| Section three: IPPM section |
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| Introduction |
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The objective of the Insect Pest Prevention and Management Program (IPPM) is to protect Oregon’s agriculture, horticulture, environment, and quality of life from damaging insect pests and to maintain or enhance the value of Oregon’s agricultural and horticultural products. The first line of defense is regulatory, consisting of state and federal quarantines designed to exclude exotic pests from entering into Oregon and enforce control area orders to help slow their spread within Oregon. The IPPM Detection and Survey Program provides a second line of defense to protect our natural resources and markets. When an exotic pest population is detected in Oregon, eradication and control programs are promptly implemented if feasible.
Our professional personnel also perform identification services, pest risk assessments, and inspections for several state and federal permit programs. Pest surveys of our agricultural and horticultural crops often meet the entry requirements of national and international customers. Sharing information about the potential threats of invasive species to Oregon with industry groups and the public has become increasingly important in fulfilling our objective. The increasing public awareness and knowledge about exotic species in Oregon can assist our program in quickly locating emerging invasive pest populations. The survey data are documented in our IPPM databases, maps, and in the National Agricultural Pest Information System (NAPIS) database.
Back row (left to right): Bennett Huffman, Josh Vlach, Helmuth Rogg, Rick Westcott, Pat Mitchell. Front row: Bill Giacomazzi, Kerri Schwarz, Richard Worth, Barry Bai, Jo Davis, Steve Valley, Jim LaBonte, Kathleen Johnson, Todd Adams, and Diana Kimberling.
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| Highlights 2007 |
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- Aerial applications of the biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki (Btk) were applied to a 640-acre Asian gypsy moth (AGM, Lymantria dispar) eradication area in St. Helens and to a 533-acre European gypsy moth (GM, Lymantria dispar) eradication area in Bend. Follow-up detection surveys did not record any surviving moths.
- A total of twelve GM were caught in 2007 at one old and five new sites. Six GM were caught in one trap in Shady Cove near a site where two moths each were caught in 2005 and 2006, respectively. A live egg mass, dead adult female, larval skins, and pupal cases were found nearby on a recreational vehicle recently returned from Pennsylvania. A 336-acre eradication program is being proposed for treatment in 2008.
- Foliar and soil treatments for Japanese beetle (JB, Popillia japonica) were applied within a 271-acre eradication area at Portland International Airport (PDX) and at an eradication area on Swan Island. Only a soil treatment was applied to a third eradication area in Troutdale.
- In 2007, a total of twenty-five JB were trapped statewide within delimitation areas: 12 in the PDX area, 10 at Swan Island, and three single catches in Troutdale and in an area northwest of Portland (all Multnomah County). None were caught in the Silverton delimitation area in 2007.
- In 2007, the apple maggot (AM, Rhagoletis pomonella) eradication program at a Pendleton apartment complex that began in 2006 continued with larvae infested soil removal, netting over soil under infested trees, insecticide treatments, and delimitation trapping. Only seven AM were trapped in 2007, compared to 135 in 2006.
- In 2007, Eastern Oregon saw an eight-fold increase in grasshopper-infested acreage. Almost 800,000 acres in 13 eastern Oregon counties had infestations of grasshoppers at economically injurious levels (more than eight grasshoppers per square yard), predominately the clearwinged grasshopper (Camnula pellucida). Baker, Union, and Wallowa counties accounted for almost _ of the total acreage. Mormon cricket (Anabrus simplex) populations were recorded in over 11,500 acres in Malheur and Gilliam counties. ODA assisted USDA APHIS in the protection of 36 acres of rangeland on the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge against nymphal clearwinged grasshopper infestations, with an application of the juvenile growth inhibitor, Dimilin.
- In 2007, surveys did not detect apple leaf miner (Stigmella melella), pine moth (Dendrolimus pini), khapra beetle (Trogoderma granarium), light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana), nun moth (Lymantria monacha), rosy gypsy moth (Lymantria mathura), or Siberian moth (Dendrolimus superans sibericus). A pilot survey of 45 major nurseries and plant retailers and five special sites (e.g., the Oregon Zoo) that import ornamental plants has not detected any new pests, although final samples and species identifications are not completed. Apple maggot and cereal leaf beetle (CLB, Oulema melanopus) surveys detected no expansion of their ranges in Oregon.
- Surveys for exotic wood boring insects did not detect apple clearwing moth (Synanthedon myopaeformis), Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis), Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis), European wood wasp (Sirex noctilio), Mediterranean pine engraver (Orthotomicus erosus), or red haired bark beetle (Hylurgus ligniperda). With two exceptions, no other new exotic woodborers were found. A Eurasian conifer bark and cambial borer (Cydia coniferana), previously found in Washington, was detected in northwest Oregon and in Klamath County for the first time. A Mediterranean longhorned beetle (Nathrius brevipennis), known from California for decades, was found in Portland. No exotic target pest species were found at or near the railroad tie treatment plant in The Dalles, where eradication treatments were conducted in 2005 and 2006.
- Due to the high parasitism rates by CLB larval parasitoids, the acres treated with pesticides in Oregon decreased from a peak of 64,200 acres in 2004 to 19,141 acres in 2007.
- IPPM's digital imaging system and expertise were used to develop screening aids for additional wood boring beetles, including western metallic wood boring beetles (Buprestidae) and bark/ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae) of the eastern United States. The identification aids developed by the IPPM team have been integral to national surveys for exotic wood boring insects.
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| Comments on retirement |
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Dr. Kathleen J.R. Johnson, at retirement party
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I have especially treasured this year, my last before retirement, working with IPPM entomologists, insect survey technicians, and many others to plan and implement six different eradication or control projects and over 30 specific survey programs, including two new surveys and several with the potential to detect additional invasive invertebrate pests. IPPM entomologists increased their experience planning and successfully implementing aerial treatments to eradicate Asian gypsy moth in St. Helens, gypsy moth in Bend, and on-the-ground soil and foliar treatments to eradicate Japanese beetle at PDX, Swan Island, and Troutdale. I feel confident they are well prepared to conduct future programs.
The considerable achievements reported here have been made possible by the combined efforts of our experienced, professional, and dedicated IPPM team. Collaboration and continued development of excellence in technical and field expertise have been essential to our successful implementation of these programs designed to protect and enhance Oregon’s natural resources, economy, and quality of life. Thanks to each one of you for all your excellent work.
A special thank you to long-time USDA Forest Service cooperator, Dave Bridgwater, who retired in January 2008. Dave’s expertise, vision, dedication, good humor, collaboration, and proactive approach have made our efforts to achieve our shared goals of protecting agriculture, forests, and urban environments from invasive species more effective. Thank you also to our volunteers, others on the ODA team, the public and cooperators in Oregon, nationally and internationally. Everyone’s best contributions will be needed again to successfully face the changes and challenges of 2008.
Invasive plant pests continue to threaten Oregon’s agriculture, forests, environment, and quality of life for its citizens. Marshalling the resources needed to address invasive plant pests effectively will be a challenge for ODA, industry, and citizens alike. Looking to the future, I expect change to continue its rapid pace and hope that IPPM will use change as an opportunity to achieve its purpose ever more effectively.
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| Apple clear wing moth |
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The apple clear wing moth (ACW), Synanthedon myopaeformis, is native to Europe, western Asia, and North Africa. ACW was first documented from North America in 2005 from British Columbia, where it is now established. Host trees are damaged by the larvae boring beneath the bark and into the cambium near the base of the trunk. Potential hosts include a number of horticultural and agricultural trees such as apple, pear, plum, peach, apricot, quince, hawthorn, and mountain ash. By mid-May, 299 large Delta traps were placed in 13 counties, with lure changes approximately every four weeks, and picked up by the end of September. Traps placed in NW Oregon counties yielded many specimens of a native moth, the red-belted clear wing, Synanthedon culiciformis, which feeds on alder and birch. This moth so closely resembles ACW that the only way to reliably distinguish between these two species is by examining the genitalia. No ACW were detected in 2007.
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| Apple maggot |
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Apple maggot (AM), Rhagoletis pomonella, a fruit fly native to the eastern US, was first reported from Oregon in 1979. Since then, it has been found in all western Oregon counties, in Hood River and Wasco counties, and in the Pendleton area of Umatilla County. Apple maggot is a serious threat to apple production in areas of Oregon where it is not yet permanently established.
In 2006, IPPM began an AM eradication program at the Blue Mountain apartment complex in Pendleton that continued in 2007. In early April, IPPM staff and several volunteer OSU Master Gardeners removed soil from around the hawthorn trees most heavily infested with AM and buried the soil under several feet of dirt to kill any overwintering AM pupae. To prevent AM adults from emerging from the soil, insect-proof netting was placed on the ground along the drip line of several hawthorns with heavy AM infestations. After the first AM catch on June 19, a licensed applicator company applied five neonicotinoid (a.i., acetamiprid) and three imidacloprid treatments on the ground and foliage of the all hawthorns at the apartment complex. Fifty-six traps were placed from mid-June through mid-September in host trees at the infestation site and within a 0.5-mile radius area. Six AM flies were caught at the apartment complex between June 19 and September 17 in 2007, compared to 135 AM in 2006. Also one AM fly was trapped within the 0.5-mile buffer around the Blue Mountain apartment complex.
Chart: Apple maggot trap catches at Blue Mountain apartment complex, 2006 and 2007
AM trapping was conducted to provide certification for fresh market apple sales to Washington and Arizona under the terms of those states’ permits and to detect AM in apple growing areas where it is not yet known to occur. No AM were detected in the 39 traps placed in a _-mile area around known commercial apple orchards in the Hood River Valley. For the seventh consecutive year, no AM survey was conducted in Wasco County, where commercial apples are placed into cold storage. No AM were detected in the 10 traps placed in Milton-Freewater (Umatilla County) and in the vicinity of orchards where trapping has typically been conducted since 1980.
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| Asian defoliating pests |
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Exotic defoliating insects from Asia are one of the greatest threats to Oregon urban, rural, and wild forestlands, as well as the watersheds within those habitats. As in past years, a survey targeting several pest species of Asian origin was conducted. Traps were placed in host trees within five miles of ports and waterways at high risk for imported Asian gypsy moth, including the ports of Coos Bay and Portland and along the Columbia River waterway from Astoria to Portland. These areas are also at high risk of introduction for the following exotic defoliators:
Nun moth
Nun moth (NM), Lymantria monacha, is native to Europe and Asia. NM poses one of the most serious threats to western and northern US forests of spruce, pine, and Douglas fir. A total of 769 delta traps with PheroTech NM lures were placed by mid-July and removed in September. No NM were detected.
Rosy gypsy moth
The natural range of rosy gypsy moth (RGM), Lymantria mathura, extends from Japan to China and west to India and Pakistan. If established, RGM would threaten Oregon and Pacific Northwest forest ecosystems, forest industry sustainability, and the plant nursery trade. Additionally, there is evidence suggesting RGM could enhance the severity of gypsy moth outbreaks. A total of 256 clam shell traps with RGM lure were placed by mid-July and removed in September. No RGM were detected.
Siberian moth
Siberian moth (SM), Dendrolimus superans sibericus, is the most destructive defoliator of conifer forests in northern Asia. A total of 755 milk carton traps with SM lure were placed by mid-June and removed in September. No SM were detected.
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| Cereal leaf beetle |
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Cereal leaf beetle (CLB), Oulema melanopus, was first identified in Michigan in 1962 as an introduced pest from Europe. It is an important pest of cereal crops in eastern and western states. First detected in Oregon in 1999, by 2006 CLB was found in 19 counties: Baker, Benton, Clackamas, Columbia, Crook, Deschutes, Jefferson, Lane, Linn, Malheur, Marion, Multnomah, Polk, Tillamook, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Washington, and Yamhill. Statewide surveys in 2007 did not detect CLB in additional counties.
In 2007, ODA, USDA, and OSU continued the CLB biocontrol program to monitor, release, and redistribute two parasitoid wasp species, Anaphes flavipes, an egg parasitoid, and Tetrastichus julis, a larval parasitoid, within CLB-infested counties in Oregon.
Releases of A. flavipes have been made from 2000-2007 at several sites in northwestern Oregon and one site in Union County. Despite some initially promising parasitism rates (5 percent to 30 percent), as of 2007 there is no evidence that A. flavipes is established.
Map: Cereal leaf beetle survey
Our source for A. flavipes since 2005 has been the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s biocontrol facility in Palisade, Colorado. Unfortunately, the CLB colony collapsed during the winter of 2006-07, and our program sent 15,827 adult CLB to Colorado to help re-establish their laboratory colony.
One goal for the T. julis program in 2007 was to ascertain the parasitism rate CLB in central and northeastern Oregon and to collect and redistribute T. julis, which establishes well in release areas. CLB larvae were collected from fields and dissected for parasitism assessment. As in 2006, widespread recovery of T. julis was confirmed this year in both eastern and western counties, including locations where it had not been released. The peak parasitism rates per positive county were: Baker (85 percent), Crook (24 percent), Jefferson (5 percent), Linn (100 percent), Marion (100 percent), Multnomah (100 percent), Umatilla (80 percent), and Washington (68 percent). A few sites were also sampled in Deschutes and Wallowa counties, but were negative for T. julis.
Other activities of this program included the collection and redistribution of T. julis within Oregon. As in 2006, the source of T. julis released in Oregon was solely from material collected within Oregon. The OSU insectary fields in Benton and Union counties were discontinued in 2007 because they have high T. julis and low CLB populations. It has become difficult to find collectable numbers of CLB in Union County. The OSU insectary field site at the Central Oregon Agricultural Research Center in Madras, Jefferson County, was the only site that received T. julis. Additional adult CLBs were released there to increase CLB numbers. Larvae parasitized with T. julis were released in growers’ fields throughout Oregon. The estimated number of T. julis released in each county in 2007 was: Crook, 2,581; Deschutes, 600; Jefferson, 10,461; Marion, 525; Wallowa, 2,040. In 2007, T. julis was released in Wallowa County for the first time.
A 2007 Oregon pesticide usage survey by USDA APHIS showed a continuous decrease in acreages treated with pesticides against CLB from a peak of 64,200 acres in 2004 to 19,141 acres in 2007.
Dr. Barry Bai, IPPM’s biocontrol entomologist traveled to China in May of 2007 to continue a foreign exploration project seeking natural enemies of CLB started in 2005. With the aid of Chinese entomologists, the rice leaf beetle, Oulema oryzae, and its egg parasitoid, Anaphes nipponicus, were collected from Fuzhou area, Fujian Province. After the departure of Dr. Bai, Chinese entomologists made about 14 additional collections in seven provinces, providing enough material for four shipments of the parasitoid to Washington State University’s quarantine facility. About 40 adult parasitoids emerged from these materials. The wasps readily attacked CLB eggs and successfully completed one generation on CLB eggs. The potential of A. nipponicus as a biocontrol agent of CLB requires further testing, and additional parasitoid surveys in China are planned.
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| Exotic wood boring insects (EWBI) |
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The introduction of exotic wood boring insects continues to be a major threat to Oregon’s agriculture, forests, and ecosystems. Exotic wood boring insects are a very diverse group requiring a wide array of survey methods. IPPM’s 2007 surveys for EWBI reflect the individual characteristics of each target or group of targets, as indicated below.
Asian longhorned beetle
As in past years, IPPM surveys continued for Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), Anoplophora glabripennis. The larvae of this wood boring beetle native to China and Korea attack and kill hardwood trees. Currently, there are no effective traps for ALB. Instead, visual surveys for ALB and typical ALB damage were conducted on 13,299 host trees at 6,485 sites in 25 Oregon counties where other statewide pest detection traps (e.g., gypsy moth traps) were present. The five sites at which survey technicians reported ALB-like damage in 2007 were evaluated by ODA entomologists. No ALB infestations have been found to date in Oregon.
Emerald ash borer
Native to Asia, emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, attacks true ashes (Fraxinus spp.), killing all tees that it attacks. This serious pest is established in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario, Canada. It has also been found in Maryland and West Virginia.
As effective traps were not available for the 2007 survey season, 1,331 ash trees were visually surveyed for EAB damage in 19 counties at 667 sites where other statewide pest detection traps (e.g., gypsy moth traps) were present. As in prior years, no evidence of EAB was found.
Also during 2007, a pilot trap tree survey was conducted in the Portland metropolitan area. Forty Fraxinus pennsylvanica (minimum 2.5 inch dbh) trees donated by J. Frank Schmidt and Son of Boring, Oregon, were planted by mid-May at 13 sites, with up to four trees per site. The ash trees were girdled in order to make them attractive to EAB. Each tree was then wrapped just above the girdle with a band of purple cellophane coated with Tanglefoot“ (a sticky material used to entangle crawling insects), which was checked every two weeks beginning in June and ending in mid-October. No EAB were collected on sticky bands. The only related species captured via sticky bands was a single specimen of a native species, Agrilus politus. At the end of the survey, each tree was dissected to check for EAB larvae in January 2008 and none were found.
Pine attacking pests
Two exotic bark beetles established in the US were targets of the pine attacking pest survey: Orthotomicus erosus, the Mediterranean pine engraver (MPE), established in California, and Hylurgus ligniperda, the red-haired bark beetle (RHBB), established in California and New York. The geographic focus for the survey was east of the crest of the Cascade Mountains, although some high-risk sites in western Oregon were also surveyed.
Mediterranean pine engraver
For the MPE survey, 59 Lindgren funnel traps were placed and 60 traps for RHBB. Traps for these species were placed in late March and early April and maintained until the beginning of October. Where feasible, traps were “piggy-backed” to economize on labor and time. The following lures were used: for MPE, UHR alpha-pinene, methyl butenol, and ipsdienol; for RHBB, UHR alpha-pinene, and UHR ethanol. Many samples for MPE and RHBB remain to be processed. To date, 13,644 specimens of 133 species have been identified from trap samples; however, no MPE or RHBB have been recorded. For the second year in a row, an exotic cerambycid, Nathrius brevipennis, was trapped in Portland in an RHBB trap. This southern European species, which attacks many species of broadleaf trees and shrubs, has been established in California for many years, but has never been found in Oregon or the Pacific Northwest until 2006. It is not known to be a pest.
Two species of conifer-attacking moths, for which pines are prime hosts, were included as part of this survey: a species feeding under the bark, Cydia coniferana, and a defoliator, Dendrolimus pini.
Cydia coniferana.
Cydia coniferana (CCON) is native to Europe and Asia. Hosts include pine, spruce, and fir trees. CCON feeds in the bark and cambium layers. Although not considered a major pest in Europe, it is associated with fungal pathogens in host trees in western Asia. CCON was first found in the western US as a non-target catch in a survey conducted in western Washington in 2000. This was only the second North American record. The first record of CCON in New England in the 1950s, was not considered an established population. Since then, western Washington has had the only known established US population. Sixty-two traps were set by mid-June until mid-September in 21 counties statewide with lure changes about every four weeks. CCON was detected in Oregon in four counties: Clackamas, Multnomah, and Washington in NW Oregon, and Klamath in south central Oregon. It was not detected in the central Oregon counties surveyed.
Dendrolimus pini (DPIN) is a destructive defoliating moth of conifer forests in northern Asia and feeds on various species of pine, spruce, larch, fir, Douglas fir, and juniper. Risk ratings for D. pini establishment and economic and environmental impact potential in the US are high. In 2007, 62 milk carton traps were placed in host trees in seven counties in the major regions of Oregon. Traps with DPIN lure were placed by mid-June and removed in September. No D. pini were trapped.
European wood wasp survey
The European wood wasp, Sirex noctilio (SN) attacks various conifers with pine being the prime host. Introduced from Europe, likely through solid wood packing material, SN has devastated Monterey pine plantations in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Brazil, and Chile. Recently, established populations were detected in the northeastern US and adjacent Canada. This pest poses a major threat to Oregon’s coniferous forests and wood product industry. In 2006, a limited survey for SN was conducted at selected high-risk sites in western Oregon.
In 2007, 119 Lindgren funnel traps baited with lures containing a mixture of beta-pinene and alpha-pinene were placed in May and June and removed by mid-October. Most traps were located at or near high-risk sites in central and eastern Oregon, and twenty high-risk sites in western Oregon. Some traps were “piggy-backed” at sites with MPE and RHBB traps.
Samples yielded seven wood wasp species representing 323 specimens. No SN were detected.
Exotic ambrosia beetle delimitation survey in The Dalles
Ambrosia beetles either native to the eastern US (i.e., Euplatypus compositus, Oxoplatypus quadridentatus, Monarthrum fasciatum, and M. mali) or exotic, but established in the southeast US (i.e., the granulate ambrosia beetle (GAB), Xylosandrus crassiusculus), were found at The Dalles in Lindgren funnel traps in 2004 as part of ongoing surveillance for exotic wood boring insects. The sources were raw railroad ties (primarily oak and hickory) imported from the southeastern USA. Delimitation surveys and an eradication project took were conducted in 2005. Approximately 200 traps were placed for delimitation/detection, and a pesticide was applied in April 2006 against any ambrosia beetle that may have become established. No target insects were found in 2006.
Although no target insects were found in 2006, concerns about the efficacy of lures used that year prompted the same level of delimitation effort in 2007. In March and April, 207 traps were placed and remained active through mid-October. All samples were processed and all wood boring insects identified. A total of 53,916 wood boring insects were trapped. No specimens of the aforementioned species or any other regional exotics of concern were found.
Early Detection and Rapid Response Program
IPPM has been part of the Early Detection and Rapid Response Program (EDRR) since its inception in 2001. IPPM’s participation has consisted primarily of three components: development of protocols, surveys conducted in Oregon, and provision of taxonomic support to other states. The 2007 Oregon EDRR survey focused on sites at high risk of importation of exotic wood borers via solid-wood packing material (SWPM), a known pathway for introduction of exotic wood boring insects. Nine sites in central and northeastern Oregon were selected for survey based upon their documented importation of large volumes of SWPM. Six sites were in Bend and Redmond and three were in Ontario. Three funnel traps were placed at or in the immediate surroundings of these sites: the traps were baited with either an Ultra-high release (UHR) ethanol, a combination of UHR alpha-pinene and ethanol lures together, or a three-component lure targeting exotic species of Ips (cis-verbenol, ipsdienol, and methyl butenol). A total of 27 traps were placed. Samples were taken every two weeks and processed by our IPPM staff. All specimens from the following families and subfamilies of beetles (Coleoptera) were identified to species level: Buprestidae, Cerambycidae, and Scolytinae (Curculionidae). All specimens of wasps (Hymenoptera) in the families Siricidae and Anaxyelidae were identified to species level. All samples have been processed, with a total of 5,470 woodboring insects identified, including 86 species (Cerambycidae—32 species, Buprestidae—23 species, Scolytinae—24 species, Siricidae—six species, Anaxyelidae—one). The 2007 survey resulted in no new exotic wood borer detections or new positive sites. The first documented Oregon specimen of a longhorned beetle (Pogonocherus mixtus) predominantly found in the East, but also known from British Columbia and Washington, was found in a funnel trap at a landfill in Bend.
Pogonocherus mixtus.
EDRR—taxonomic support to other states
IPPM employs several methods to provide taxanomic support to other western states with limited resources. Identification of target taxa from samples acquired during EDRR surveys in other states is one method. In 2007, ODA IPPM staff identified EDRR samples from California, Colorado, Utah, and Washington. Samples remain to be processed from California while those for the other states have been completed. A number of new state records were detected during 2007: California (Scolytinae) Hypothenemus seriatus and Euwallacea fornicatus; Colorado (Cerambycidae) Pyrotrichus vitticollis; Utah (Scolytinae) Hylastes opacus and (Buprestidae) Chrysobothris arizonica; and Washington (Scolytinae) Scolytus schevyrewi and Hylastes opacus. Utah collections also contained two specimens of an undescribed Buprestis species (Buprestidae).
Limited taxonomic resources exist for identifying wood borers, especially very small wood boring beetles. As in prior years, EDRR taxonomists developed new screening aids to address this challenge, enabling nontaxonomists to recognize and screen out the most abundant non-target species. Because of regional faunal differences, screening aids were developed for each major region, including the East, the Pacific Northwest, and the West. The IPPM staff developed a digital imaging system that was fundamental to the success of the screening process. A workshop on scolytine identification, integrated the screening aids and was held at Cornell University. Participants at this workshop were from various agencies and institutions, including state extension, USDA APHIS and Forest Service, and universities.
North American Siricidae Field Guide
The discovery of the wood boring wasp Sirex noctilio established in New York and Ontario (Canada) in 2005 demonstrated the extremely limited taxonomic resources available for siricid identification in North America. IPPM staff began collaboration in 2006 with USDA Forest Service entomologists on the development of a “hard copy” guide for the North American Siricidae. Using our advanced digital imaging system, IPPM staff provided high quality images for this project. The guide was published in late 2006 and available for distribution in early 2007. Copies (free!) are available through the US Forest Service Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team.
Cover of Guide to North American Siricidae.
Buprestid and Cerambycid screening aids
As part of a cooperative project with a USDA Forest Service researcher at Oregon State University to develop better survey and identification tools for exotic wood borers, IPPM staff helped design an image based screening aid for common western metallic wood boring beetles (Buprestidae).
Target species selected were based on IPPM trapping data over the last ten years. Several exotic species of concern were also included in the aid. Images acquired via IPPM’s extended depth of field imaging system were then compiled into a PowerPoint presentation developed by IPPM taxonomists. IPPM’s retired taxonomist, Rick Westcott, an internationally recognized expert on Buprestidae, gave feedback on the design of the screening aid. US Forest Service personnel to detect errors or improve design then tested the screening aid. The screening aid was then forwarded to the US Forest Service Forest Health Technology Enterprise Team where it is being adapted for placement on their Web site. A similar screening aid for western longhorned beetles (Cerambycidae) is undergoing development for 2008.
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| Grasshopper and mormon cricket survey summary |
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The 2007 Oregon grasshopper survey season, conducted by ODA in cooperation with USDA APHIS PPQ, started on May 15 and ended on September 6. Adult survey data recorded economic levels of grasshoppers at least eight per square yard on 798,358 acres in 13 counties of eastern Oregon. A total of 1,585 sites were visited; of these, 706 were nymphal and 870 were adult survey sites. (See Table 1).
Table 1: Oregon grasshopper survey statistics 2005-2007
| Year | 2005
| 2006
| 2007
| Infested acreage
| 64,751
| 97,399
| 798,358
| Infested counties
| 9
| 14
| 13
| Number of sites
| 859
| 1,368
| 1,585
| Number of sites with economic levels of grasshoppers
| 115
| 100
| 298
| Average number of grasshoppers per square yard at sites with economic infestations
| 15
| 16
| 18
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The counties with the highest grasshopper infestations were Baker, Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, and Wheeler. Mormon cricket infestations were also found in Gilliam and Malheur counties.
Map: 2007 Oregon grasshoppers and Mormon cricket survey
In 2007, there was a large buildup of grasshoppers in northeastern Oregon. At the beginning of June, high numbers (more than 75 grasshoppers per square yard) were reported in the Haines area. Surveys recorded economic densities, predominately of C. pellucida, from Elgin (Union County) and Enterprise (Wallowa County) to Baker City (Baker County). Almost 600,000 acres of mostly private rangeland were infested with up to 74 grasshoppers per square yard. Adult grasshopper survey in other areas of eastern Oregon showed economic densities in Gilliam, Grant, Jefferson, Klamath, Malheur, Morrow, Umatilla, and Wheeler counties. Most infestations were on private rangeland with levels ranging between eight and 50 grasshoppers per square yard. The dominant species in these counties included: Melanoplus femurrubrum, M. sanguinipes, M. packardii, Oedaleonotus enigma and Aulocara elliotti. The map that follows shows the extent of grasshopper and Mormon cricket infestations in 2007. As in recent years, grasshopper infestations in the Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Klamath County, were relatively small. Only a few egg beds in the historically heavily infested areas had economic densities of Camnula pellucida, the clearwinged grasshopper. At the end of May, intensive nymphal surveys were conducted on both the Refuge and adjacent private rangeland. Following a public information meeting, 17 acres of C. pellucida egg beds were treated with the juvenile growth inhibitor pesticide Dimilin. A 50 percent RAATs (Reduced area-agent treatment) application by ATV protected 34 acres. Post-treatment counts showed an average of 94 percent mortality. No economic densities in the Klamath marsh and adjacent private rangeland were evident during the adult survey at the end of August.
Heavy infestation of feeding grasshoppers in Baker County Following the 2006 grasshopper treatment program on more than 20,000 acres of private rangeland in the Fort Klamath area, Klamath County, no grasshopper densities at or above economic levels were recorded this year on treated areas. However, economic densities of C. pellucida were recorded on about 1,724 acres of non-treated areas. IPPM provided technical assistance to a private rancher in Haines (Baker County) regarding an outbreak of Melanoplus bivitattus and C. pellucida on about 176 acres of rangeland in June.
Ground application of Dimilin using an ATV to clearwinged grasshopper egg beds at Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
Mormon crickets, Anabrus simplex, were recorded in areas south of Arlington (5,359 acres), Gilliam County, for the third year in row, and also near Jordan Valley (3,935 acres), and Jackson Summit (2,267 acres) in Malheur County. Landowners in Jordan Valley conducted a treatment against Mormon cricket using Carbaryl bait. A large infestation of Mormon crickets on BLM land in nearby Owyhee County, Idaho, was successfully treated with Dimilin by APHIS personnel.
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| Gypsy moth and Asian gypsy moth |
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ODA maintains a high-level detection program for the European gypsy moth (GM), Lymantria dispar, and its Asian strain (Asian gypsy moth, AGM). In 2007, 16,566 GM traps (this includes traps for AGM) were placed statewide. Twelve gypsy moths were caught at one old and five new sites. All moths were submitted to the USDA Otis Pest Survey, Detection and Exclusion Laboratory, for genetic analysis and were determined to be either typical North American strain (nine moths) or with alleles present in the US in low percentages (three moths).
Single gypsy moths were detected at four new sites: Sunriver (Deschutes County), Wasco (Sherman County), Murphy (Josephine County), and near Clatskanie (Columbia County). Two gypsy moths were also caught in traps at a new site in southeast Eugene (Lane County). In addition, six adult gypsy moths were caught in one trap in Shady Cove (Jackson County) near a site where two moths each were caught in 2005 and 2006, respectively, indicating a breeding population. Gypsy moth pest alerts were distributed and information was gathered from nearby residents. IPPM staff found a live egg mass, a dead female gypsy moth, about eight pupal cases, four dead pupae, and a dozen larval skins on a travel trailer. The infested trailer was parked near the trap that caught six GM. The trailer returned from a trip to Pennsylvania and West Virginia in June 2007. Aerial applications of Btk by helicopter are proposed for about 336 acres in Shady Cove in spring 2008. Delimitation trapping will be conducted in 2008 around all 2006 and 2007 positive sites.
Gypsy moth eradication team of May 3, 2007, in Bend.
In spring 2007, an AGM eradication program covered 640–acres area in St. Helens and a GM treatment covered 533-acres in Bend. A helicopter made three applications of Btk at each site. Delimitation trapping at both sites did not catch any moths in the summer of 2007. Before populations can be declared eradicated, two additional years of negative AGM trapping and one additional year of negative GM trapping are required.
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| Japanese beetle |
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Foliar application of Tempo® for Japanese beetle
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Detection and eradication of Japanese beetle (JB, Popillia japonica) introductions and prevention of new arrivals on aircraft and nursery stock from infested states remain a high priority for ODA. IPPM personnel have trapped 266 JB and conducted three successful JB eradication programs, all in residential areas, since 1988.
In 2007, 2,643 JB delimitation traps were placed, all in Silverton and in the Portland metro area, where JB were previously caught. Additional delimitation trapping was conducted at high risk sites, i.e., those receiving ground or air cargo from high risk areas. A few traps were placed outside of the Willamette Valley at airports receiving planes from JB infested areas. Twenty-six Japanese beetles were trapped, mostly in delimitation traps: 13 in the PDX area, 10 at Swan Island (Portland), and three single catches in Troutdale and northwest Portland (all Multnomah County). None were caught in the Silverton delimitation area.
Eradication efforts continued at the Portland International Airport (PDX) Airtrans Center because of positive trap catches in previous years. Treatment plans and outreach materials were developed in collaboration with the Oregon Health Services, Oregon State University, National Pesticide Information Center, and technical experts at the USDA Japanese Beetle Laboratory.
Beginning in July, three sites were treated in the Portland metro area where JB were trapped in 2006: a 271-acre eradication area around Airtrans Way and Cornfoot Road where seven JB were trapped, the FedEx trucking facility on Swan Island where 28 JB were trapped, and a truck stop near the Troutdale airport where a single JB was trapped. The eradication area at PDX included three adjacent sites—Airtrans Center (associated with several air cargo carriers), the Air National Guard Base, and Broadmoor Golf Course. The PDX sites received one Merit“ soil application for larvae and two Tempo“ SC Ultra foliar applications for adults, while the Swan Island site received Tempo, Merit, and Arena applications. The Troutdale site received a single Arena application in late September because the single JB adult was not found until late in the season.
Foliar application of Tempo“ for Japanese beetle adults at Airtrans Center at Portland International Airport.
Due to the risk of adult Japanese beetles hitchhiking on aircraft, USDA APHIS PPQ monitors JB populations at eastern US airports each year. As soon as population levels pose a risk of live beetles entering aircraft, the airport or carrier is regulated. In 2007, nine airports or air carriers in seven states were regulated by PPQ for JB. IPPM conducted 74 cargo airplane inspections and found 29 JB (1 alive, 25 dead, and three moribund). Continued cooperation, monitoring, information sharing, and commitment among state and federal regulators, industry representatives, and private consultants are critical to reducing the risk of introduction and establishment of JB in Oregon.
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| Khapra beetle |
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Khapra beetle (KhB), Trogoderma granarium, is one of the most important pests of stored products in the world. KhB is on the 2007 Oregon Invasive Species Council list of the “100 most dangerous invaders.” Previous surveys of 70 highrisk sites in western Oregon in 2003 and 2004, detected no KhB. A new survey in fall 2007 of 11 sites (eight in Portland, one in Salem, and three in Eugene) was conducted. Ninety-five KhB traps were placed at sites that included small ethnic food importers, carpet and rug importers, and businesses that imported goods from a number of high-risk areas in the world, e.g., parts of Africa, Asia, India and the Middle East. No KhB have been detected to date.
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| Light brown apple moth |
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Light brown apple moth (LBAM), Epiphyas postvittana, is a destructive apple pest but it also is considered a pest of nursery stocks, cut flowers, vineyards and many other hosts. It is native to Australia and is also found in Tasmania, New Zealand, and Hawaii. LBAM was reported for the first time in North America in February 2007 by a retired entomology professor who found suspect moths in a backyard light trap in Berkeley, California. The exotic moth has now been confirmed in 10 counties within the greater San Francisco Bay Area and in Los Angeles County, California.
Limited statewide surveys for LBAM in Oregon were conducted in 2003 and 2004 and were negative. In response to the California infestation and subsequent quarantine, 459 delta-style traps baited with LBAM pheromone lures were placed statewide in 2007. No LBAM were detected.
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| Pilot woody ornamental pest survey at high risk areas in Oregon |
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Exotic woody ornamental pests (e.g., mites, scales, whiteflies, and viburnum leaf beetle, Pyrrhalta viburni) are a major threat to Oregon’s plant nursery industry and the health of ornamental plantings and forests throughout the state. The risk of importation of such pests through nursery stock, germplasm samples, and plant collections is very high. These pests are small and cryptic, rendering them very difficult to detect through inspection and there are no effective trapping methods. Establishment of such pests would have profound regulatory consequences for Oregon’s agricultural exports.
Forty-five major nurseries and plant retailers in Oregon were identified as high risk for exotic woody ornamental pest introductions, based on import records, host diversity, and volumes of plant materials received and sold. In addition, five other special high-risk sites known to import small volumes of foreign plant material over long periods were identified: the Chinese Gardens, Hoyt Arboretum, the Oregon Zoo (all in Portland), the Germplasm Repository in Corvallis, and the Oregon Garden in Silverton.
Longtailed mealybug adult.
A survey for woody ornamental pests was conducted May through December. Since no effective traps or lures for the target pests are known, the survey was performed visually. Twenty-two high risk nurseries and retailers were surveyed at least once. All of the special sites were surveyed. A total of 126 samples were collected, 35 from nurseries or retailers and 91 from the special high-risk sites. Of these, 88 had mites and Homoptera present. A target mite, the black currant gall mite, Cecidophyopsis ribis, was tentatively identified from initial samples of black currant. Several suspect scales and whiteflies were also collected. Although no other specific targets have been confirmed, several noteworthy species were found. These included iris whitefly (Aleyrodes spiraeoides), which is clearly more widespread in Oregon than previously recognized; the crape myrtle aphid (Tinocallis kawaluokalani), possibly a new interception for Oregon; the citrus mealybug (Planococcus citri), again, a possible new interception for Oregon; and a bamboo spider mite (Stigmaeopsis sp.), which is causing significant damage in ornamental bamboo plantings at several locales. A psyllid native to Japan, Cacopsylla fatsiae, was found on outside plantings of its only known host, Fatsia japonica, at the Oregon Zoo. This is the first record of the psyllid species from Oregon. The Oregon Zoo survey confirmed that the infestations of Argentine ant (Linepithema humile) in an aviary and ghost ant (Tapinoma melanocephalum) in and around the primate house detected in 2006 are still present.
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| Miscellaneous insect identifications and new records |
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In 2007, IPPM taxonomists identified over 1,642 insects and other invertebrates from samples or contacts via telephone, e-mail, or walk-ins. In general, these did not originate from specific IPPM programs but instead were from ODA horticultural and commodity inspection programs, other government agencies, university and museum collections, commercial sources, the general public, and professional colleagues. IPPM’s retired taxonomist is also a collaborating scientist for the Systematic Entomology Lab, USDA. In a voluntary capacity, he made 1,785 identifications of samples of flatheaded wood boring beetles (Buprestidae), most of which were intercepted at US ports of entry.
IPPM taxonomists confirmed the first record of Pityophthorus juglandis, a twig beetle native to the western US, from Oregon. This species attacks walnut trees and may be responsible for some of the twig and branch dieback in walnuts observed in recent years.
IPPM taxonomists identified the first record of the banded elm bark beetle, Scolytus schevyrewi, from Washington state (Dallesport), while providing taxonomic support for the Washington State Department of Agriculture’s CAPS (Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey) exotic wood boring insect survey.
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