Palm Island Park in Mount Dora is under siege; being invaded by air potatoes.
That’s right, the once lush preserve along Lake Dora is being invaded by air potatoes. Plants with large, heart-shaped leaves, engulfing the canopies of trees and other native plants.
“As a vine it will grow along the ground it will grow up any kind of a tree so it’s very difficult to try to eradicate it,” said Cathie Catasus, Lake County Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area.
But Friday the County was giving it’s best shot, with the help of tiny beetles, which feed only on air potatoes.
Just a couple of weeks of the beetle feeding on these leaves can really combat the the air potato's invasive progress.
Since their discovery in China in 2011, the state has been raising the beetles as fast as they can, 4,500 were just shipped to Lake County to be placed at 18 different parks.
Children were invited to release the tiny creatures with big appetites.
“It’s important for me to be here and not doing something else because If I didn’t release these or other people didn’t release these the beetles wouldn’t eat these plants and the other plants would die off,” said Crystal Houserman while releasing beetles.
"They did a good job in allowing us to have some beetles to release, the kids enjoyed putting them out and I think all the people have enjoyed it,” said Kaye Houserman.
The beetles will multiply and fly to more air potatoes, living up to six months as long as they have a food source.
County biologists hope the park will return to normal over the next several years.