The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Harry O. Beatty,

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Harry O. Beatty, small craft operator, and Tyler J. Green, invasive species management biologist are a part of alligator beetle collection team. The beetles feed on the invasive aquatic alligator weed found in Lake Woodruff, on the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, in Deland, Florida. The alligator weed has invaded many water systems in the South and is slowly working its way to North and west of the continental United States. The alligator flea beetle is one of the methods of biocontrol that the Corps uses to control the invasive alligator weed. This noxious weed blocks transportation routes, threatens native species and reduces water capacity in our reservoirs. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Invasive Management Species Branch is committed to providing technical support for the control of invasive species in our national and regional ecosystem restoration program.