Current Emerald Ash Borer Distribution in Connecticut

Emerald Ash Borer Distribution Map in Connecticut as of July 24, 2015.
By Claire Rutledge, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

Emerald Ash Borer continues to spread throughout the state and is currently detected in every county, except for Windham County.  The map above shows the spread and detection rate of EAB, to date.  For more information about Emerald Ash Borer and management options please visit http://www.emeraldashborer.info/.  The best method for preventing the movement of EAB and other invasive pests and pathogens is to not move firewood, please visit http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/ for a list of invasive species that are being spread by transporting firewood long distances.  When you use firewood whether to heat your home or when camping, buy it and burn it locally!

Native pollinator monitoring project installed for summer 2015

Posted from the field 

Connecticut entomologists warn of southern pine beetle invasion

Connecticut entomologists warn of southern pine beetle invasion



Populations of Southern Pine Beetle have been found in Connecticut.  This is a species that is native to the southern portions of United States and throughout Central America.  Southern Pine Beetle favor "hard" pine species which likely include Pitch Pine, Scotch Pine, and Red Pine that inhabit Connecticut.



More information can be found at this website:



http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fsbdev2_042840.pdf

EMERALD ASH BORER DISTRIBUTION EXPANDING IN CONNECTICUT: CAES Press Release

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

123 HUNTINGTON STREET, P.O. BOX 1106, NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT 06504

Putting Science to Work for Society

Protecting Agriculture, Public Health, and the Environment

Founded 1875

Phone: (203) 974-8500 Fax: (203) 974-8502

Toll Free: 1-(877) 855-2237

WWW.CT.GOV/CAES

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D Dr. Claire Rutledge, Ph.D.
Chief Scientist/State Entomologist Assistant Scientist II
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street 123 Huntington Street
P.O. Box 1106 P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504 New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: (203) 974-8485 Phone: (203) 974-8484

EMERALD ASH BORER DISTRIBUTION EXPANDING IN CONNECTICUT

New Haven, CT - The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) announced today that the
emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) (EAB) infestation, largely centered in New Haven County, has
rapidly expanded into Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, and Middlesex Counties and has now been detected
in a total of 38 towns. The new towns where the beetle has been detected this year include: Ansonia,
Branford, Bristol, Clinton, Cromwell, Derby, Durham, Litchfield, Meriden, New Haven, North Haven,
Orange, Plainville, Rocky Hill, Seymour, Shelton, Thomaston, Trumbull, Wallingford, West Haven,
Wolcott, Woodbridge, Woodbury. The insects were previously found in Beacon Falls, Bethany, Cheshire,
Hamden, Middlebury, Naugatuck, Newtown, North Branford, Oxford, Prospect, Sherman, Southbury,
Southington, and Waterbury in 2012 or 2013. Additional detections are anticipated.

The emerald ash borer is a destructive insect and has been responsible for the death and decline of tens of
millions of ash trees from Colorado and the mid-west to New England and south to Georgia. Ash makes
up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut’s forests and represents about 2-3% of the urban trees in many
communities.

“Unfortunately, we are now seeing a lot of dead and dying ash in New Haven County and more ash trees
will die as a result of this expanding infestation” said State Entomologist Kirby C. Stafford III. When
EAB is found, municipalities and homeowners can assess their ash trees and plan for the impact of this
beetle. High value trees and lightly infested trees can be treated with systemic insecticides to protect them
against the emerald ash borer. Untreated ash trees will be lost and can die within 2-3 years once infested.
Ash trees quickly decline and become hazardous, requiring removal, depending upon their location and
risk to people and property.

“The spread of EAB within our state poses a severe and imminent threat to ash trees on both private and
public property,” said Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Commissioner Rob Klee. “It
is critical for property owners to assess the condition of their ash trees and make decisions to treat trees
with appropriate chemicals to try to save them or to remove trees that pose safety risks. We also strongly
encourage property owners to utilize only licensed and insured professionals to either treat or remove their ash trees.”

Many EAB detections have been made by monitoring the ground-nesting, native wasp (Cerceris fumipennis), which hunts many wood-boring beetles, including the emerald ash borer. The wasp is an effective “biological surveillance” survey tool and does not sting people or pets according to Dr. Claire E. Rutledge, who runs the CAES survey program. In addition, purple detection traps have been set across Middlesex, Tolland, Windham, and New London counties by Thomas Worthley, University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System. The surveillance programs are supported by the USDA-APHIS-PPQ.

In Connecticut, quarantine had previously been established that regulates the movement of ash logs, ash materials, ash nursery stock, and hardwood firewood from within Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield and New Haven Counties to any area outside of those counties to help slow the spread of the beetle. The quarantine currently applies to only those four counties and mirrors a federal quarantine also imposed on the four counties.

With the detection of EAB in Middlesex County and rapid expansion of the EAB infestation to five of the state’s eight counties, CAES plans to remove the state internal quarantine by adding Middlesex, New London, Tolland, and Windham counties to the existing EAB quarantine. Until that time, the current state and federal EAB quarantine is still in effect. A public hearing will be held in August at the CAES Griswold Research Center, 190 Sheldon Road, Griswold, CT 06351, on a date still to be determined.

Regulations also are in effect regulating the movement of firewood from out-of-state into Connecticut or within Connecticut. These regulations were put in place to ensure that other invasive insects, not just the emerald ash borer, are not carried into Connecticut through the shipment of firewood. These regulations are not influenced by the new EAB detections.

Detailed information about the current quarantine and the firewood regulations can be found at www.ct.gov/deep/eab or www.ct.gov/caes.

The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under federal (7 CFR 301.53) and state (CT Gen. Statute Sec. 22-84-5d, e, and f) regulations. For more information about the EAB, please visit the following website: www.emeraldashborer.info. A fact sheet providing guidelines on the treatment of ash trees to protect them from EAB is also available at www.ct.gov/caes.

###

Phone: (203) 974-8500 Fax: (203) 974-8502

Toll Free: 1-(877) 855-2237

WWW.CT.GOV/CAES

An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer

Nasty bug invades Litchfield Republican American

A native Buprestid beetle captured by a Cerceris Wasp and sent to CT Ag. Exp. Station for identification.

Nasty bug invades Litchfield Republican American



We detected Emerald Ash Borer for the first time in Litchfield while utilizing Cerceris Wasp as a bio-surveillance tool.  John McKenna reported on the problem in the Sunday's (July 13, 2014) Waterbury Republican American newspaper.

EMERALD ASH BORER FOUND IN TWO NEW COUNTIES IN CONNECTICUT, HARTFORD AND LITCHFIELD

PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, August 9, 2013

Email: Kirby.Stafford@ct.gov Email: Victoria.Smith@ct.gov

EMERALD ASH BORER FOUND IN TWO NEW COUNTIES IN CONNECTICUT, HARTFORD
AND LITCHFIELD

New Haven, CT - The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) announced today that the 
emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis) has been detected in two additional Connecticut counties –
Hartford and Litchfield – in the towns of Southington and Watertown on July 29 and August 1, 2013, 
respectively. This invasive insect has now been found in four Connecticut counties and fifteen towns. The
identification of EAB in Southington and Watertown has been confirmed by the federal regulatory
officials in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine
(USDA-APHIS-PPQ). The Watertown detection was made through the Experiment Station’s Cerceris
wasp biosurveillance program and the Southington detection was through the purple prism trap program
run by the University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System.

In Connecticut, a quarantine was previously established that regulates the movement of ash logs, ash
materials, ash nursery stock, and hardwood firewood from within New Haven County to any area outside
of that county. The New Haven County quarantine mirrors a federal quarantine also imposed on New
Haven County. The Hartford and Litchfield detection, in addition to the earlier Fairfield County detection
in Sherman, CT will result in the expansion of the state and federal quarantines in Connecticut.

The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees and has been
detected in 20 states from Kansas and Michigan to New Hampshire and south to North Carolina. Ash
makes up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut’s forests and is a common urban tree.

In Connecticut, the insects were previously confirmed in Prospect, Naugatuck, Bethany, Beacon Falls,
Waterbury, Cheshire, Oxford, Middlebury, Hamden, North Branford, and Southbury, all in New Haven
County, and Sherman in Fairfield County as part of surveys conducted by CAES, the Department of
Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), the U.S. Forest Service, and the University of Connecticut
Cooperative Extension via an agreement with USDA APHIS PPQ in joint efforts to detect the presence of
EAB in the state or determine the extent of the current New Haven County infestation. More recently, EAB has also been detected in Newtown, CT. EAB has also been identified in Dutchess County, New
York, Berkshire County, Massachusetts and Merrimack County, New Hampshire.

A single specimen of EAB was recovered in Watertown by a burrow of the ground-nesting, native wasp
(Cerceris fumipennis), which hunts beetles in the family Buprestidae, including the emerald ash borer.
The wasp is an efficient and effective “biosurveillance” survey tool and does not sting people or pets.
Another single specimen of EAB was detected in a purple prism trap in Southington. There are 307 purple
prism detection trapsset across the state, excluding New Haven County, by the University of Connecticut
Cooperative Extension System. The EAB surveillance program is supported by the USDA-APHIS-PPQ.
“These latest detections are largely near or adjacent to our known infestations and most are likely part of
the original New Haven infestation. Nevertheless, we are seeing more and more of our ash trees at risk.”
said State Entomologist Kirby C. Stafford III. “Not moving firewood or ash still remains one of the best
waysto help slow the spread of EAB.” A public hearing on the expansion of the existing EAB quarantine
to Fairfield, Litchfield, and Hartford Counties will be held at the Prospect Town Hall at 7PM on
Wednesday, August 28, 2013.

“It is disturbing to see the spread of EAB to two new Connecticut counties and reinforces the need to curb
its spread by preventing the movement of wood products out of affected areas,” said DEEP Commissioner
Daniel C. Esty. “We will continue to work closely with The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station,
the Department of Transportation, and other state and local agencies to limit the spread of EAB and
minimize the impact this invasive beetle will have on Connecticut’s ash trees.”

Regulations are also in effect regulating the movement of firewood from out-of-state into Connecticut
or within Connecticut, including the requirement of a permit to bring out-of-state firewood into
Connecticut. These regulations were put in place to ensure that EAB and other invasive insects are not
carried into Connecticut, or spread throughout New England, through the movement of firewood.

Detailed information about the quarantine, including its expansion, and the firewood regulations can be
found at www.ct.gov/deep/eab or www.ct.gov/caes/eab

The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under federal (7 CFR 301.53) and state (CT Gen. Statute
Sec. 22-84-5d, e, and f) regulations. For more information about the EAB, please visit the following
website: www.emeraldashborer.info. A fact sheet providing guidelines on the treatment of ash trees to
protect them from EAB is also available at www.ct.gov/caes/eab.

PRESS RELEASE Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 20, 2012

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Dr. Louis A. Magnarelli, Ph.D., Director
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street (zip 06511)
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: (203) 974-8440  

Dr. Kirby C. Stafford III, Ph.D., Vice-Director,
Chief Scientist/State Entomologist
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
123 Huntington Street (zip 06511)
P.O. Box 1106
New Haven, CT 06504
Phone: (203) 974-8485 

Emerald Ash Borer Found in Prospect and Naugatuck, Connecticut

New Haven, CT – The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) and the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) today announced that the emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis) was detected in Prospect, CT on July 16, 2012 by staff members at CAES. The identification has been confirmed by federal regulatory officials in the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA APHIS-PPQ). This is the first record of this pest in Connecticut, which is added to 15 other states where infestations have been detected. A new probable site of infestation is located in the Naugatuck State Forest. The beetle identification is unconfirmed. The emerald ash borer is responsible for the death and decline of tens of millions of ash trees from the mid-west to New York State and south to Tennessee. Ash makes up about 4% to 15% of Connecticut’s forests and is a common urban tree.  

“The detection of the emerald ash borer (EAB) in Prospect and probably in Naugatuck reaffirms that statewide surveys for this pest were necessary,” said Louis A. Magnarelli, director of CAES. “We expected to find the beetle in areas of Connecticut across from infestations in Dutchess County, New York; however, the EAB has great flight potential and can travel in infested wood moved by people. This pest attacks all species of ash trees. Our immediate goals are to determine how extensive the Connecticut infestation is, notify residents in the Prospect and Naugatuck area, and implement strategies to slow the spread of the insect.”  


The insect specimens were recovered in Prospect from a ground-nesting, native wasp (Cerceris
fumipennis), which hunts beetles in the family Buprestidae, including the emerald ash borer. The
developing wasp larvae feed on the beetles provided by the adult wasp. The wasp provides a highly
efficient and effective “bio-surveillance” survey tool and does not sting people or pets. This work was supported by the US Forest Service. In addition, 541 purple prism detection traps, containing a special chemical lure, have been set across the state in all eight counties by The University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension System via an agreement with the USDA APHIS PPQ. Three additional EAB have been captured in a trap located in Prospect, while other beetles were captured in a trap in Naugatuck.  

“This is a disturbing discovery and one that has the potential for great environmental harm in the state,” said DEEP Commissioner Daniel C. Esty. “Connecticut has more than 22 million ash trees. The presence of EAB here could have a devastating effect on the beauty of our forests, state and local parks and neighborhoods, as well as the state’s wood product industries. Now that EAB has been detected here, it is more important than ever to limit its spread. It is imperative that residents and visitors throughout the state not move firewood. The movement of firewood that contains the presence of EAB is the quickest way to rapidly spread the insect. We will continue to work closely with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station and other state and local agencies to do everything in our power to minimize the presence of EAB in Connecticut.”  

The EAB is a small and destructive beetle, metallic green in color, and approximately 1/2 inch long and 1/8 inch wide. Adults emerge from the bark of infested trees leaving a small “D”-shaped exit hole roughly 1/8 inch in diameter. This insect is native to Asia and was first discovered in the Detroit, MI and Windsor, Ontario regions of North America in 2002. It has since spread through the movement of firewood, solid-wood packing materials, infested ash trees, and by natural flight dispersal.  

It is unknown how the EAB entered Prospect or Naugatuck. Movement of infested firewood is a high risk activity that can spread the beetle over long distances. Prior to the pest’s discovery in Prospect, the closest known infestation to Connecticut is in eastern New York near the Hudson River.  

The emerald ash borer is a regulated plant pest under federal (7 CFR 301.53) and state (CT Gen. Statute Sec. 22-84-5d, e, and f) regulations. For more information about the EAB, please visit the following website: www.emeraldashborer.info.  

There will be a press conference at 1:15 PM at the Prospect Town Hall, 36 Center Street.
Representatives of CAES will be attending the press conference. Materials will be on display. Officials of USDA APHIS-PPQ, DEEP, and the CT Department of Agriculture are expected to be present as well.  

###

Cerceris Wasp BioSurveillance for EAB Workshop

June 28, 2012

11:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

A. B. Ceder Classroom

Emerald Ash Borer continues to march closer to our area.  This year EAB was documented for the first time east of the Hudson River!  Several methods are utilized to detect EAB's spread.  One method uses the native Smokey-Winged Beetle Bandit (Cerceris fumipennis) wasp.  These wasps don't sting humans and are fun to catch!  Claire Rutledge (CT Ag. Exp. Station) will facilitate our training and show you the importance of the project.  This workshop starts with introductory lecture indoors and is then followed by practicing the field techniques outdoors.  Please dress for the weather and bring water.  If you are interested in participating in this workshop please contact James Fischer, WMCC Research Director
james@whitememorialcc.org

Native Bee Monitoring -- Season's First Trap Check

Nicole Morin strains and refills the multi-colored bowl traps used to capture native bees. 

Bees and other insects captured in bowl traps are strained
and stored in plastic bags with tags until they can be identified later.

Although it is mid-March, we captured lots of invertebrates in the bowl traps.

We checked the Native Bee Monitoring Traps for the first time this season.  We captured few animals that were easily recognizable as bee species but many of the other insects will have to be left for the experts at Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to key out.  Tracy Zarrillo and Kimberly Stoner are leading this project for this state.  We are on our way to inventorying and establishing a base-line for long term monitoring for this vital group of organisms for the property.  If you are interested in helping with this project please notify James Fischer, WMCC Research Director.

Native Bee Monitoring Initiated

Tracy Zarrillo (CT Ag. Exp. Station) and Jared Franklin
install traps to inventory and monitor native bees.

Tracy Zarrillo and Dr. Kimberly Stoner (CT Agricultural Experiment Station) are monitoring native bee populations throughout the state.  Bees are a very important group of insects because of their role in native ecosystems and agriculture.  The traps used for collecting bees are quite simple but effective.  They consist of plastic cups that are painted different colors (Blue, Yellow, and White) with fluid to capture the bees that investigate the cup.  The color of the cups attract the bees.  

Bees are attracted to variety of colors, this cup is painted yellow and captures bees that investigate it .

The cups are checked weekly and the specimens are sent to CAES for identification.  This data will help us inventory the species associated that inhabit the property and monitor any changes within the population. 

Only 2 hours later, a bee was observed in a white trap!

Japanese Barberry Control Workshop Review

Jeff Ward, Chief Forester CT Ag. Exp. Station (CAES) and
wearing white ball cap with plaid-flannel at left,
introduces the topics that will be discussed during the workshop.

Yesterday was a great day to spend some time in the woods with a few experts to learn about how to control Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) in forest ecosystems.  A total of 32 people attended the workshop, some traveling from a far distance while most were from nearby communities.  Participants included natural resource professionals, land trust stewards, students, and other concerned citizens who manage forested property that is affected by Japanese Barberry.  Japanese Barberry is an invasive exotic shrub that forms dense stands under forest canopies.  Participants observed how these dense stands encourage the density of black-legged ticks, a.k.a. deer tick, (Ixodes scapularis) that are infected with the spirochete that causes Lyme Disease (Borellia burgdorferii).  The investigators have also found that dense Japanese Barberry stands may also influence drinking water quality by the plant's ability to increase nitrification and decrease the leaf litter layer.  Nitrification is a process of adding nitrogen to the soil and a healthy leaf litter layer discourages soil erosion.  The lack of leaf litter increases erosion thereby adding more nitrogen to the water supply, this in turn encourages plankton/algal blooms and other aquatic plant outbreaks.  Japanese Barberry stands have also been associated with lower native tree regeneration, fewer herbaceous plant cover (wildflowers), and increased earthworm densities.

I'm sure most of you understand that there is a problem when anything negatively 

influences native trees and plants, but earthworms!  

What's wrong with earthworms?!  

Earthworms are not native to southern New England soils because our landscape was covered by glaciers only 15,000 years ago and these 1 mile thick ice blocks prevented earthworms from colonizing our soils.  Although earthworms might be considered a positive thing in your garden, they are not a good thing in forests.  Earthworms consume the leaf litter layer at an astonishing rate, which as you already know the lack of a healthy leaf litter layer encourages soil erosion.  This workshop was a real lesson in forest ecology!

The principle investigators of this project are Jeff Ward (CAES), Scott Williams (CAES), Thomas Worthley (UCONN Coop. Ext.), and J. P. Barskey (CAES).  They have discovered that managing Japanese Barberry is at least a two-step procedure.  First, the healthy barberry shrub needs to be treated with herbicide, prescribed burning, propane torch, or is cut down with a mechanical method.  After the plant sends up new shoots the following growing season, a second treatment is required by using a propane torch or herbicide.  Safety equipment and considerations, costs of equipment, materials, and labor were also discussed.  Further evidence was provided demonstrating that infected tick density decreases after these treatments are applied.  As well as, evidence that showed how Japanese Barberry responded if the second treatment was not applied, it returns with gusto!

In the following images you can see the various methods that were demonstrated by Mike Short (CAES Technician) during this workshop, but also notice that the orange-red hue in the forest understory, all of this is Japanese Barberry!

Walk behind self propelled brush mower.

Brush Saw

Star brush blade on a brush saw.

Yellow heart wood of a mulched Japanese Barberry shrub.

Jeff Ward demonstrates the use of a propane torch burning Japanese Barberry clumps to kill buds.  

Japanese Barberry Control Workshop Announcement

Click Here to View a Printable Flyer

Invasive plant species including Japanese Barberry have been found to increase the risk of exposure to Lyme Disease.  Controlling Japanese Barberry can reduce the risk of exposure to Lyme Disease while also increasing growing space for native wildflowers and tree seedlings.  

During this workshop, you will learn techniques for an integrated program of invasive plant control in forest understories including: treatment techniques (flame weeding, mechanical control, herbicide application), site evaluation, time estimations for treatments, and field safety.  There will be a hands-on demonstration of techniques and equipment.  

Instructors:  Jeffrey Ward (CAES), Thomas Worthley (UCONN - Coop. Ext.), J. P. Barsky (CAES)

Date:  Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Place:  White Memorial Foundation, Point Folly Campground Entrance on N. Shore Rd., Litchfield, CT along Bantam Lake.

Time:  10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Workshop is Free of Charge

Pre-Registration Required

Space is Limited, Register Early

Contact Thomas Worthley

Pre-Register or for more information

(860) 345-5232, thomas.worthley@uconn.edu

CEU Credits Approved for this Course include: CT Certified Forest Practitioner (1.0 hours)

3 credits for Forest Pest Control (2), Ornamentals and Turf (3A), Rights-of-Way (6)

Controlling Japanese Barberry (Berberis thunbergii) in Forested Ecosystems

Japanese Barberry is a highly invasive shrub that forms dense stands under forest canopies.

Gasoline powered weed whackers with brush blades are used to cut
Japanese Barberry when growing densely under a forest canopy. 

Skilled hands and tough equipment turn an invasive shrub into a pile of mulch.

A cooperative investigation between CT Agriculture Experiment Station and UCONN Cooperative Extension is demonstrating the methods and materials of controlling Japanese Barberry in forested ecosystems.  The use of mechanical, chemical, and direct burning has proven an effective strategy at controlling this highly invasive plant.  The investigators are treating a 2-acre stand on Wheeler Hill and will be facilitating workshops for land managers and owners so that they can use the same methods for controlling Japanese Barberry on their own properties.  This project is lead by Jeffrey Ward, Scott Williams, J. P. Barsky of the CAES and Thomas Worthley of UCONN Cooperative Extension.  For more information about this project and to view a series of videos click here.

Detecting the Invasive Emerald Ash Borer in CT: Casting a wide net!

Jenna Klinck, UCONN Natural Resource Management and Engineering student,
hoists a purple trap used to detect Emerald Ash Borer on the property.

Olfactory bait packets used to attract Buprestid beetles, which includes the Emerald Ash Borer.

Buprestid beetle (center) and other forest insects stuck to the side of the trap used to detect Emerald Ash Borer. 

Emerald Ash Borer is the latest invasive forest pest expanding to threaten New England forest trees, specifically ash species.  A cooperative team of scientists are trying to detect Emerald Ash Borer in Connecticut, including the UCONN Cooperative Extension Service, CT Agriculture Experiment Station, and CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.  The tools used to capture EAB in CT are purple traps suspended in trees along roads and looks like box kites.  There are scent packets suspended in the center of the traps that mimic the smell of a dying ash tree.  The outer surface of the traps have a sticky glue that captures the insects.  The traps are visited periodically to insure they stay in the tree canopy and to glean the glued surfaces for any insects that resemble EAB for further identification in the lab. For more information about the purple trap project click here or visit this other website for more details about the statewide effort.

Cerceris Wasp Biosurveillance of Emerald Ash Borer -- 2011 Season Review

Cerceris fumipennis with prey and Satellite Fly (Kleptoparasitic).
photo by Phillip Careless
www.cerceris.info

Cerceris wasps have finished gathering Buprestid beetles for the season.  We collected a total of 73 Buprestid beetles this season from 4 colonies.  We collected 30 beetles from Morris Town Beach ball field, 26 at Wamogo Region #6 High School baseball field, 13 at St. Anthony’s Cemetery in Litchfield, and 4 at the Litchfield Public Schools Plumb Hill ball field colonies.  We observed approximately 40 nests at Morris Beach, 40 nests at Wamogo, 17 nests at St. Anthony’s, and 14 nests at Plumb Hill.  It was a very successful season this because we established our procedures and created a solid baseline of Buprestid beetles species before the Emerald Ash Borer colonizes the state.  This project was supported by several volunteers this year including Madeline Bove, Amanda Downey, Frank Errico, Ryan Gannon, Nicki Hall, Marcus Johansson, Nicole Morin, John (Jack) Nelson, Carol Perrault, Henry Perrault, Olivia Scott, and Rebecca Solnit.  Claire Rutledge, Connecticut Agriculture Experiment Station Entomologist, is our state sponsor/facilitator. 

Thank you Claire for extending your leadership with this project, it’s a worthwhile program.  

Cerceris Wasp Biosurveillance of Emerald Ash Borer -- 2011 Initial Results

Cerceris fumipennis with Emerald Ash Borer
Photo by Phillip Careless
www.cerceris.info

It was a great day of catching Cerceris Wasps and collecting Buprestid Beetles at Morris Town Beach Ball Field.  Olivia Riccio and Becca Solnit helped capture 16 beetles in 1 hour and 30 minutes.  There were a total 36 nests in this colony.  The weather was mild at approximately 80 degrees Fahrenheit, mostly cloudy sky, and a gentle occasional breeze from the southwest at 0 to 2 mph.

Cerceris Wasp Biosurveillance of Emerald Ash Borer -- 2011 Initial Results

Locations of Cerceris Wasp colonies (Red Markers) used as biosurveillance tool for
Emerald Ash Borer at White Memorial Foundation, Litchfield & Morris, CT, USA.
Google Earth Image 

We identified 4 colonies of Cerceris Wasps in close proximity to the property.  The wasp watchers have been  steadily collecting beetles (42 from all of the colonies) that the wasps have been bringing back to their nests.  The wasps become active every sunny day around 11:00 a.m. EST with their orientation flights around the nest entrance.  Very soon after leaving they start bring back beetles to their nests, where the wasp watchers are waiting to catch and release the wasp unharmed but leaving a beetle in the bottom of the insect net.  The beetles are sent to our state's coordinator for this project Claire Rutledge at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

Cerceris Wasp Field Trip Results

White Memorial staff, interns, and volunteers

gathered around a Cerceris Wasp colony at

St. Anthony's Cemetery on White's Woods Rd.

On Thursday, 7/7/2011, 9 White Memorial staff, interns, and volunteers took a field trip to St. Anthony's Cemetery on White's Woods Rd. in Litchfield to learn more about Cerceris Wasps from Claire Rutledge of the CT. Agricultural Experiment Station. James Fischer had previously located a small colony of these wasps here, so it provided an ideal setting to learn more about them. We found 13 holes in the hard-packed soil along a little-used dirt driveway. These wasps seem to prefer hard soil over soft. The photo below shows a wasp peeking out of its hole.

The photo below shows a typical Cerceris wasp

hole with a pile of course-grained soil around it.

Cerceris wasp carrying its Buprestid beetle prey
by Floyd Connor from www.cerceris.info

Claire supplied us with nets, collecting bags, hole collars, and other equipment that we can use to steal Buprestid beetles from the wasps when they return to their burrows with these prey items. The primary goal is to monitor for the non-native, invasive, and highly destructive Emerald Ash Borer beetle, which is in the Buprestid group, and which is readily captured by these wasps in the Great Lakes states. They haven't been found yet in Connecticut, but this is a relatively easy way to monitor for their presence.

Volunteer Workshop -- Cerceris Wasps as a Bio-surveillance for Emerald Ash Borer PART 2!

Cerceris fumipennis female defending nest from rival females.
photo by Mike Bohne
www.cerceris.info

Part 1 was attended by 25 people, what an awesome audience!  Now it's time for Part 2 (The Field Portion), which is scheduled for Thursday July 7, 2011, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  We'll meet at the A. B. Ceder Classroom.  Dress for the weather, hopefully warm and sunny so the wasps are out hunting!  Please contact James Fischer james(at)whitememorialcc.org, if you are interested in attending.  See you there!

Volunteer Workshop -- Cerceris Wasps as a Bio-surveillance for Emerald Ash Borer

Emerald Ash Borer
photo by Phillip Careless
www.cerceris.info

Emerald Ash Borer is another invasive species threatening Connecticut's biological diversity.  This insect feeds on and kills ash trees.  One method used to detect Emerald Ash Borer as part of Connecticut's early warning system is to use Cerceris Wasps.  Cerceris Wasps are a native species that predate buprestid beetles, which includes the Emerald Ash Borer.  The efficacy of this surveillance method for EAB is better than many of the other methods that are being employed.  Yet, the best survey scenario is when all of the surveillance methods are incorporated collectively.  We need your help!  We need volunteers to observe Cerceris Wasp colonies and collect the prey that they collect.  These prey insects will be identified by entomologists to see if Emerald Ash Borers have invaded the state/region.  Claire Rutledge, CT Agriculture Experiment Station Entomologist, will facilitate a workshop on Tuesday June 28 at 1:30 p.m. in the A. B. Ceder Classroom to teach us how to perform this work.  This will be Part 1 of that 2 part workshop.  The second session will include the field methods and will be scheduled at the first session.  If you have any questions please contact James Fischer. james(at)whitememorialcc.org or 860-567-0857

Cerceris fumipennis with native buprestid prey
photo by Mike Bohne
www.cerceris.info