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.
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 »
In the Ngara district in northwest Tanzania is a small village with some of the ideal conditions for mosquitoes. Villagers lack the income to pay for the typical mosquito protection. Many are wary of chemical sprays used on their property or inside the house. Because the village was nearly ideal for mosquitoes, it was also ideal for a group of British researchers who wanted to test the effectiveness of an exotic invasive plant on repelling mosquitoes.
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 to find a healthy offering of Christmas trees. In the Southern US, Fraser firs are among the favorite. 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 »
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 »
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 »
A team of scientists in Ohio has discovered a new way to control Helicoverpa zea, or corn earworm. They have developed a chemical that interrupts the insect’s dormancy.
Filed under: Insects, Invasive species, Pesticides | Tagged: Bt crops, Corn earworm, cotton bollworm, diapause hormone, Helicoverpa zea, insect diapause, insect dormancy, tomato fruitworm | Leave a Comment »
In Texas today a new law allowing hunters to fly around in a helicopter and shoot feral hogs goes into effect. The law is aimed at decreasing the population of feral hogs more quickly than ground hunting or trapping is currently doing. In a New York Times OpEd yesterday, writer Mark Essig of Asheville, North Carolina, states that the law misses the real reason why feral hogs are increasing in population: hunters transport them across state lines to start new hunting populations.
Filed under: Invasive species, Urban IPM | Tagged: feral hogs, Rick Perry, Texas | Leave a Comment »
Even if you’ve never heard the term ‘invasive species’, chances are they’ve affected you in one way or another. Invasives are any non-native species or organism that cause harm to a non-native environment. For example, you may have heard about the brown marmorated stink bug, introduced accidentally into Pennsylvania from Asia, which has descended on towns along the east coast. With no natural predators, the insects are able to multiply, feeding on a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, hurting farmers and their crops.
Filed under: Invasive species | Tagged: brown marmorated stink bug, invasive species, invasives | Leave a Comment »
