38th Annual Meeting of the Society for Invertebrate Pathology

Non-woven fiber bands impregnated with cultures of entomopathogenic fungi have been investigated for control of the cerambycid, Anoplophora glabripennis (Asian longhorned beetle), which was introduced from China to several locations in the U.S. This beetle was first found in the New York City area in 1996 and is presently the focus of an eradication campaign based on intensive efforts to detect beetles and application of imidacloprid to soil or tree trunks, although neither of these methods are one hundred percent effective. The additional control method we are developing, application of fungal bands to trees, relies on self-inoculation by adult beetles, especially during the pre-maturational wandering period which lasts 1-2 weeks after eclosion. In addition, inoculated beetles can transfer conidia to the opposite sex during mating. Field trials conducted at sites in China where fungal bands were attached to all trees in treatment plots demonstrated both decreased adult longevity and decreased oviposition in fungal treatment plots. Bands placed on trees in Queens, New York retained high conidial densities for over 3 months. Using data we have developed on the effects of fungal bands on beetle populations, we created simple models to investigate the impact of fungal bands toward eradication of A. glabripennis under different estimates of A. glabripennis density and different threshold densities of beetles required for an Allee effect.