What's eating my scirpus lacustris?

Common bulrush (Scirpus lacustris) is grazed by muskrats, coypus, and swans that eat rhizomes and stems. Reed beetles feed on shoots above and below water. Aphids occasionally colonise emergent culms. Established stands tolerate most insect damage; large mammal and waterfowl grazing on young plants is the real threat.

Rhizomes excavated and culms eaten at or below the waterline, creating gaps in established stands. Fencing or pond netting around newly established areas; trapping where legally permitted and population pressure is high.

Adult beetles notch and strip longitudinal patches from culms; larvae bore into submerged stems and rhizomes. Tolerate moderate beetle pressure on established stands; hand-pick adults in summer.

Culms pulled down and eaten; rhizomes uprooted in shallow water during late winter and early spring. Plant in baskets with gravel topdress; protect newly planted marginals with wire mesh until established.