There is a long history of failed attempts of biological controls in Hawaii. The one ingrained in everyone’s mind is the day hunting mongoose released to control nocturnal rats in the 1800’s. However, a stricter quarantine process was set up by the State since and there have been numerous effective bio-controls. Within the last four years the Erythrina Gall Wasp has rapidly become a highly invasive pest in Hawaii. Facing no long-term control other than bio-control the Erythrina Gall Wasp’s cousin has been released throughout the islands to save Erythrina plants.
In an interview with Nicoli Barca, a field tech with the Nature Conservancy he stated biological controls are very effective when done right. An example of its effectiveness is the release of a leaf spot fungus to help control the very invasive Banana polka (Passiflora mollissima). The population of Banana polka has been reduced to three percent in five years. The research done to make sure a biological control will be effective costs millions of dollars. Therefore, Barca said bio-controls should be “reserved for the serious pests”. Weed control and eradication is the cheapest conservation method. However, this method is no longer effective on a large scale when an invasive species becomes out of hand. With the risk of the native Wiliwili tree becoming endangered the Erythrina Gall Wasp (EGW) has become a serious pest.
The Erythrina Gall Wasp (Quadrastichus erythrinae) is native to Africa but now lives worldwide. Quadrastichus erythrinae is known to inhabit China, India, Thailand, Okinawa, Philippines, Guam, Taiwan, Singapore, Mauritius, Reunion, American Samoa and Florida. As of April 2005, the Erythrina Gall Wasp also occupies Hawaii. This wasp was first discovered ...
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...when there was no other long-term solution. The thoroughness of the Quarantine process usually determines the success of bio-controls. Currently, the fate of the Wiliwili tree and Coral trees is in the hands a very small wasp, the Eurytoma wasp. The results of this bio-control could take years to discover.
Work Cited:
Barca, Nicoli. Telephone Interview. 20 July 2009.
Ohira, Rod. "It's wasp versus wasp to save native Wiliwili." Honolulu Advertiser. 26 November 2008. Honolulu Advertiser. 20 Jul 2009
Reimer, Neil. Email Interview. 24 July 2009.
Vorsino, Mary. "To fight invasive bug, Hawaii enlists a cousin." Honolulu Advertiser. 16 September 2007. Honolulu Advertiser. 20 Jul 2009 .
...l; Retired, formerly apiculturist, U.S. Department of Agriculture. BEEKEEPING IN THE UNITED STATES; AGRICULTURE HANDBOOK NUMBER 335 Revised October 1980; Pages 2 – 9
It is extremely important to keep the environment free of this invasive species. Amur Bush Honeysuckle becomes so abundant and grows very rapidly that it affects the growth of native plant species. Honeysuckle’s exudate prevents the growing of seeds that influences the growth, survival, and reproduction of other organisms. (Davisjg blog, 2015) Removing the species gives the chance of other native species to grow and better the environment. Furthermore, by restoring the environment of Honeysuckle it
Cranshaw, Whitney. "Nuisance Wasps and Bees." Nuisance Wasps and Bees. Colorado State University, 08 Jan. 2014. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
This article talks about Eurosta solidaginis which is the goldenrod gall fly and its interactions with its natural enemies. The natural enemies that are discussed in this article are Eurytoma gigantea and the E. obtusiventris which are both different types of parasitoid wasps, Mordellistena unicolor which is a beetle and two predatory birds the Dendrocopus pubescens which is the downy woodpecker and Parus atricapillus the black-capped chickadee (Abrahamson, 1989). These natural enemies eat the larvae of the goldenrod gall fly while in the gall. The galls are found on tall goldenrod plants. The goldenrod fly induce ball-shaped galls on the stems of
...auers, Sandy. "Mystery Killer Silencing Honeybees." Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, PA). Feb. 7 2007: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
Inouye, Dan. (2000, September 14). “U.S. Relationship with Native Hawaiians.” FDCH Congressional Testimony. Online source: Academic Search Elite. [10/25/00]
Dr. May Berenbaum, an entomologist at University of Illinois, has conducted over 40 years of research on parsnips and the parsnip web worm. During her lecture on March 22nd, she explained how parsnips are invasive weeds that are full of toxic furanocoumarins. Interestingly, the parsnip webworm only eats the parsnips and is able to process the toxin very well. The interactions between the web worm and parsnips cause the parsnips to select for plants with a higher amount of furanocoumarins in order to defend themselves from the worms. When the worms are not there, i.e. in New Zealand, the parsnip plants grow taller and develop more ways to attract pollinators, and they do not put energy into having as many furanocoumarins
By implementing a policy that bans the registration of neonicotinoids, policy makers aspire to return pollinator populations to normal levels through recovery through direct public action, specifically through a command-and-control policy. Due to varying opinions and sometimes misinterpreted literature, pest management has proven to be difficult and complex. Having to take into account a large number of input and output factors has limited the research conducted, though a clear link between neonicotinoid use and pollinator survival has been uncovered, debate still thrives on how to manage the use of such chemicals on crops and other applications.
The year is 2200 and the world has been officially declared as being devoid of all insect life. A combination of extreme climate change, chemical warfare and general environmental degradation has resulted in a mass die out of the entire insect population. Unsurprisingly this has had a major effect on all other forms of life ranging from aquatic to terrestrial. Some species have experienced a significant decline in population size and others have had to completely adapt new behaviors to survive. However, there are some that have largely benefitted from this insect free world.
If preventive measures are not sufficient, “insecticides derived from natural plant extracts, natural soap or minerals or plant extracts such as neem, lemon grass, garlic, ginger and many more can be applied” (NP Agricultural Service and Partners Report, 36). Cotton farmers in Benin, for example, show that cotton can be grown without chemical pesticides, notably endosulfan (NP Agricultral Service and Partners Report, 37). Practices that can all be successful include encouraging natural predators, selecting resistant varieties, planting early maturing varieties which reduce the risk of pest attacks, use of rotation and trap crops and the use of food sprays for predators to improve the balance between useful insects and pests. (WHO,
Rubin, B. C. (2006). Tracking and detracking: Debates, evidence, and pest Practices for a heterogeneous world. Theory Into Practice, 45(1), 4-14. Retrieved from ERIC.
In 1996, the Asian Longhorn Beetle made its way into the New York and New Jersey creating the decimation of the forests. The Asian Longhorn Beetle has so far caused the cutting of over 10,000 trees in New Jersey, and quarantine of 109 miles in New York today . The spread of this foreign beetle has created great impacts on the environment. The Asian Longhorn Beetle is an invasive specie, a harmful specie from another locations, mainly other countries, that has ended up in a foreign habitat. As time has progressed, invasive species have continued to come into our environment more frequently creating many unforeseen consequences. The relationship of invasive species within the United States’ environment and ecosystem has been changing ever since the arrival of the Europeans in the 1700s to present day. Due to these encounters with other species whether harmful or neutral, the majority, if not all, of the United States has been affected with the threatening encroachment of native species due to the industrialization of waterways and transportation.
Ward, John. "Ward's Invasive Species Bill Advances." Brainerd, Minnesota. Brainerd Dispatch, 12 Dec. 2011. Web. 25 Mar. 2013.
On the contrary, President Obama “unveiled a plan aimed at stopping the rapid decline in bee and butterfly populations” (“On May 19”). His plans are to reduce the death rate of bees which in turn will help out the agricultural production. He also plans to clear land in order to give the bees a bigger environment in which to repopulation and will ensure that no bees are harmed in the process (“On May 19”). The president sees the devastation that the decline could cause and is trying to combat the issue. The European Union has banned three pesticides in order to combat the decline but “have fallen short of providing adequate safeguards for the re-propagation of bee colonies”(“Bee research”). Governments are taking notice of the problem ahead yet still we are until to achieve the full support of all
Winfree, R. . The conservation and restoration of wild bees. Annuals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Volume 1195, 3 May 2010, Pages 169 – 197.