Hand-Pulling

Removal of European Frog-bit by hand can be augmented by using small handheld rakes. Hand removal is generally used for smaller known populations and is labor intensive. Handing pulling is most effective in early spring to summer before the plant has had time to grow significantly. 

Mechanical Removal

European Frog-bit can be removed mechanically, typically with large equipment like a harvester.

Herbicide

Several different herbicides with varying modes and speeds of action have been used to treat European Frog-bit. Herbicides that have been used to chemically treat EFB include:

• Diquat
• Flumioxazin
• Endothall

A summary of different herbicides for EFB can be found in Table 2 of Cahill et al. 2021.

Shading

Covering a patch of European Frog-bit with a shade cloth can be effective at inhibiting growth and spread. By blocking essential light penetration the plant can no longer germinate and/or grow.

Biocontrol

While various insects, mollusks, rodents, birds and fish can feed on European Frog-bit, the approval process for release any of these organisms for EFB management has not yet occurred United States or Canada.

D.A.S.H.

Diver Assisted Suction Harvesting (D.A.S.H.) is a mechanical method for removing invasive plants. Divers identify and pull the plants, feeding them into a vacuum that sucks the material onto a boat for disposal. For European frog-bit (EFB) removal, this method is modified to exclude divers, as EFB is a free-floating plant. Instead, an individual operates the vacuum from the boat deck. This method does not remove turions that may have settled to the sediment.