Location: Beneficial Insects Introduction Research Unit
Project Number: 8010-22000-033-068-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2022
End Date: May 31, 2024
Objective:
This agreement will provide management of spotted lanternfly. The agreement will continue ongoing research to evaluate the biology and behavior of natural enemies of the invasive spotted lanternfly (SLF), Lycorma delicatula, and determine their suitability as biological control agents for management of SLF in the USA.
Approach:
Coordinate with US cooperators and assist in performing field surveys to detect, collect and rear native and potential adventive exotic natural enemies of Lycorma that may be present in the US.
Conduct basic biological and behavioral studies on Lycorma parasitoids (native and exotic) to support interagency efforts aimed at evaluating their suitability as biological control agents. This will include a range of experiments to determine their host specificity among a range of non-target species as compared with Lycorma, and their efficacy in attacking Lycorma. Experimental procedures will include detailed behavioral observations of factors such as the natural enemy search patterns, detection of kairomones, host recognition, attack pattern, and successful reproduction.
