1. Project Title: Biological control of Imported Fire Ant (IFA)

Investigators: Anne-Marie Callcott, Ron Weeks & Shannon James (USDA, APHIS, PPQ, CPHST, Gulfport, MS), federal, state and university cooperators in each state participating in releases

Contact: Anne-Marie Callcott (Anne-Marie.A.Callcott@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Imported fire ants currently infest >325,000,000 acres in 13 states and Puerto Rico. Since 2002, over 35 releases (5,000-10,000 flies/release) have been made using the decapitating phorid fly, Pseudacteon tricsupis, in 12 states and Puerto Rico. A second species, P. curvatus, will be released beginning in the fall of 2004. The spread and impact of the phorid fly will be monitored and data collected used to develop a tracking tool and a predictive decision and management support tool. Investigations continue with other potential pathogens for control of IFA, particularly the microsporidium Thelohania solenopsae.

Websites: http://www.cphst.org/projects/Phorid_rearing/
http://www.cphst.org/projects/Phorid_monitoring/

2. Project title: Cereal Leaf Beetle (CLB) Biological Control Project

Investigators: Leeda Wood (PPQ Edinburg Lab), Ruthann Berry and Dave Prokrym (APHIS PPQ Niles Laboratory), and participating federal and state cooperators

Contact: Leeda Wood (Leeda.A.Wood@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Project cooperators in the Pacific Northwest and western states continued to release proven natural enemies in previously established state insectary sites as a proactive approach to manage the cereal leaf beetle (CLB), Oulema melanopus. Both Washington and Oregon reported state records in 2004 for recovery of the egg parasitoid, Anaphes flavipes.

3. Project Title: Biological Control of the Emerald Ash Borer.

Investigators: Juli Gould (PPQ Otis Lab), Amy Roda (CPHST Miami)

Contact: Juli Gould (Juli.R.Gould@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Emerald Ash Borer has attacked 6-7 million Fraxinus trees in the core infestation area, rapidly killing even large, healthy trees. The impact the ash borer has on North American urban and natural forests may approach or equal the devastation caused by Dutch Elm Disease and Chestnut Blight. Since 2003, both native and exotic natural enemies that could lower population densities have been search for in order to support the control and eradication. A parasitoid, Spathius spp. has been identified from China and will be brought into quarantine in the US for study. The search for other potential control agents continues both in the infested States and in Asia.

4. Project Title: Japanese Beetle Biological Control.

Investigators: John A. Tanner (PPQ Otis Lab)

Contact: John A. Tanner (john.tanner@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Japanese beetles continue to be a regulatory problem at many eastern commercial airports and military air bases. Many different pesticide and trapping management schemes have been tried, but have failed to control the beetles to a point where they would cease to be regulatory concerns. The use of entomopathogens to impact adult beetles and developing grub populations offers a unique methodology of control. APHIS conducted a replicated field test at Dover AFB, in Dover, Delaware, to test the feasibility of such an approach. Autodissemination traps inoculated adult beetles with a fungal pathogen. The adults carry the fungal spores back to areas where the eggs are laid and contaminate developing larvae in the soil. This has the potential to adversely impact the larval populations with a resulting decline in the adult population the following summer. Results during FY 1999 and 2000 showed significant impacts upon adult Japanese beetles. These studies continued in FY 2001, as we conducted field trials at the Dover AFB designed to evaluate the impact of the fungal pathogen against the larval population. Preliminary results failed to show significant impact on larval populations, although adults were impacted. We also deployed auto-inoculators at two study sites in Kansas to evaluate potential impact on adult populations over time.

5. Project Title: Mealybug Biocontrol

Investigators: Amy Roda (CPHST Miami), Dale Meyerdirk (PPQ PDMP)

Contact: Amy Roda (Amy.L.Roda@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Pink hibiscus mealybug, Maconellicoccus hirsutus (Green), is a serious economic threat to agriculture and the nursery industry attacking > 200 species of plants including: fruit trees, vegetables, ornamentals and forest trees. This mealybug could cause an estimated $750 million/yr loss in the southern states. Additionally, commercial material slated for export may be quarantined resulting in further substantial economic loss. As part of the "Offshore" biological control program the spread of the pest to the US was dramatically slowed with the introduction of parasitoids to CA, FL, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The program has been instrumental in reducing PHM populations by over 95 percent in study sites. Due to the recent potential spread of infested nursery stock throughout the US, production and release of these proven natural enemies will increase.

6. Project Title: Biological Control of Giant Salvinia

Investigators: Daniel Flores (CPHST Edinburg Lab), Earl Andress (CPHST Phoenix Lab)

Contact: Daniel Flores (daniel.flores@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Giant salvinia, Salvinia molesta, is a rapidly proliferating exotic aquatic fern that has invaded water bodies in the southeastern and southern US and HI. A federally-listed noxious weed, it damages wetland and aquatic ecosystems by overgrowing and replacing native plants that provide food and habitat for native animals and waterfowl. Since FY2002, over 1.25 million salvinia weevils have been mass produced for release into infested waterways in AZ, CA, LA, NC, and TX. Findings indicate that the salvinia weevil is established in all release locations, and giant salvinia populations in 5 of the 6 initial release sites in TX are now under complete control. The salvinia weevil release program will expand in FY2005 to include additional salvinia infested states.

7. Project title: PPQ Purple Loosestrife Biological Control Project

Investigators: Amy Roda, Marge Guilford and Dave Prokrym (APHIS PPQ Niles Laboratory); Leeda Wood (PPQ Edinburg Lab), participating federal and state cooperators

Contact: Amy Roda (Amy.L.Roda@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) in an aggressive invasive weed in North American wetlands, lakes and rivers that often forms dense mono-specific stands, displacing native species, reducing biodiversity and degrading habitat quality. The project has created productive field insectaries of two key natural enemies, the leaf feeding beetle, Galerucella, and the root feeding, Hylobius transversavillatus. In 2003, 300,000 Galerucella beetles were produced and shipped to fifteen states to establish field insectaries, bringing the project total to >1.5 million beetles shipped to cooperators in 21 states since 1999. The beetles were also used in the classroom to teach about invasive pests and management strategies. In addition 7,400 Hylobius weevils were shipped to five states. Biological control using theses beetles has lead to documented positive changes in the wetland plant communities.

8. Project title: PPQ Soybean Aphid Biological Control Project

Investigators: Leeda Wood (CPHST Edinburg Lab), Deb Grooms and David Prokrym (PPQ Niles Laboratory); state cooperators in MI, MN, IN, WI; and USDA ARS scientists (DE, France)

Contact: Leeda Wood (Leeda.A.Wood@aphis.usda.gov)

Project description: The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, first detected in 2000, has now been confirmed in ten Midwestern states, with the potential to spread to all soybean production areas throughout the US. Soybean is grown on >64 million acres valued at $16.3 billion/year. The initial phase of the program included support of foreign exploration for natural enemies and field evaluations by university collaborators. A parasitoid previously established in western states to combat the Russian wheat aphid, Aphelinus albipodus, was found attacking soybean aphids in the United States. Subsequently, over 76,000 A. albipodus were mass produced and released to support field evaluations conducted by collaborators.

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