1) Project title: Determine the Feasibility of Controlling the Raspberry Crown Borer with Entomopathogenic Nematodes

Investigators: Roger N. Williams, Dept. of Entomology, OSU/OARDC, Wooster, OH

Contact: Roger Williams (Williams.14@osu.edu)

Project description: The raspberry crown borer (RCB) is a serious pest of cane berries throughout North America. The larval stage of this pest destroys fruiting canes and increases the plants susceptibility to disease and other non-beneficial organisms. Control of this pest is difficult since it spends most of its life feeding within the crown of the plant. Pesticides primarily organophosphates have been the primary means of controlling this pest. However, the EPA has recently banned organophosphates on brambles in the Eastern US leaving growers with few alternatives in the control of this pest. In this study we are screening several species/strains of nematodes in laboratory bioassays to determine the susceptibility of raspberry crown borer larvae to entomopathogenic nematodes. Previous studies with larvae of the grape root borer have been valuable in assessing the nematode species/strains to be utilized. The study is still in progress. Results from this early study will lead to trials conducted in commercial bramble plantings

2) Project title: Development of Rearing Techniques and Biological Control Methods for the Grape Root Borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Harris)

Investigators: Roger N. Williams and Parwinder Grewal, Dept. of Entomology OSU/OARDC, Wooster, OH, James Dutcher, Dept. of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, GA, David W. Lockwood, Extension Horticulturalist, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

Contact: Roger Williams (Williams.14@osu.edu)

Project description: The main goal of this study is to evaluate the susceptibility of grape root borer larvae to various new strains of entomopathogenic nematodes, resulting in the selection of one or more strains for field trials, which may lead to a method of control for this pest. The preliminary laboratory studies have been conducted and field trials are currently under way. Preliminary data from the field trials are encouraging.

3) Project title: The impact of ant attendance on the ability of natural enemies to control the soybean aphid Aphis glycines Matsumura (Heteroptera: Aphididae)

Investigators: John Herbert, Ronald B. Hammond and David J. Horn, Dept. of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Wooster & Columbus, OH

Contact: Dave Horn (horn.1@osu.edu)

Project description: The soybean aphid Aphis glycines Matsumura was discovered in North America for the first time in the summer of 2000. Subsequent surveys showed an association between soybean aphid and various ant species. The objective of this study was to determine if ant attendance affected predation and parasitism rates of A. glycines. We tested the ability of the ant Monomorium minimum to deter predation and parasitism of A. glycines by Harmonia axyridis, Orius insidiosus, and Aphidius spp. We propose that M. minimum is protecting colonies of A. glycines and thus locally reduces the impact of natural enemies.

4) Project title: Strategies to Enhance Biological Control in Diverse Vegetable Landscapes

Investigators: Janet L. Lawrence and Casey W. Hoy, Dept. of Entomology, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH

Contact: Casey Hoy (hoy.1@osu.edu)

Project description: The research being undertaken seeks to develop strategies to enhance biological control within the diverse vegetable landscapes of Huron County, Ohio. The biological control agents being explored include both arthropods and microbial organisms (entomopathogenic nematodes) and target the vegetable pest complex. The research is being conducted in two phases, with the initial phase geared towards understanding the dynamics and interactions of the components of the cropping system - host plant, herbivore and natural enemy. The second phase, explores strategies to optimize the crop habitat such that the impact of endemic and introduced natural enemy populations is enhanced. Currently, investigations include: (i) identification of non-crop habitats (ditch banks, hedge rows) which may serve as refuges for natural enemies (arthropod and entomopathogenic nematodes); (ii) conservation of entomopathogenic nematode populations through the regulation of host supply, the later being a function of crop sequence; (iii) interactions of nematode species (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and Steinernema carpocapse) with the pest complex associated with a mixed cropping system (potatoes, carrots, green onions).

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The biological control quarantine facility at The Ohio State University is operational and is currently occupied by a captive culture of the federally endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus).

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