We have been receiving a few calls about giant hogweed over the past week so i though it best that we update everyone on our progress across Ayrshire.
Contractors are currently working their way up the Annick Water so should be approaching Stewarton over the next day or two. Volunteers have also bee out in the Stewarton area which is why plants on the left bank of the river have been sprayed already.
I was out on the river Ayr yesterday with one of the contractors and there are a good few flowering plants along the length of the river. Today the contractor will start dealing with these plants so that none get to set seed.
Our other contractor will be revisiting the River Garnock to mop up anything that was missed on their first run down the catchment. We will also be looking at the River Irvine again in case there have been plants missed.
Is it possible that people are reporting regular hogweed in, having mistaken it for the giant variety?
No I don’t think so. We monitor regrowth and contractor performance and there does appear to be a lot of plants surviving. Our contractors have completed all initial spraying but are walking over the rivers again treating anything that’s been missed.
good work because the giant hog-weed is all over the annick from Irvine town and broomlands all the way up bourtrehill girdle toll and lawthorn you cant go 3 meters in bourtrehill/girdle without spotting at least two