CBP research addresses national needs for developing new biological control agents, processes and methods. Some exemplary research projects currently being conducted by scientists include the development of living bacterial and fungal agents to control (1) Japanese beetle and other soil grubs that plague crops and turf; (2) wood-boring insects that attack and kill fruit trees; (3) mosquitoes that carry infectious agents, such as dengue and chikungunya viruses; and (4) economically important fungal diseases of crops such as wheat, potatoes, and basil. Other projects include the development of new insect- and fungal-resistant lines of corn, and the characterization of microbial communities associated with insect pests and weeds. Finally, we maintain the Microbial Biological Control Agent Resource Center. The Center's mission is (1) to identify and characterize new species and strains of beneficial microorganisms for the biological control of insect pests, ticks, mites, and weeds; and (2) to provide advice on the cultivation, identification, and field application of beneficial microorganisms.