DULUTH, MN (KDAL) – Several government agencies and invasive species programs around the country are urging stores to remove certain moss plants from sale after they were discovered to harbor zebra mussels.
The invasive pest was found in imported Marimo ball moss plants used in aquariums and sold at pet, nursery and home decor stores.
If you have purchased such a product, you are urged to safely dispose of it by freezing or dunking in hot water, salt water or bleach and then placing it in a sealed plastic bag and throwing in the trash.
Doug Jensen from the Minnesota Sea Grant program says large pet stores such as PETCO and PetSmart have been cooperative and have removed Marimo balls from shelves and sanitized their tanks.
The Duluth Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area is working to alert smaller retailers and hobbyists about the issue and making sure the mussels don’t get into Northland lakes and rivers.
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