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4-D, is not used properly. To achieve maximum results, the herbicide should be applied in April before the plants are noticeable. But ‘‘out of sight, out of mind” applies to farm problems just as it does to problems encountered in other walks of life. Frequently, said Owings, farmers don't apply 2, 4-D until they notice center stalks of thistles springing up in the Helds. More herbicide is required to combat the plant pest at this stage plus the thistles still go to seed, according to Owings.
He also noted that 2. 4-D is an expensive weapon to use against thistle infestation, particularly since it doesn't establish permanent control. Owings said that thistles could be eliminated by a single spraying only to have the seeds left in the soil germinate four or five years later. In addition, 2, 4-D application destroys clover while drift from the spray may harm crops or fruit trees in adjacent fields.
As an alternative to herbicides, the thistle head weevil, natural predator of the thistle, was imported from France following exhaustive government study of the tiny insect. The weevil was kept in quarantine for ten years and offered a wide variety of plants to eat before investigators were satisfied that it was “host specific" and would devour nothing but thistles.
Weevils aren’t an overnight success. According to extension specialists, it takes four to five years before the insects have a significant impact on thistle population. As part of a pilot project, 500
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