We always hear about Snakeheads taking over Florida canals, or
Zebra Mussels spreading from lake to lake. These are unwanted takeovers that people are actively fighting against.

I'm curious if there is a flip side to all this and if there are invasive species that we want to run wild?

This can go for plants as well.

Honey bees but i sometimes wonder what effect they've had on native pollinators.

I guess maybe? We used Asian beetles to combat the hemlock woolly adelgid back when I worked for the national park service. It was a program that was just beginning.

But, overall, I think more invasive species just equals worse overall habitat quality.

CS78 said:

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Honey bees but i sometimes wonder what effect they've had on native pollinators.

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They've obviously had a negative effect on native pollinators. We actually have over 300 native bee species. I would think that European honeybees have greatly impacted native bee species.

Pheasant. Although maybe never seen as invasive.

Geckos are non native and filled a niche that doesn't really harm any natives.

Same with cattle egrets.

I'm not sure they'd be considered beneficial but they aren't native.

Earthworms aren't native either, and are generally considered a positive.

1493 is a good book that discusses the Columbian Exchange.

Kudzu, oh wait that is another bad example.

By definition, invasive means it has a detrimental impact on the environment, so you can't have a beneficial invasive species. It would then just be a non-native species.

I'd argue the most beneficial non-native species, up until 1900, was the horse.

Invasive primarily means introduced. Cattle Egrets got here on their own riding on ships from Africa. I know that is a minor technicality but House or English Sparrows were brought in on purpose by people from the "old country" who missed seeing them around. They nest practically year around and do conflict with Purple Martins.

Those little flys that lay eggs in the fire ant, apparently they haven't found my yard yet!

As for beneficial the State of Texas allows the use of non-native Asian Grass Carp for vegetation control in farm ponds and think about Eurasian Collared Doves. There could be debate on both---pro and con. I'm not sure how the collared doves got here but they are in all 48 lower states and maybe Alaska and Hawaii. There is no season on them in Texas and they taste like dove and just this week, with opening of dove season, some hunters on OB posted photo's of some in their harvest. Some biologists though think the collared dove has had a negative effect on native Mourning Doves.

Brown Trout

Finnish au pairs

Yes!!!!!

I'll say heck yes to the brown trout. Great fish. My pops caught one years ago that was just short of 25 pounds. We used to yawn at catching 10-pounders. Now, the zebra mussels have seemingly crashed that fishery, though the salmon and lake trout are hanging on reasonably well. Full circle to answer the topic: Zebra mussels always bring with them the goby baitfish. They are highly oily and plucked very easily off the bottom by smallmouth bass. It's not a stretch to say that all the biomass of lost brown trout in the Great Lakes has been replaced by smallmouth. Without the goby, I don't think that would have happened.

Arizona Game and Fish pays a bounty to kill brown trout in the Colorado, upstream of the Grand Canyon. They eat the native rainbows and endangered darters.

We fished Glenn Canyon a couple of years ago and they had an electro fishing rig with a tub grinder on the back. The brown trout went straight into the tub grinder.

The fishing was really good following the electro fishing rig…..

Most of the rainbows aren't native either. Nor the brook trout.

There's a few different biological control species that have been introduced or are being studied in Montana for invasive plant control. They're typically expensive and take a long time to do much.

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Beneficial Invasive Species

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Sometimes invasive specials that are thought to be considered beneficial are intentionally introduced to an area, and the plan backfires.

Believe it or not, johnsongrass is one of those. Introduced in the south in the 1800's as a quick-growing animal forage, it now seems to be everywhere, and is not all that easy to get rid of either. I realize that some consider it valuable, but I'm not one of them.

In Hawaii they not only intentionally introduced johnsongrass, but also mesquite (kiawe), and although some of those are the thornless variety, they seem to be everywhere.

Californians…oh wait, I didn't read the question.

Can I change my answer to Zebra Mussels?

Axis deer seem pretty harmless.

Least favorite introduction - King Ranch Bluestem.

I dove hunted Saturday afternoon in the shade of the only tree around. A Chinese tallow. Was amazed that it still had all of its leaves and canopy during this drought.
For years we cut them all down and treated the stump. There were other native trees on the fence lines and pasture edges we would leave for cattle shade. Over time the hackberry's, gum, and pine trees have mostly all died out. So we started leaving a few Chinese tallow trees.

That 2-3" hornet scares the **** out of me.

I think the Axis has basically filled in as a mule deer which is comfortable around people.

I'm pretty fond of cameilas, and I can't see what harm they do.

Honey bees

Bermuda grass

zooguy96 said:

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CS78 said:

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Honey bees but i sometimes wonder what effect they've had on native pollinators.

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They've obviously had a negative effect on native pollinators. We actually have over 300 native bee species. I would think that European honeybees have greatly impacted native bee species.

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Not picking sides on that issue because I would like to take up beekeeping as a hobby, but also have read a lot of opinions that say the same thing. European honeybees outcompetes native pollinators to the detriment of the natives. Apparently the Africanized strains are even more competitive.

I would like to see the prevailing opinion become that feral horses have a negative impact on the western desert.

Burdizzo said:

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zooguy96 said:

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CS78 said:

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Honey bees but i sometimes wonder what effect they've had on native pollinators.

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They've obviously had a negative effect on native pollinators. We actually have over 300 native bee species. I would think that European honeybees have greatly impacted native bee species.

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Not picking sides on that issue because I would like to take up beekeeping as a hobby, but also have read a lot of opinions that say the same thing. European honeybees outcompetes native pollinators to the detriment of the natives. Apparently the Africanized strains are even more competitive.

I would like to see the prevailing opinion become that feral horses have a negative impact on the western desert.

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Yes, it is the detriment to the native pollinators... but also allows us to have a ton more crops produced. So, its kind of 50-50 IMHO. Feral horses - I would consider - have definitely had a negative effect on habitat in the west.

Are mesquite trees native? A buddy says they came to Texas from Mexico via cows on the cattle drives.

Ok … google says yes but density has increased. They were originally along canyons streams and rivers.

Maybe the cows helped spread them out.

Florida introduced peacock bass to combat other invasive cichlids. I'd say it's been semi-successful. The peacock range is limited by cold weather and largemouth bass are still thriving. Not sure if there's been an impact to the targeted invasives- there are still plenty around.

I think we'd be surprised at how different today's habitat looks compared to 500 years ago.

I know locally (here in East Tennessee), the woods had much less understory - there are records of people galloping their horses through the woods (due to the few huge trees blocking out the sunlight). Obviously, our woods are much younger now, with most having been logged in the past 100-150 years. Very little old growth forest.

Mr. Frodo said:

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Are mesquite trees native? A buddy says they came to Texas from Mexico via cows on the cattle drives.

Ok … google says yes but density has increased. They were originally along canyons streams and rivers.

Maybe the cows helped spread them out.

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Years back we took a trip to the Ft Worth stockyards and I asked that very question on a tour - guy was skeptical. In large quantities the pods/beans can have a higher toxicity level to the cattle. I think they are just migrating north because they are so well adapted, but who knows?

Cattle drives were also VERY short lived. Maybe a few decades? As soon as refrigerated box cars came onto the scene the drives vanished. Longhorns all but vanished to the point they were almost extinct. Tour guide said they got down to a few dozen - which most modern longhorns can trace their ancestry back to if the paperwork is clean.

Love to see hydrilla in a lake as it makes great habitat for all kinds of fish.

Not sure why all the recreational people want to get rid of it.

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Least favorite introduction - King Ranch Bluestem.

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Think I learned years ago that the King Ranch introduced it along the Gulf shores to keep the sand dunes from blowing away. Later, TexDoT planted it along Texas roadways to control soil erosion. It's otherwise mostly worthless as a forage for livestock. Is it native to Africa (Rhodesia/Zimbabwe)?

Sgt. Hartman said:

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Love to see hydrilla in a lake as it makes great habitat for all kinds of fish.

Not sure why all the recreational people want to get rid of it.

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People don't like the sea monsters touching their toes when they jump in.