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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Research Project #445699

Research Project: Identification of Insects and Mites of Importance to Quarantine and Biosecurity

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Project Number: 8042-22000-317-027-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement

Start Date: Oct 1, 2023
End Date: Sep 30, 2025

Objective:
Provide expert identifications and associated information of insects and mites to APHIS/Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) in support of quarantine activities.

Approach:
ARS scientists use the U.S. National Collections, literature collections, and experience to identify specimens submitted by APHIS port identifiers. Methods include specimen preparation, use of compound and dissecting microscopes, digital images, illustrations, and collection curation techniques. Specimens are submitted via both express mail and via the internet (digital images). Specimen identifications are entered into ARM (Agricultural Risk Management system) along with any relevant biological information to APHIS headquarters in Riverdale, Maryland, where appropriate reference specimens are kept for incorporation into the U.S. National Collections.