If You See One Of These Moss Balls, The U.S. Government Needs You To Destroy It

If you’re wondering where these deceptive green menaces are lurking, look no further than your neighborhood pet store. Unsuspecting customers buy them to help spruce up their fish tanks. But while it seems like a harmless way to give your aquatic friends a natural environment, it's anything but.

Instead of opting for a mini-castle or posing diver, some fish owners prefer to use vegetation. And we can understand why. It’s more natural-looking than a piece of plastic, for sure. As for the moss balls, folks have often put them in their tanks for a good reason.

You see, moss balls and other aquatic mosses have the ability to upgrade the condition of water in a tank. They soak up nutrients and nitrates while increasing oxygenation – helping the fish breathe more easily. Pretty cool, right? They’re not just decorative features, then.

And the benefits don’t end there. Moss balls are perfect for breeding tanks as well. Think about it. When your fish lays its eggs in the tank, the unhatched offspring will eventually land in the vegetation. The ball acts as a sort of fishy neonatal unit, if you like.

To add to that, certain types of baby fish have a tendency to bury themselves into the moss. It’s the ideal hiding spot, wouldn’t you agree? Mind you, that’s not the only reason why they gravitate towards those areas in breeding tanks. Moss balls keep the young’uns well fed too!

How so? Well, aquatic moss attracts tiny life forms upon which baby fish can feed. It’s like an underwater buffet down there. Anyway, those are just a few of the reasons why people look to buy moss balls from their local pet shops. So what’s the motive behind the U.S. government’s drive to destroy them?

The authorities’ reaction seems a little extreme, right? What threat could they pose? While you try to wrap your head around that, here are some other things to consider. You see, moss balls aren’t just found in fish tanks and home aquariums. They’re scattered across lakes and different beds of water as well.

In fact, moss balls are usually spotted in countries such as Japan, Iceland and Scotland. The Scandinavian nation’s Lake Mývatn is a real hotspot in that respect, as is Japan’s Lake Akan. Out in the wild, a single ball can reach between fourand 11 inches in diameter, so they’re not exactly small.

Yet in 2014 the moss balls started to crop up in other places too. For instance, beachgoers in Sydney, Australia, stumbled across a sizable group of them that year while strolling along Dee Why Beach. That would’ve been quite the sight! We can only imagine their surprise at the time.

That still leaves us with a burning question, though – why does the American government want to wipe out these moss balls? Well, as we suggested a little earlier, the drive has some justification to it. Sure, the campaign might appear pretty strange on the surface, but when you go a little deeper, it all starts to make sense.

First things first, we need to clarify something that might surprise you. As it turns out, moss balls aren’t actually made from the aforementioned vegetation. Instead, they’re a type of algae known as Aegagropila linnaei. Didn’t see that coming, did you? And we can’t blame you – the name moss ball is very misleading!

Now here’s the thing about algae. Visually it doesn’t seem all that dangerous, but blooms can cause untold damage to watering holes and beaches. Take Florida as an example. For just over a year, the state had to deal with the ominously named “red tide,” which eventually dispersed at the start of 2020.

Thanks to the toxins in the algae, various aquatic animals lost their lives during that period. According to British newspaper The Guardian, close to 600 sea turtles and over 100 manatees died in Floridian waters. Plus, nearly 130 dolphins joined the list of casualties as well. It was a terrible situation all round.

But our aquatic friends aren’t the only ones at risk from toxic algae. Humans can be affected too. During the summer of 2014 Toledo, Ohio, was hit by a bloom that ruined the population’s water. Taps were essentially off-limits, with the City of Toledo’s Facebook page releasing a statement on the matter.

The post read, “Water should not be consumed until an all-clear is issued. It’s important to state that this drinking water alert does NOT recommend boiling, and in fact, boiling water can worsen the situation. Consuming water containing algal toxins may result in abnormal liver function, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, numbness or dizziness.”

Yikes! To say it’ll make you sick would be an understatement. Keeping that in mind, you can understand why the United States government might be wary of moss balls. Then again, that’s not the driving factor behind the campaign to get rid of them. In truth, there’s something else lurking beneath their bright-green exterior.

So if you happen to have any moss balls at home, don’t panic. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has you covered. You see, the government agency has outlined what people should do with the vegetation via its website. According to the page, there are three methods that’ll get the job done.

The first is pretty simple – all you need is a Ziploc bag. Yes, as per the agency’s website, you’ve just got to stick your moss ball in one of them before leaving it in your freezer for a day. There’s no coming back from a deep freeze! The second method’s a lot quicker, though.

To pull that off, fill up a saucepan with water and stick it over an ignited hob. Once it starts to boil, drop in the moss ball and keep watch for the next 60 seconds. After the time’s elapsed, lift it back out. And that’s it! You’ll be done before you know it. Now let’s look at the third approach.

For this one, you can use either vinegar or bleach to soak your moss ball. Mind you, the latter must be mixed with water. Anyway, that version of the method should only take ten minutes to kill the vegetation. The vinegar variation is a tad slower, clocking in at 20 minutes.

Regardless of the method that you used, though, you need to dump the moss ball in the same manner. All you’ve got to do is put it into a “sealed plastic bag” and drop it in your bin. As for the bleach, water or vinegar, toss it down one of the plugholes around the house.

Yet whatever you do, don’t throw any of the corrosive liquids into a storm drain. That’s a big no-no according to the U.S. government agency. You’ll also need to scrub your fish tanks if the moss ball has been sitting in there for any period of time. Salt water, bleach or boiling water will clear it right up.

That’s a lot to take in, right? But trust us – the thorough and cautious methods are more than justified. So follow them to the letter! On that note, it’s about time that we spilled the beans on precisely why the American government has outlined these approaches. The answer could leave you gobsmacked.

Surprisingly, moss balls can house an aquatic species known as zebra mussels. Their official name is Dreissena polymorpha, with the other moniker stemming from their unique striped markings. So why is this a bad thing? Well, the small animals are notorious for causing big problems underwater. And we mean big.

You see, when zebra mussels are introduced to a new aquatic space, they can rapidly multiply and take over. The males release their sperm into the water, while their female counterparts can produce over one million eggs during a single season. That’s not a typo! Talk about starting a large family.

Anyway, the zebra mussels will eventually attach themselves to whatever surface they come across. So yes, that means filtration systems, the underside of ships and various other bits of piping under the water. Plus, to make matters even worse, they bunch together in huge numbers too. And that’s not an overstatement.

As stated on the Atlas Obscura website, hundreds of thousands of zebra mussels can squeeze into just one square meter of space underwater. That’s unbelievable, wouldn’t you agree? As for their feeding patterns, through their own filtering the mollusks consume food that other fish need to survive. These critters are a proper menace!

To go into more detail, a member of the Great Lakes Commission spoke to Atlas Obscura in March 2021. Her name is Ceci Weibert, and she plies her trade as an “aquatic invasive species senior program specialist.” In her mind, zebra mussels pose a massive problem for one simple reason.

Weibert informed the website, “[Zebra mussels are] pretty much bad news all around. They filled this niche and they don’t have any predators. They’re taking something out of the food web, and not putting anything back in.” It’s essentially a one-way street with them, which isn’t good for any of us.

And then there’s the matter of the zebra mussels’ waste. Not only does it build up, but it burns away the oxygen in the water. In turn, that brings about “acidic” conditions. On top of that, it also adds toxicity into the surrounding areas as well. Weibert wasn’t lying with her earlier assessment!

Now here’s where it gets really concerning. Zebra mussels have been causing havoc in America and Canada for well over 30 years, after boats from Asia and Europe unwittingly carried them across the ocean. At the start of the 1990s, the United States Geological Survey reported that the animals were living in each of the Great Lakes.

And by the time that 2020 rolled around, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that the zebra mussels occupied over 600 beds of water across America. Crazy numbers, right? So the last thing that you’d want to do is introduce these little critters to another environment via a discarded moss ball. It’s easily avoidable.

Mind you, someone from the United States Geological Survey revealed a shocking finding in early 2021. His name is Wesley Daniel, and he’s in charge of the government agency’s “Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database.” The data store itself was created off the back of the zebra mussels’ invasion all those years ago.

On that note, the database flagged up a sighting of a zebra mussel at a pet shop in Seattle, Washington. Specifically, the mollusk was found inside a moss ball shipped from overseas. And it’s fair to say that the discovery left Daniel flabbergasted, as he recalled to Atlas Obscura in March 2021.

Daniel admitted, “I was shocked. We never expected zebra mussels to travel through aquarium plants. It’s not a pathway we had ever considered.” Anyway, after being hit with that bombshell, he did some digging a bit closer to his home, visiting a pet shop in Gainesville, Florida. Once he got there, the agency worker spotted a zebra mussel in another moss ball.

“[Seattle wasn’t] a weird fluke,” Daniel continued. “If they’re in Washington and Florida, I’m assuming they’re going to be distributed everywhere in between.” His assumption proved to be correct in the end. Incredibly, reports from more than 30 states flagged up similar stories, including the likes of New York, California and Texas.

If you didn’t understand the government’s concern before, you should now! That’s a jaw-dropping figure. So off the back of those reports, the disposal methods were released online. Makes sense, wouldn’t you say? It’s a good way to prevent a full-on spike in the zebra mussels’ numbers across North America.

Then again, that’s not to say that the zebra mussels can’t be dealt with if they end up in major waterbeds. For instance, a team of mussel-busters were previously sent down to a New York lake to rid it of the creatures by hand. Meanwhile, bursts of carbon dioxide can take them out too, as can underwater covers that cut them off from nutrients and air.

Plus, certain places ensure that fishing boats are checked at “decontamination stations” to stop the spread. As the University of Toledo’s Christine Mayer told Atlas Obscura, “Everyone who works with invasive species says prevention is better than cure. Keeping things out is cheaper, easier and better than trying to kill them once they’re there.” So don’t hesitate in destroying those moss balls!

And that’s not the only green thing that can cause some serious damage! For just over 100 years, gardeners in certain parts of America have had to deal with a noxious plant called the giant hogweed. The eye-catching weed could be considered harmless, but you should steer clear if you find one! Because, it’s actually capable of causing serious burns if you venture too close.

Unlike a typical weed that you’d find in your backyard, the giant hogweed is known to reach heights of around 14 feet as well as boasting some sizable leaves. Indeed, a single leaf can have a span of up to 5 feet. In addition to that, the invasive plant also sprouts a number of white flowers at its crown.

The giant hogweed has been spreading across the United States for more than a century now, with another sighting being made in June 2018. At that point the weed was found in Virginia, which marked its very first confirmed appearance in the state. And there were immediately concerns surrounding the dangerous plant.

The following month, a gardener in Virginia suffered serious burns after coming into contact with the giant hogweed during his work. Such was his condition that he ended up staying in a local ICU for around 48 hours. With that in mind, more information subsequently surfaced about the plant.

Over the past few centuries, countless plants have been transported to different countries across the world. For instance, it’s thought that the dandelion first arrived in the United States back in the 1600s, coinciding with the Mayflower’s famous voyage from England. And in some ways, the giant hogweed’s spread followed a similar path.

The giant hogweed started to grow in the Caucasus area of Europe, which is made up of countries such as Russia, Armenia and Georgia. Back then, the weed was seen by some as an “ornamental plant” due to its interesting appearance. As a result, unaware of its dangers, people began to transport the plant to other parts of the continent.

In the United Kingdom, the giant hogweed was introduced in 1817, and it spotted in the while a little over a decade later. At that stage, though, it was still viewed as an ornamental plant, with more countries welcoming it to their shores throughout the 19th century. Then, the weed made its next big move in the early 1900s.

After spreading across Europe, the giant hogweed finally arrived in Canada and America during that period. The plant was initially used for model gardens, ahead of a significant moment in 1917. That year, someone planted its seeds in Rochester, New York, kick-starting the plant’s growth around the country.

Before long, the giant hogweed started to pop up in states such as Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington, Maine and Ohio. In the meantime, the weed’s hazards finally came to light back in Europe during the 1950s. Incredibly, though, that still didn’t stop certain individuals from growing it on their farms and in their gardens.

So in 2002 a move was made to ensure the safety of British citizens. Prior to that, the giant hogweed had been listed in the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain’s yearly Plant Finder book. Given the dangers the plant posed, though, it made its final appearance in the publication that year.

Officials in America have also attempted to warn people of the plant’s hazards, leading to a bold decision. While the giant hogweed can still be found in several areas of the country, the U.S Department of Agriculture has placed the plant on its noxious weeds list. As a result of that, you now need a permit to legally move it to another state.

However, despite those efforts, the giant hogweed has continued to spread in the U.S., sprouting up in Virginia in June 2018. The weed was spotted by a group from the Massey Herbarium, a department at Virginia Tech. And following the discovery, the experts shared their findings on social media.

“Today I helped ID Virginia’s first giant hogweed population!” read a post on the Massey Herbarium’s Facebook page in June 2018. “One plant was found in Clarke County. Report sightings to your extension agent!” From there, the message was eventually updated, confirming that there were “about 30 plants” in the area.

Alongside the post, the Massey Herbarium included some photographs of the giant hogweed as well, in an attempt to caution local users. For you see, this particular weed bears some resemblance to another plant found in the region, known as cow parsnip. As for the reaction on Facebook, a large number of people responded to the news.

Indeed, since being posted, the Massey Herbarium message has earned in excess of 250 likes and more than 2,500 shares on the social media website. In addition to that, it’s also generated hundreds of comments from online users. And as it turned out, a few of them had endured some unfortunate experiences when dealing with the weed in the past.

“We had hogweed growing in our backyard in 2017 in Richmond, Virginia,” wrote a Facebook user in the comments section. “And my boyfriend was burned by it when trying to remove it. We never reported it because it took a while for us to figure out what it was. Truly horrible, stay away from this demon plant!”

Those sentiments were echoed by a fellow user who’d their own encounter with the giant hogweed. “Unfortunately I’ve been in it twice and I don’t wish it on anyone,” they wrote. “It burns, and [it] scarred my hand and legs. It was horrible. The doctor at the ER never heard of it. I still have some on my property.”

Furthermore, another social media user raised a troubling point in their response, as they suggested that the plant had in fact already been in Virginia for a while. “It grows all over Amherst County,” the individual explained. “Especially along the James River, ditches and open creeks.” Their warning didn’t end there, though.

“My mom’s hand and legs were severely burned by it,” the user added. “[It] looked like someone had poured hot grease on her...and that was a few years ago. They said it didn’t grow here but it’s all over the place.” Moreover, the giant hogweed is still causing problems in the U.K. too.

Some three years before the Massey Herbarium made its discovery, a group of youngsters got a little too close to the plant in Bolton, England. Afterwards, one of their moms explained what had happened next during an interview with Good Morning Britain. And in keeping with the previous stories, the weed had caused some notable harm.

“We came for a family day out,” Rebecca Challinor told the program in August 2015. “We were having a picnic down by the river’s edge. It was a beautiful day. There were lots of these plants around and I noticed them because they’re very striking, but I didn’t realize they were poisonous at all.”

“The children were just playing in the field, and 24 hours later we noticed that [my daughter] had a red line down her back,” Challinor added. “We didn’t realize what that was, and then it turned into huge yellow sore blisters.” Moreover, there was a case in Virginia that was arguably even worse than that.

A few weeks on from the announcement by the Massey Herbarium, a teenager named Alex Childress arrived for work as per normal. At that time the teenager was plying his trade as a landscaper, ahead of starting college later in the year. But on that particular day, Childress had a horrible encounter with the giant hogweed.

Unaware of the dangers it posed, Childress cut down one of the weeds, which then landed on his head. From there, the teenager went on to carry the hazardous plant in his arms, before disposing of it. But a short time later, the full effects of the exposure came to light after he entered his bathroom.

“I thought I just had sunburn, so I didn’t really pay any attention,” Childress told People magazine in July 2018. “Then I got in the shower, and I started rubbing my face. I thought it was just a little bit of skin at first, but then big chunks of my face were falling off.”

Thankfully for Childress, though, his mom worked as a nurse at Virginia Commonwealth University, so he went to her for assistance. After that, she pulled up a picture of the giant hogweed, with her son recognizing the plant straight away. Then, the pair quickly made their way over to the local hospital.

Following an examination, Childress was subsequently referred to the university’s burn unit. And unsurprisingly, the experience was far from pleasant. “It felt like wind-burn, like my skin was chapped,” he continued. “[Doctors] had me stand in the shower for an hour and a half, scrubbing my body with soap to bring the pH level down.”

“I had hot water running over open wounds, that was probably the worst part,” Childress added. “That or the burn treatment where they scraped off the dead skin.” The aspiring student spent two days at the facility after being admitted, but the hard work only continued when he went back home.

“I have to change the bandages every day,” Childress revealed. “It’s painful. Every time I take the bandage off there’s drainage. My arm is bleeding because the skin is trying to heal. It’s more than half my face and from my wrist up to the top of my bicep on my right arm.”

As for what causes these issues, the giant hogweed emits a dangerous resin that sticks to our skin upon contact. At that stage, those particular chemicals then make the affected area more sensitive to sunlight, which results in the troublesome burns. But that’s not all, though, as our eyes are susceptible to problems as well.

In a worst-case scenario, you could potentially go blind if you get any of the sap in your eyes. Furthermore, in terms of any other long-lasting effects, the burned skin needs to be shielded from the sun for around half a year after it’s healed. Childress could certainly relate to that, as he was given some strict instructions by his physicians.

“I can’t go out into the sun for anywhere from two to six months,” Childress told People. “My face could be sensitive to light for a year, up to two years.” While it might have been too late for the teenager, there are ways to minimize the damage caused by the sap if you act quickly enough.

In fact, New York State’s Department of Health offered up some important advice on that subject via its official website. “If you are exposed to the plant sap, avoid contact with your eyes,” The post read. “Wash it off immediately with soap and water, avoid sunlight and cover the exposed area.”

“Using sunscreen on [the] affected areas may help prevent further reactions from occurring when outside,” the statement continued. “Sunscreen may also be helpful for several months after contact with the plant sap, due to potential continued sun sensitivity. Call your healthcare provider for any severe reactions or if [the] sap has gotten into your eyes.”

At that point, the post revealed that doctors would normally prescribe a type of skin lotion to help treat the burns. Then, the Department of Health offered up further advice to those who have to deal with the dangerous plant. For instance, if you want to clear it from your backyard, you should take certain precautions.

“Do not mow, cut or weed whack the plant, as it will just send up new growth and put you at risk of being exposed to [the] sap,” the post explained. “[This is] the same kind of thing that would happen with poison ivy or sumac. Seek advice from professional plant control specialists about management options.”

Off the back of that suggestion, the statement then shared some final pointers. “If you must touch [the] giant hogweed, wear disposable rubber gloves, a long-sleeved shirt and pants,” it added. “If you get sap on your clothes, carefully remove the clothing to avoid skin and eye contact. [Then] wash it separately from other clothing with warm water and detergent.”

In the meantime, Childress faced down an additional challenge following his encounter with the weed. Unfortunately for him, his injuries compromised his place at college, as he was set to take on a course with the army. As a result, the teenager had a tense wait ahead of him in the summer of 2018.

“I worked hard to get the scholarship,” Childress told People. “When my face heals, I have to go through a whole medical waiver process to make sure they won’t pull my scholarship. It’s a possibility I won’t be able to [attend in the fall], so that’s been a real struggle for my family.”

But while Childress’ future was hanging in the balance, he still looked to play his part in shining a light on the dangers of the weed. “I don’t want to go through this again,” the Virginia resident added. “I’d like to bring awareness to everyone else so it doesn’t happen to other people.