What are the invasive species that are of most concern for the Tri-State?

HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – According to the U.S. Geological Survey, an invasive species is an introduced, nonnative organism, such as a disease, parasite, plant or animal, that begins to spread or expand its range from the site of its original introduction and that has the potential to cause harm to the environment, the economy or human health.

So what invasive species are of most concern for the Tri-State? And can anything be done about it?

Kentucky

According to the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR), the most destructive invasive species are wild pigs, although they are not typically found in any of the counties in our coverage area. According to a 2023 map from the USDA , the feral swine population has been reported in the nearby Kentucky counties of Christian, Trigg, Livingston and Lyon. Other maps on the USDA’s website show the last time feral swine were reported in the Tri-State area was in 2020 in Hopkins and Muhlenberg counties, but this was no longer the case in 2021.

Officials with KDFWR say wild pigs are one of the most destructive invasive species on the planet and are a huge concern. However, they are not the most common invasive species in Kentucky. Kentucky does have a few small, scattered populations of wild pigs, although many states south of Kentucky have a much bigger pig problem.

According to officials, wild pigs are a highly destructive invasive species that threaten Kentucky’s native wildlife species, agriculture, livestock and natural areas. They prey on wildlife, destroy habitat, destroy crops and can even spread diseases to livestock, wildlife, pets and humans. Wild pigs threaten Kentucky’s hunting seasons by displacing deer and turkey and outcompeting them for acorns, which officials note is an important fall/winter food source.

According to KDFWR, people can report any pig sightings using this website tool . The KDFWR asks the public to report wild pigs and not to shoot them, and the department says it offers free trapping services to anyone experiencing wild pig damage.

These are the reasons the KDFWR gives for not hunting the wild pigs:

• Hunting has never eliminated a population.
• Hunting fails as an eradication tool as it scatters groups of pigs, making them difficult to find.
• Wild pigs’ high reproductive rate makes them difficult to control via hunting alone.
• Wild pigs are the smartest animals in the woods. Shooting into a group of pigs may remove one or two, but it educates the rest. Wild pigs that experience hunting pressure become nocturnal, leave the area and avoid traps and all human activity.

Officials with KDFWR say trapping is the most effective method of eradication. This is because trapping allows professionals to capture the whole sounder, which is a family group of related females and their young, at once and does not create trap-shy pigs.

Officials say the state is making progress in the fight to eliminate wild pigs. They note that Kentucky was recently reduced from a Level 3 to a Level 2 by the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program due to the progress people have made in eradicating several populations.

Officials say the goal is to fully eradicate wild pigs in Kentucky.

KDFWR officials did note that the topic of invasive species can be “extremely subjective,” so they encourage people to check out this website for other species of concern.

Indiana

According to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), in order to be officially called an “invasive species” in the state of Indiana, it needs to be two things: one, it cannot be native, and the second, it causes harm to property or humans. Primarily, these invasive species cause harm by outcompeting their native counterparts and taking over areas, reducing the diversity of the native flora and fauna.

IDNR says when it comes to invasive species, it all depends on the type of invasive species people are talking about.

• For insects, the Asian Longhorned Beetle is of the most concern.
• For mammals, feral pigs are a “big deal.”
• For plants, there are just way too many that are of concern to list.

According to IDNR, the plants that would be at the top of the list of concerns would be honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed or callery pear. These plants, once believed to be an asset to people’s personal gardens, have now escaped into the forests and are starting to take over. The average forester now reports anywhere between $100 and $1,000 annually being spent to manage invasive species in their woodlots.

To break down just how bad the above plants are, these are the reasons the USDA gives:

• Honeysuckles
  • Can displace native understory vegetation
  • Form an impenetrable understory layer
  • May degrade wildlife habitat
  • Can cause long-term decline of forests by shading out other woody and herbaceous plants
  • May compete with native plants for pollinators, reducing seed set of native plants
  • May not serve as a source of high-fat, nutrient-rich fruit for migrating birds
• Japanese knotweed
  • Spreads quickly to form dense thickets that exclude native vegetation
  • Can alter soil chemistry, out-compete native plants and displace animals that depend on native plants.
  • Shades out everything underneath it, preventing forest regeneration, eliminating populations of understory plants and essentially stopping natural succession
• Callery pear
  • Forms dense thickets
  • Displace native plants
  • Degrade wildlife habitat
  • Cause problems along roadsides
  • Can also pose a safety hazard as their poor structure causes the trees to easily split

As for the Asian Longhorned Beetle, the USDA says the beetle is an invasive insect that attacks and kills maple and other hardwood trees. The insect grows inside trees and feeds on the living tissues that carry nutrients. Trees cannot heal from the damage this beetle causes. Infested trees can become safety hazards since branches can drop and trees can fall, especially during storms.

IDNR officials say the average person can help with all these by first keeping an eye on their surroundings and making sure to report anything that they see that is different or not common in an area. But more importantly, they must be aware of what they are introducing to the area and make sure that anything that they introduce to that area does not take over or spread into areas that they were not supposed to be in. Hitchhikers are often a result of people not paying enough attention to what they might be transporting unwittingly into a new area.

IDNR officials say, “It is critical that we all take responsibility in the future for what we introduce into our surroundings. As globalization continues and we are able to move goods farther and faster than we ever have before, we must increase our awareness of what that means for the natural world surrounding us.”

Illinois

According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (Illinois DNR), the topic of invasive species is a broad topic. As a result, the organization didn’t specify which invasive species was of most concern for the state.

According to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, such invasive species include the spotted lanternfly , the Asian Longhorned Beetle and the red imported fire ant. It should be noted that a 2022 list of the most “unwanted” invasive pests can be found below.

According to the USDA, imported fire ants are invasive pests that may feed on crops such as sorghum, corn and small grain seeds, forage grass and citrus seedlings. They can also girdle young trees and injure animals and people. A single fire ant can sting repeatedly.

USDA officials say their large nests located in fields interfere with and damage equipment during cultivation and harvesting. They can move to non-infested areas by hitchhiking on agricultural commodities.

According to USDA officials, to help keep these pests from spreading to new areas, people are asked to follow the regulations on moving baled hay, soil, plants, soil-moving equipment and other items out of imported fire ant quarantine areas. According to this map , the closest quarantine area for these ants is in the majority of Tennessee.

According to the map linked above, Illinois does not currently appear to be a federal quarantine area for imported fire ants.

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