Act fast before it blooms! Mikania micrantha starts spreading in August; it can be made into vinegar solution to prevent black gnats and enzyme to remove stains
Mikania micrantha (smallflower mikania) has been listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the "100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species." Its reproductive capacity is extremely strong; it climbs and twines around trees, preventing them from photosynthesizing, so that they gradually weaken and die, with a huge impact on the ecology. Research has found that pulling it out before it flowers and sets seed each year is the best time for control. The Forestry Bureau reminds the public that August 15 to September 15 is Mikania micrantha control month, and that Mikania micrantha can be used against the black gnat and to make enzymes, encouraging the public to pull out and make use of more of it.
Why Mikania micrantha is terrifying: its vines grow extremely fast, and abroad it is known as the "mile-a-minute weed." It has both asexual and seed reproductive capacity, and the nodes and internodes of its creeping stems can all grow adventitious roots, making it extremely easy for it to carry out large-scale asexual reproduction. In addition, Mikania micrantha produces an extremely large number of seeds, with 170,000 seeds possible per square meter. The seeds are tiny and light, and are easily carried by wind, animals and insects, or spread over long distances by human activity, causing it to spread with the slightest inattention.
