Who Are We?

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Twelve of Florida's native bromeliads are threatened by an invasive bromeliad-eating weevil, the Mexican bromeliad weevil (Metamasius callizona). Florida's bromeliads are a unique and important part of Florida's ecology and their loss will affect many other species.

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We are a group of land managers, organizations, scientists, and volunteers working together to save Florida's bromeliads.

People often ask me, who was Al Muzzell and what is the Al Muzzell Memorial Weevil Fund? In this interview, Karen Andreas, Chairperson of the Al Muzzle Memorial Weevil Fund, answers these questions. This is the short version.

VOLUNTEER

There are many ways you can help. To find out how:

CONTACT

Dr. Teresa M. Cooper at

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Click here for more information on volunteering

SFBCP Updates:

(20 Sep 2018)

The Trail Plants are on the Trails!

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At the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary, we are testing an entomopathogenic fungus, Beauveria bassiana, to protect our Trail Plants (giant airplants, Tillandsia utriculata) from the Mexican bromeliad weevil. 180 Trail Plants will be part of the experiment, 90 in a control group that will not be sprayed with the fungus and 90 in the treatment group that will be sprayed with the fungus. In this movie, we celebrate that we have finally gotten all 180 Trial Plants on the Trails!

Moving the Conservation Cages at the Enchanted Forest

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We are protecting the giant airplants in the Enchanted Forest Sanctuary from an invasive weevil by keeping the plants in large Conservation Cages. We moved the cages to a better location, with nice breezes and dappled sunlight. The plants will grow seeds and we will spread the seeds in the Forest.

In 1989, the Mexican bromeliad weevil, Metamasius callizona (Chevrolat), was found established on native bromeliad populations in Florida (Frank and Thomas 1994; Frank and Cave 2005). Since then, the weevil has spread throughout central and southern Florida and, along the way, has caused great destruction to bromeliad populations (Cooper 2006, 2009, Cooper et al. 2014). An attempt was made to use a biological control agent (a tachinid fly, Lixadmontia franki Wood and Cave; Wood and Cave 2006) to control the weevil (Cooper et al. 2011), but was not successful. While searching for alternative biological control agents, a giant airplant (Tillandsia utriculata L.) population was discovered in Belize that lives with the Mexican bromeliad weevil, without suffering damage from the weevil, such as the Florida form of the giant airplant suffers. Studies are now in progress to understand why the Belize form of the giant airplant is resistant to the weevil and to see whether that resistance can be bred into the Florida form of the giant airplant. However, this new line of study will require years of research in the laboratory and then in the field before there are results. Meanwhile, the bromeliads are being killed by the weevil and something must be done to protect these plants. A method has been designed to provide a means for conserving Florida’s native airplants while we continue searching for a solution to the weevil.

Save Florida's Bromeliads Conservation Project

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