Alexandre LatchininskyAssistant Professor/Extension Entomologist

Dept. of Renewable Resources

Weed & Pest ConferenceCasper, November 9, 2006

Rangeland grasshopper management

• RAATs became a USDA-APHIS treatment option under the 2002 EIS.

• In 2000-2006, RAATs approach was used in 10 western states.

ATV-RAATs:North Dakota Experience 2004

• Dimilin cost was $ 179.70 per gallon

One gallon treats 256 RAATS acres: 70 cents/RAATs acre

• Sevin XLR Plus was $ 29.11 per gallon. One gallon treats 17 RAATs acres: $1.71 /RAATs acre

Refining RAATs: New Products?Refining RAATs: New Products?

Pyriproxyfen (Knack®) Grasshopper Efficacy Trials 2006

Pyriproxyfen is an Insect Growth Regulator - juvenile hormone mimic

DatePlot – Treatment

5June061d pre

14June068d post

21June0615d post

28July0622d post

5July0628d post

Avg. of UTC plots density per sq. m

16.6 17.1 15.8 14.8 11.1

ULV Pyriproxyfen NA 10.9% -5.4% -12.5% -20.7%

Knack SW NA 14.9% 10.2% 13.9% -5.2%

Knack SE NA 22.5% 52.4% 38.3% -7.3%

Dimilin NE NA 77.2% 95.4% 90.1% 97.8%

% Corrected Mortality in 2006 Trials

• Grasshopper densities were not reduced below the economic threshold in any plot treated with pyriproxyfen, either the Knack® or ULV pyriproxyfen formulation.

• At the 21 and 28 d sampling period some treated grasshoppers exhibited both juvenile and adult characteristics (“sublethal effect”).

• This suggests that 30 g of active ingredient per acre rate may be too low to be effective on rangeland grasshoppers.

CONCLUSIONS

Grasshopper Biological Control

Pathogens: Weapons of the future?

Beauveria bassianaBeauveria bassiana

• A fungal pathogen naturally occurring in soil• Acts by contact and causes disease “White muscardine” and

eventually death of grasshoppers• Strain GHA isolated from Montana grasshoppers• Mass production and commercialization by EmeraldBio (USA)

sold in 2005 to Laverlam S.A. (Columbia)• Liquid formulation of spores in oil – Mycotrol O®

Beauveria bassianaBeauveria bassianaMycotrol® O

PROS: Liquid formulation of spores in oil

>70% control in 14 days (lab)

Safety (humans and wildlife)

Controls other pests

CONS: Reliability (condition dependent; needs moisture)

Inconsistent efficacy (good infection rate but not sufficient kill)

Cost (>$20 per acre)

Irrigated pastures in Fremont Co., WY

Camnula pellucida

Pre-treatment densities: 23-44 gh/square m

ATV plot size 20 ac50% coverageDate 23 June 2004

0

20

40

60

80

100

June 23 '04 June 30 '04 July 07 '04 July 14 '04

2 4 6

% GRASSHOPPER MORTALITY, EMULSIFIED SOYBEAN OIL ADJUVANT

Mycotrol O® treatment: How much does it cost?

Mycotrol price: $100/gal => dose rate 1qt/ac => $25/ac

Oil carrier price: $20/gal => dose rate ½ qt/ac => $2.50/ac

Total cost of the product: $27.50/ac+ cost of treatment…

Conclusions• Beauveria has high infection rate, provoking mycoses in grasshoppers

• However, grasshopper mortality is less than optimal

• Applied at recommended rates, Beauveria treatment is very costly

• Such “organic” treatment might represent an alternative to synthetic insecticides in certain situations (e.g., ecologically sensitive areas)

AcknowledgmentsAcknowledgmentsFunding: EPA/IR-4 grantFremont County Weed and Pest Council

Special thanks:

Luke Oestman (UW)Lars Baker and Nancy Webber (Fremont Co. W&P)

Metarhizium anisopliae Metarhizium anisopliae var. var. acridumacridum

Green Muscle®

• Very high specificity against grasshoppers• Commercially produced by CABI (U.K.)• Awaiting EPA permit to use the South African isolate for field trials in collaboration with USDA-ARS (most probably, in 2008)

Recent Grasshopper PublicationsRecent Grasshopper Publications

Wyoming Grasshopper Field Guide

Western Pest Grasshopper Poster

Available free of charge from UW-CES Bulletin OfficeDee Bixby 766-2115 bixbyd@uwyo.edu

National Exhibition of Land Grant Universities at Capitol Hill, 2005National Exhibition of Land Grant Universities at Capitol Hill, 2005

Other rangeland pestsOther rangeland pests

Black Grass Bugs

Labops hesperius

Conclusions from MSU study:

BGB damage reduced percent crude protein and increased ADF and NDF; related to forage protein, digestibility and ruminant intake, respectively.

Grazing management reduced black grass bug densities. Black Grass Bug abundances were clearly lowest in the most heavily-grazing plots. Because the sites had been grazed in the same manner since 1993, this suggests that there were carry-over effects from grazing between years.

IPM Strategy for Sustainable Black Grass Bug Management in Wyoming Grasslands Enrolled in Conservation Reserve Program – proposal submitted to UW AES Competitive Grants Program

Mosquito researchMosquito research

Utilizing Stable Isotopes in Determining the Larval Development Sites of Adult

Mosquitoes

Project by Travis Gilchriest,M.S. Candidate

The Question

• Where are adults emerging in relation to trap location?– Are they derived primarily from nearby

habitats or are they migrants?– What distances will adults fly from larval

development sites?

Objectives

• Demonstrate the viability of stable isotope analysis as a tool in mosquito population studies

• Investigate distribution dynamics of mosquito populations

• Help to shape mosquito control measures for the most effective use of resources

Study Area

• Torrington – Goshen Co., WY– High population of mosquitoes– Species: Culex tarsalis, Aedes vexans– Agricultural community– Multiple sources of water for larval habitat– Control resources are limited

Approach

• Mark-recapture to determine adult distribution patterns

• Label a habitat with 15N marker

• Concentric adult trapping around labeled habitat

• Analyze adults for presence of the marker

Preliminary Results of the 2005-2006 Studies

Specimen Collection and Preparation

• Larvae were collected from habitats with standard dippers

• Reared in original habitat water to adults in emergence chambers

• Ten adults were collect from the emergence chambers for each site

• Adults were killed by freezing and oven dried at 40°C

• Samples were submitted for 13C and 15N analysis in a Continuous Flow-IRMS

Mosquito HabitatsAlfalfa field Trash cans

Pioneer Park Holly Sugar pond

Habitat Comparisons

(Culex tarsalis)

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

-27 -26 -25 -24 -23 -22 -21 -20 -19 -18

δ13C

δ1

5 N

Alfalfa

Trash Can

Pioneer Park

Holly Pond

Torrington Habitat Stats

• δ13C and δ15N isotopic means (based on ANOVA) for various habitats in the Torrington, WY area. Post Hoc analysis with Dunnett C.

• Using a Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance due to failure of homogeneity of variances requirements preventing a one-way ANOVA

• For corrected δ13C, p<0.05• For corrected δ15N, p<0.05

Habitat δ13C δ15N

Alfalfa -19.90 A 13.13 A

Trash Can -21.63 B 8.37 B

Pioneer Park -24.78 C 10.65 C

Holly Pond 1 -22.98 D 14.23 A

Forest pestsForest pests

Mountain Pine Beetle Project in Medicine Bow National ForestDiana Dean, M.S. Candidate

Attack Frequency

Lodgepole attack ratio 1: 20 Limber attack ratio 1:1.8

833

39

202114

0

200

400

600

800

1000

Lodgepole Limber

PineSpecies

Unattacked Attacked

MPB Flight 2004 and 2005

2004: Adult MPB started to fly as early as in mid-May with a peak in early August2005: Low MPB numbers compared to 2004, with a peak in late August

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000M M J J J J A A S S O O O

Date

To

tals

per

Dat

e

2004 Traps 2005 Traps

CAPS ProgramCAPS Program

ECB was the only target pest found in CAPS traps in 2005

UW Arthropod ID ClinicUW Arthropod ID Clinic

Objective: Provide accurate and timely arthropod identification to clientele

2003 2004 2005

Samples processed: 60 135 221

Request arthropod ID through your County Extension Educators

Contact: Scott Schell, Assistant Extension Entomologist766-2508 or sschell@uwyo.edu

Horticultural pestsHorticultural pests

Cabbage moth caterpillar

Thrips damage

Cabbage white butterfly

Colorado potato beetle

Available on the web and from UW-CES Bulletin Office

Dee Bixby 766-2115bixbyd@uwyo.edu

In Preparation:

Field Guide to Common Wyoming Butterflies and Moths

The Guide will include pictures of adult butterflies and caterpillars, and information on larval food plants, as well as advices on attracting butterflies to gardens.

Educational Activities

UW Entomology Short Course 2006

UW Entomology Short Course 2006

UW Entomology Short Course 2006

UW Entomology Short Course 2006

Whitney Cranshaw, CSU

Come catch the Entomology Short Course, 2007

What will be covered? General Entomology, Insect Identification, Arachnids, Biological Control, Mosquitoes, and more.

When is it? The class will be held on February 6th, 7th, and 8th (T,W,TR), 2007. We will begin at 1 PM on the first day, go from 8 to 5 the second day and release you at noon on the third day.

Where is it? College of Agriculture Building, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY.

Who teaches it? Dr. Alex Latchininsky & Scott Schell, UW-CES Extension Entomologists. Plus guest lectures by other experts in their fields.You will get two books, a course packet, and 2 hours of college credit for as little as a $75, if we can get a minimum of 10 students to attend.

Grasshopper Management Workshop?

GRASSHOPPER MANAGEMENTGRASSHOPPER MANAGEMENTIN WYOMINGIN WYOMING

Train-the-Trainers Workshop presented by Alexandre Latchininsky and Scott Schell,

UW Extension Entomologists

Sponsored by: USDA-APHIS-PPQ

Flasher, North Dakota Grasshopper Workshop

Tentative Agenda Nov. 30, 2006

Introduction: The 3-Phase Approach to Grasshopper IPM11:00-11:40

Reduced Agent-Area Treatments: Do More with Less11:40-12:05

LUNCH BREAK 12:05-1:00Liquids: Old (and New) Reliables and Their Non-target Effects

1:00-1:30ATV-RAATs: Control for Grasshoppers You Control

1:30-2:00Grazing Management: More Grass, Fewer Grasshoppers

2:00-2:10New-and-Improved CARMA: Is It Worth Treating?

2:10-2:20The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Who's Who Among Grasshoppers

2:20-3:00USDA APHIS PPQ: Organizing a Cooperative Spray Block

3:00-3:15Evaluation of Workshop: What We Did Right/Wrong

3:15-3:20

Wyo W&P

Thank You for Your Attention!Thank You for Your Attention!