Invasive plant control options
Council provides a range of services to the community to assist in managing invasive plants.
There are many options for managing Invasive plants at your place. Depending on the size of the property, extent of the infestation and location (waterways or inaccessibility) it will determine which option is the most suitable for your property. Not all management options include the use of herbicides, there are many manual or mechanical options that can be utilised: instead, inconjunction with or prior to the use of herbicides.
There are a variety herbicides available for managing invasive plants. When deciding which herbicide to use please do your research and consider toxicity to animals, off-target plants, soils, waterways and yourself. Some herbicides are only effective for specific plants or types of plants so make sure that the one you choose is approved for use on the particular invasive plant you are managing. Please remember that herbicide application without any follow up monitoring or control will have limited success.
If you decide to use herbicides on your property please make sure you
- use them in accordance with their label
- assess environmental factors (for example presence of native plants and pollinators)
- consider the impact on soil health
- assess surrounding land uses (proximity to waterways or food crops)
- assess weather conditions (wind and rain)
- choose the optimal application time
- consider the use of surfactants to increase the effectiveness of the herbicide
- use the correct personal protective equipment (PPE), and
- use them only as part of an integrated weed management approach.
To minimise the impact of herbicides on foraging insects, including bees
- Use cut and paste method where possible to minimise the need for foliar spraying
- Don’t spray when plants are flowering (bees and other insects will be collecting pollen and nectar from flowers)
- Don’t spray on windy days when herbicides can drift onto other plants which are flowering and where bees are working
- Spray late in the afternoon when bees have finished foraging for the day.
- Adjust spray nozzle so droplets are bigger and therefore less likely to drift onto other plants
- Check if your neighbour is a bee keeper before spraying invasive plants
- Make sure you follow label instructions – stick to mixing rates on the label
Below is a brief overview of the protection methods that you can utilise on your property to manage and protect against invasive plants.