Ekaterina Bairakova, 8 years, Velingrad I know that the foreign plant Himalayan balsam is a dangerous invasive species that can be consumed. In some countries it is used in medicine, and in others - for making jam. I thought that if it was safe for humans to eat it, then maybe it would be suitable for other animal species as well. Since our garden is often inhabited by snails, I decided to study more and found that they eat this plant, although it is not their favorite. I wonder if it was possible to make a snail farm? In some countries they are used for preparing delicacies. The farm could sell snails and thus finance measures to prevent the spread of foreign plants in Bulgaria. If there is a suitable species to breed, it will also give jobs to the people in the neighboring villages. From my research, I learned how important it is to preserve biodiversity, so I hope there will be good ideas to limit the spread of the Himalayan balsam.
Kamen Uzunov, 14 years, Sofia Hello, I am sending a proposal - to cut the plant as it is so dangerous and interferes with ours
Niya Stoyanova, 8 years, Sofia Deer feed on many wild plants. Besides them, other such animals in the forest are deers and mouflons. From domestic animals - goats, sheep, cows, horses, donkeys, ponies. There are many animals that will use the Himalayan balsam for food.
Lora Raikova, 9 years, Varna city I watched in youtube how dense the vegetation of the Himalayan balsam is. People gather to eradicate it, but it is very slow. We can use an excavator to destroy it. Then we will plant other plants in its place, which are more useful.
Tsvetina Staikova, 7 years, Sofia My opinion is that the Himalayan balsam should not be destroyed for pleasure, because it is a beautiful flower. Instead, it could be given to rabbits if there is too much in the garden.
Biliyana Pishinkova, 7 years, Sofia We have to plant Bulgarian trees on the river bank where the Himalayan balsam grows and they will defeat it.
Tsvetelina Deneva, 8 years, Ruse city The Himalayan balsam is one of the five ingredients of the so-called "Rescue Medicine". Sometimes it is grown for its delicate flowers and dense vegetation. It is wonderfully included in the floral decoration of parks and gardens, especially those with water pools. It is also grown as a garden flower in many homes.
Georgi Pironkov, 10 years, Sofia I wouldn’t remove the Himalayan balsam, because it looks great on the river banks, doesn't stinge like the nettle and doesn‘t prick like blackberries. I would plant trees with her to strengthen the shore.
Tea Georgieva, 6 years, Sofia I have an idea. The Himalayan balsam should be made into medicine. It will be called "Slabonogal" and will calm those who drink it. They will not be so nervous and scared and will treat each other better.
Ruska Zidarova, 54 years, Sofia My idea is to counteract the Himalayan balsam with the common reed Phramites australis, which grows in swampy places all over the world. Baskets, mats, light furniture, musical instruments are made of this reed. It is used for draining wetlands. It is found in Srebarna lake. The idea of my drawing is how this reed metaphorically "locks with a padlock" the Himalayan balsam, which emits poisonous fumes. Sometimes beauty is dangerous. The roots of Phragmites australis penetrate deep into the soil and spread into it. The biological adversary is also of economic importance. It is used in phytotherapy and in food production. It is high in vitamin C.
Katerina Vaiova, 13 years, Sofia The plant should not be destroyed on its own. It can be an important part of many food chains. Most insects are herbivores and the glandular weak-legged can provide them with a high content of sugars and more. substances important for their existence. It can also serve as a home and shelter, due to its extremely tall stems (2.5-3.0 m)
Todor Popov, 8 years, Sofia We will plow the land where the Himalayan balsam has sprouted and thus we will root it out and feed the soil with it.
Boris Aleksov, 7 years, Sofia We have to plant Bulgarian trees on the river bank where the Himalayan balsam grows and they will defeat it.
Viktoria Hristova, 8 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam likes to grow in open places, so we will plant other plants where it grows - trees and shrubs that will shade it and it will die. In addition, trees are good for the soil
Kristina Dudina, 36 years, Samokov Though an non-native species, there are certainly insects in our country that would parasitize on it, the problem is identifying them. The plant is very nutritious. You could try butterflies or aphids, which feed on the leaves of various plants. In biology they are called polyphagous. They can give us the solution to limit the population of this species, but there is a risk of attacking our native plants, so controlled trials must be made.
Kristiyana Glogova, 11 years, Sofia Young plants of the Himalayan balsam could be destroyed by electric shock.
Kosara Yambolieva, 17 years, Sofia Considering the fact that Impatiens Glandulifera Royale does not tolerate low temperatures and cold, I would like to use artificial temperature control to freeze the plant. Even if I am not well acquainted, the most effective method I have found to achieve this is by freezing the soil (so far it has been used in construction to strengthen the ground). Also in the drawing I presented one of the biological enemies of the Himalayan balsam - Deilephila elpenor (also known as the large elephant hawk moth), distributed in Britain and the Palearctic region and feeding on Rosebay Willowherb (Epilobium angustifolium), straw (genus Galium) and garden flowers such as lavender, dahlia and orchid. It is not distributed in Bulgaria, but I see no reason why it couldn’t be transferred, as the conditions seem favorable to me.
Deyan Glogov, 9 years, Sofia If we put salt feeders near the Himalayan balsam, the animals that come to lick the salt will learn to eat from the plant.
Ognyan Aleksandrov, 8 years, Sofia I drew a knight with a sharp sword cutting the Himalayan balsam. It looks like a plant dragon with many heads. It is very important that this happens before the fruits of The Himalayan balsam appear. Each of us could be a knight and defeat her.
Ivelina Hristova, 32 years I read that your plant is preferred by domestic animals and contains useful substances, so I drew these rabbits for you, because they could easily sneak into the places where the Himalayan balsam grows and feed on its fresh crispy stems.
Andrea Georgieva, 19 years, Sofia Method of control: Burning the populations of the Himalayan balsam
Аleksandra Kirova, 8 years, Sofia Fighting the Himalayan balsam is difficult, it takes a lot of patience and perseverance. If the stems are cut, it should be very low so that new stems do not appear in place of the cut ones.
Vasilena Vasileva, 16 years, Sofia Himalayan balsam, I know everything about it, It grows and grows and grows, bigger than the maize Crushing all our grasses And I can't understand why they call it “balsam” And here it feels at home. But if you ask me, Vassi, a hoofed breed of ours should go out and graze on it ;))
Kalina Stoikova,11 years, Sofia This godzillionaire will mow the Himalayan balsam with his lawn mower in no time.
Yana Purvanova, 12 years, Sofia It is now modern to talk about viruses. It is probably possible to inject one into the Himalayan balsam and spread it among the plants of its species. There is a similar virus called cucumber mosaic virus.
Mila Koleva, 11 years, Sofia Hello, they say that in our country the Himalayan balsam has no natural enemies. Then let's invite an Asian animal that likes to eat juicy stalks, such as this panda, which I named Mi Tsu.
Aleks Karaivanov (12 years) and Vladimir Vayov (11 years), Sofia Meet the mighty Mr. Freeze and his Laser Icifier, who will make the Himalayan balsam crush with cold.
Gabriela Hristova, 12 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam is a honey plant and it can help both to get more honey and to increase the number of bees that has been declining recently.
Gabriela Popova, 11 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam is a foreign weed, I suggest to treat it as we treat ours - mechanical turning of the soil, plowing using tractors
Georgi Pironkov, 10 years, Sofia I wouldn’t remove the Himalayan balsam, because it looks great on the river banks, doesn't stinge like the nettle and doesn‘t prick like blackberries. I would plant trees with her to strengthen the shore.
Joana Belilova, 15 years, Elin Pelin This species of Impatiens is a honey plant. Its shape is extremely convenient for collecting pollen by the bees in the area of its distribution. The Himalayan balsam grows mostly around water basins and riverbeds. It promotes soil and shoreline erosion, causing water to spill out of them.
Gabriela Stoikova, 7 years, Sofia Using machines it is easiest to remove the Himalayan balsam, but I don't think it should be destroyed because it looks very beautiful.
Mariа Arnaudova, 36 years, Ruse Through my drawing I tried to show the conquest of the Himalayan balsam and the suppression of the other flowering plants, whose color is present in only one spot.
Radoslav Panorov, 43 years, Sofia Hello, I work in the Agency for Sustainable Energy Development (ASED) and green energy is my vocation and hobby. I admire the competition announced by you, which gives a chance to ordinary people (and especially children) to help scientists with ideas, while showing initiative and educating themselves about the dangers of the so-called invasive non-native species such as the Himalayan balsam. I am applying with a proposal in the age group above 16 years. (without my aim being a reward), and I am sending you a scheme for the production of biofuel from the stems of Impatiens glandulifera by analogy to a similar production cycle with other agricultural crops (corn and sunflower) as raw materials.
Lidiya Nikolaeva, 7 years, Sofia I drew how we put beehives next to The Himalayan balsam to make it convenient for the bees to take nectar from its flowers.
Aleksandar Vasilev, 11 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam should be mowed every two weeks with a mower in May and June before the plant has bloomed.
Petur Arnaudov, 10 years, Sofia I have drawn the pests on this plant: Pristerognatha fuligana, Deilephila elpenor, Xanthorhoe biriviata, Chrysolina herbacea, Phytoliriomyza melampyga, fam. Tenthredinidae, Impatientinum asiaticum, Aphis fabae. They would help dealing with the Himalayan balsam. Their larvae feed on different parts of the plant, thus damaging the plant and reducing its spread.
Kristi Hristova, 13 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam can be treated with herbicides that reduce the growth and abundance of the plant. The problem is that they are harmful to human health and could harm other plants and animals that live with it.
Alex Raikov, 8 years, Varna I suggest covering the plant with something so that the sun does not reach it. So it will wilt, because all plants need sun to exist.
Radea Petkova, 6 years, Sofia The Himalayan balsam is very tall and only needs to be cut with shears so as not to interfere with the other flowers.
Victor Pashov, 11 years, Sofia We will construct small robots as big as bees to fit into the colors of the Himalayan balsam. They must not allow the flowers to turn into fruit, but they must not prevent the bees from collecting nectar from them.
Savina Hristova, 12 years, Sofia Hymalayan balsam is a hardy plant and it emits substances harmful to other plants. But what if we put a poisonous mushroom next to it. We will use the same weapon against the plant itself…
Kalina Stoeva, 8 years, Sofia Kalina presents her illustrated book about the Himalayan balsam
Kostadin Bakalov, 26 years, Plovdiv An old folk remedy for weed control is pouring naphtha at the base of the stems. I propose a similar approach, as long as it is environmentally acceptable.
Joana Belilova, 15 years, Elin Pelin This species of Impatiens is a honey plant. Its shape is extremely convenient for collecting pollen by the bees in the area of its distribution. The Himalayan balsam grows mostly around water basins and riverbeds. It promotes soil and shoreline erosion, causing water to spill out of them.
Lydia Kircheva, 30 years, Sofia "Dealing" with the Hymalayan balsam does not necessarily mean destroying it. We can use the potential of the plant. For example, I learned from the Internet that it is widely used in cooking. In this case I have illustrated the production of lemonade from fresh flowers of the Impatiens glandulifera Royale
- Tea Georgieva, 6 years, Sofia I have an idea. The Himalayan balsam should be made into medicine. It will be called "Slabonogal" and will calm those who drink it. They will not be so nervous and scared and will treat each other better.
Niya Doskova, 16 years, Sofia Insects, such as aphids and the Colorado potato beetle, must be identified, that could attack the Himalayan balsam and stop its spreading.
Yosif Tsanev, 36 years , Sofia Have you tried using the Himalayan balsam for grazing? According to the Irish and Scots, their sheep are crazy about this plant. Well, they were a little stunned by the alkaloids in it, but everything has to be moderate, right?
Eco-drawing competition on “How to deal with the dangerous non native plant Impatiens glandulifera Royale”
- Ekaterina Bairakova, 8 years, Velingrad I know that the foreign plant Himalayan balsam is a dangerous invasive species that can be consumed. In some countries it is used in medicine, and in others - for making jam. I thought that if it was safe for humans to eat it, then maybe it would be suitable for other animal species as well. Since our garden is often inhabited by snails, I decided to study more and found that they eat this plant, although it is not their favorite. I wonder if it was possible to make a snail farm? In some countries they are used for preparing delicacies. The farm could sell snails and thus finance measures to prevent the spread of foreign plants in Bulgaria. If there is a suitable species to breed, it will also give jobs to the people in the neighboring villages. From my research, I learned how important it is to preserve biodiversity, so I hope there will be good ideas to limit the spread of the Himalayan balsam.