USDA-NIFA recently awarded Michigan State University researchers a grant of over $170,000 to study new non-spray control techniques for invasive fruit pests. The project explores the use of small nylon pouches filled with insect pheromones and/or food attractants and treated with insecticides, a method known as "attract-and-kill." Three target pests include spotted-wing drosophila, brown marmorated stink bug and codling moth. Specifically, the project will examine duration of exposure to the treated pouches required to achieve 100% mortality in a laboratory, and how insects interact with pouches in the field. The research model was developed from a similar project that used treated mosquito netting. Researchers hope that applying attract-and-kill devices for multiple pests will increase viability and adoption. Read more about the project at Farmers' Advance.

A recent outbreak of beet armyworm in Jamaica is being successfully combated thanks to United Nations-sponsored IPM training for local farmers. The invasive beet armyworm, also known as the small mottled willow moth, is a pest whose voracious larvae attack crops ranging from beets to asparagus, potato, onions, peppers, scallions, watermelon, cotton and more. With technical support provided by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jamaica's Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) has trained growers on behavior and biology of the pest in addition to control techniques such as pheromone traps, biorational pesticides and mechanical removal of eggs. Farmers are also being trained on cultural techniques including monitoring, crop rotation, weed management, crop nutrition, destruction of infested materials and cooperation within the community to manage pests in neighboring fields.

 

Jamaican authorities are also currently working on developing a pest forecasting system for the beet armyworm to predict population growth based on current conditions. Read more about the Jamaican efforts to combat the pest in the Jamaica Observer.

The 2016 Biocontrols Conference will be held March 3-4 in Monterey, California, hosted by Meister Media Worldwide in cooperation with the Biopesticides Industry Alliance and the California Association of Pest Control Advisers. This industry event will explore the use of biocontrols in agriculture including fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, greenhouses and ornamentals, and will examine what's next in biocontrols. More info is available at the event homepage and registration page.

 

Save the date also for the 2016 Integrated Tick Management Symposium, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control, the Entomological Society of America and the IPM Institute of North America. Scheduled for May 16-17 at the Westin Washington DC City Center, the Symposium will explore the current state of the tick and tick-borne disease (TBD) problem, current practices for Integrated Tick Management (ITM), and the connection between ITM, reducing tick populations and disease transmission. The conference will also address knowledge gaps and current needs--including existing and potentially impactful approaches, collaborations and levels of investment required to significantly reduce the burden of illness and public health impact of ticks and TBDs. The conference will be informative for all organizations with staff working outdoors in tick-infested environments as well as government agencies, funders supporting public health improvements, the healthcare industry including insurers and providers, the media and members of the public concerned about the impact of TBDs and interested in solutions. Online registration will be available starting in January 2016. Please contact Chloe Nelson or visit the symposium website for more information on sponsorship and exhibit opportunities.