Agricultural pests have long been considered one of the greatest threats to food security. Insect pests and diseases cause about a 40% loss in global production each year. And scientists warn that the problem will probably get worse.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species, Resistance | Tagged: Coffee leaf rust, Coffee wilt disease, colorado potato beetle, Desert locust, Khapra beetle, mountain pine beetle, Potato blight, Ug99, Witches' broom disease, Worst pest list | Leave a Comment »
A new study, done by scientists at the University of Georgia, suggests that one of the secrets to controlling the hemlock woolly adelgid may be at the top of the tree.
That’s where adelgid populations are highest, the study found. Results of the study were published in the December issue of the Journal of Economic Entomology.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species | Tagged: Adelges tsugae, hemlock biocontrol, hemlock woolly adelgid, Laricobius nigrinus, Sasajscymnus tsugae, University of Georgia hemlock study | Leave a Comment »
Mosquitoes are notoriously non-discriminate; they will take a blood meal wherever they can get one. They prefer areas that are marshy or full of puddles because they have ready-made places to lay eggs. A house that isn’t protected with pesticides means that entry and exit is easier.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive plants, Invasive species | Tagged: Concern nurseries, Concern Worldwide, Invasive plants, Lantana, Lantana camara, malaria prevention, mosquito cotrnol, Ngara, Tanzania | Leave a Comment »
Although the cost of invasive species has not sparked nearly as much debate as has the possibility of global warming, the combination of the two has bred some interesting research. In New Zealand, for example, a group of scientists recently examined what effect warming temperatures would have on the invasive Argentine ant, and whether native ant populations could recover if invasive ant colonies disappeared.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species | Tagged: Argentine ant New Zealand, Argentine ants, climate change, global warming, invasive species | Leave a Comment »
You don’t have to travel very far—indeed you just need to go as far as your neighborhood “big box” or grocery story—to find a healthy offering of Christmas trees. In the Southern US, Fraser firs are among the favorite. In fact, Frasers are one of the favorites of White House residents, as it has graced the Blue Room more than any other tree since the 1960s. The Internet is lush with information about how to size a tree for the space it will occupy and how to care for the tree once you’ve gotten it home. I’m going to focus on a topic that few people want to think out—pests and diseases that can affect Christmas trees.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species | Tagged: balsam twig aphid, balsam woolly adelgid, Christmas trees, fraser fir, NC Christmas trees, phytophthora cinnamomi | Leave a Comment »
This post was taken from the November 2011 School IPM 2015 newsletter. Although the article mentions schools specifically, the tips can be used for any building and grounds, whether residential or commercial.
Designing, maintaining and operating buildings and grounds with pest prevention in mind is an enormous time and money saver! Here we focus on doors, windows, exterior lighting and landscaping in new construction and existing school buildings.
Filed under: Urban IPM | Tagged: house pests, Household pests, keeping insects out of house, urban IPM, winter pests, yard pests | Leave a Comment »
If biocontrol has so many advantages, why do some people shudder at the mention of a new introduction of an insect or parasitoid that may save a crop or forest tree from certain destruction? Simple. Any time that any living organism is set free in a foreign habitat, that organism presents its own risks.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species, Resistance, Uncategorized | Tagged: biocontrol, biological control, Cactoblastis cactorum, Compsilura concinnata, Florida cactus, gypsy moth, Large white, Larinus planus, prickly pear, silkworm | Leave a Comment »
In the November 2011 issue of Scientific American, two scientists discuss the pros and cons of using genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses. In the article, biologist Mark Q. Benedict and Helen Wallace, the director of GeneWatch UK, illuminate the issues surrounding the release of genetically modified insects into the wild.
Genetically Modified Mosquitoes Could Be an Important Tool in the Fight against Disease
By Mark Q. Benedict
Current technologies we use against mosquitoes simply are not adequate: existing measures are losing the war. The choice of implementing GM mosquitoes is not a choice of no risk versus risk, it is a matter of choosing the least risky among all existing choices in a war against very real continuing disease risk. Read more.
The Danger of Genetically Modified Mosquitoes
By Helen Wallace
The release of genetically modified (GM) insects should follow a precautionary approach, because what appears well understood in the lab can have unintended consequences when released on a large scale into the environment. On release, GM mosquitoes become part of a complex system involving predators and prey, other mosquito species, four types of dengue virus, other tropical diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, and the humans—including children—who are being bitten and infected. Read more.
Filed under: Insects, Pesticides | Tagged: biocontrol, dengue fever, genetically modified organisms, GMOs, mosquito control, mosquitoes, Scientific American mosquito article | Leave a Comment »
The hemlock woolly adelgid has destroyed millions of acres of Eastern hemlocks in the Eastern United States. Other invasives such as the gypsy moth, bean plataspid, and Asian longhorned beetle wreak economic and ecological havoc every year, with few available chemicals to control them. Biological control is often a viable option for pest management when other available controls are not feasible or do not work.
Filed under: Invasive species | Tagged: biocontrol, biological control, exotic invasives, fire ants, gypsy moth, hemlock woolly adelgid, integrated pest management, phorid flies, scouting | Leave a Comment »
For those of us who have ever visited a country where the risk of dengue fever was fairly high, the news on National Public Radio a few weeks ago was good news indeed. A group of scientists have discovered a virus that will render a mosquito incapable of transmitting dengue fever. After several years of testing, scientist Scott O’Neill of Monash University is planning to release the virus—which is typically carried by fruit flies—in several countries where dengue fever is prevalent.
Filed under: Insects | Tagged: biocontrol, biocontrol agents, biological control, dengue fever, Monash University, mosquito control, mosquitoes, National Public Radio, Scott O'Neill | Leave a Comment »
