the wire will help to prevent your plants from blowing over with the wind. 

     Continue to maintain water in the kiddie pool and make sure that the netting stays tightly fastened around the pots. 

     If at any time your insects have devoured your potted plants, leaving no greenery, contact project managers Ale or Carly about harvesting extra Purple loosestrife greenery. Place the extra greenery inside a water-filled vase, and place this vase inside your netted plant, to provide a temporary food for the Galerucella. 

April-July:  Care for potted Purple loosestrife plants at home. Place the pool in a spot that receives sun all day long, and keep the water at a regular level inside the pool to simulate a wetland environment. Also, install 2 tall stakes in the ground -- 1 stake on either side of the pool. Tie a wire or rope, tautly, between these stakes at about 5 ft. high. 

June:  Help with site monitoring. Contact Carly at 781-575-0354 x303 to learn more. Dates TBA.

July or August:  Beetle release! Bring your netted, beetle-laden plants out to a specified field site. We'll work with you to release your beetles. Dates TBA.

July to Early September:  Help remove flowers from potted plants in field. Contact Carly at 781-575-0354 x303 to learn more. Dates TBA.

September:  Help with site monitoring. Contact Carly at 781-575-0354 x303 to learn more.

November:  Retrieve pots from field sites. Help retrieve plant pots from our beetle release sites. Contact Carly at 781-575-0354 x303 to learn more. Dates TBA.

Learn more about the Neponset Purple loosestrife biological control project. 

This project was made possible through the support of the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, the MA DCR, OPPP, the NLT Foundation, the William P. Wharton Trust, and The Norcross Wildlife Foundation, Inc.

November 2011