After more than ten years of extensive research, a program for the biological control of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) has been developed and tested.  This EWM management program has been named the MiddFoil® process.  Developed by Dr. Sallie Sheldon and Middlebury College (VT), MiddFoil utilizes an insect that specifically feeds on EWM.  This insect, a native beetle, is intentionally introduced into the waterbody where EWM is a problem in order to establish a resident population to control EWM on a long-term basis. 
 
The beetle has proved to be a very effective control agent in extensive field trials.  Depending on the initial density applied, the beetles take from two to four years to permanently stabilize EWM below problematic levels. Most importantly,the MiddFoil® process is environmentally safe: the beetle does not damage native plants or animals because it is native to our North American ecology. As EWM decreases in the treated lake, the beetle population gradually declines to a self-sustaining level.