Management of the Mexican bromeliad weevil in Florida will require releasing at least one introduced biological control agent into the natural areas where the weevil is found. To maximize the chance of establishment of the biological control agent, the release sites should provide an abundant weevil population. Releases will be concentrated in state parks, which offer security and habitat stability. Individual sites will be chosen based on what is known about weevil and bromeliad populations at each potential release site.

Teresa Cooper of the University of Florida began field studies at Myakka River State Park, and then extended them to additional parks with the help of several groups of volunteers. Her project involves population mapping of the weevil and its hostplants, with the goal of determining the optimal location and timing of releases of biological control agents of the Mexican bromeliad weevil. See her section on "Mapping and Monitoring of Metamasius callizona and Its Hostplants in South Florida" for more information.

The volunteer groups and University of Florida personnel involved in the field monitoring have been working in Highlands Hammock State Park, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park, with recent expansion to San Sebastian River State Buffer Preserve. In addition, the Pine View Weevil Watchers, Denise Maughan's third grade class at Pine View Elementary School in Osprey, has been monitoring weevils at Myakka River State Park.

These field studies have followed preliminary studies of weevil populations at Myakka River State Park in Sarasota in 2001. Park biologists collaborated with the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Canopy Ecology Program) and students from New College and the University of South Florida. Renee Maxwell won a USF Undergraduate Research Award for her paper entitled "The Effects of Metamasius callizona on two of Florida's Native Bromeliads: Tillandsia fasciculata and T. utriculata."