BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF ARTHROPOD PESTS AND WEEDS

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: HATCH
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1001524
• Multistate No.: NE-1332
• Project Start Date: Oct 31, 2013
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2018
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
UNIV OF CONNECTICUT
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133
STORRS,CT 06269

Performing Department
Plant Science and Landscape Architecture

Non Technical Summary
The most damaging pests of turf are the immature stages of the scarab beetles or white grubs. Among these root-feeding scarab beetles are the Japanese beetle, Oriental beetle, Asiatic garden beetle, and European chafer. Conventional insecticides continue to be the major tool to manage these turfgrass pests in sod production areas, recreational and private settings. For instance, a report by the National Academy of Sciences indicated that homeowners tend to use as much as ten times more chemicals per acre on their lawns than farmers use on agricultural land. Moreover, distress about the use of pesticides in urban areas, particularly where children are likely to come into contact with pesticide materials has energized the demand for pest management programs that rely less on chemical insecticides. Examples of such public concern are Connecticut's Public Act 99-165 which requires notification to parents when a pesticide application will occur in the school buildings or grounds and recent legislation that bans the use of lawn care pesticides on the grounds of any public or private school with students in grade eight or lower. In ornamental and agricultural landscapes, new invasive pests such as the brown marmorated stink bug also pose a challenge of finding pest management alternatives. This research effort seeks to advance the use of biologically-based alternatives by groundskeepers, agricultural managers and homeowners. Currently, the research focus is on two species of parasitic wasps that attack the Japanese and the Oriental beetles. These parasitic wasps are Tiphia vernalis and T. popilliavora. During 1920's and early 1930's USDA entomologists imported Tiphia vernalis Rohwer from Korea and Tiphia popilliavora Rohwer. (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae) from Japan for Japanese beetle control. The primary target of these releases was the Japanese beetle. However, T. vernalis and T. popilliavora are parasitoids of the oriental beetle as well. These parasitoids feed on the larvae with T. vernalis attacking the 3rd instars during spring and T. popilliavora attacking 2nd or 3rd instars during late summer. Many parasitoid wasps species visit flowers to obtain nectar and/or pollen that provide essential nutrients. This in turn improves fecundity, longevity and increases rates of parasitism. Thus, one approach in conservation biological control is to provide food resources to natural enemies either through food sprays or by incorporating flowering plants habitats that could provide food resources over a period of time. Another important aspect in the use of biological control is understanding what information is used by parasitoids to find their target hosts. In a previous study we showed that both tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass emit elevated levels of terpenes when attacked by Japanese and oriental beetle grubs. The study demonstrated that T. vernalis and T. popilliavora females were significantly attracted to volatiles emanating from grub-infested Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue over uninfested plants of the same species. Thus, the objectives of this project are to determine if Tiphia parasitism levels can be increased by adding nectar plants to the landscape and also to understand better the influence of the hosts' food plants on the search behaviors that lead these wasps to find their host grubs. Another objective is to develop information on natural enemies that could be useful in brown marmorated stink bug management. To accomplish the project objectives the following research will be carried out: 1) studies on the influence of nectar plant presence on parasitism of Japanese and oriental beetle larvae by Tiphia vernalis; 2) research on the response of T. vernalis and T. popilliavora to white grub infested fine fescue, hard fescue and creeping bent grass; and 3) surveys of existing natural enemies of stink bugs in ornamental and agricultural landscapes in Connecticut.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
215	3110	1130	50%
216	2199	1130	50%

Knowledge Area
215 - Biological Control of Pests Affecting Plants; 216 - Integrated Pest Management Systems;

Subject Of Investigation
2199 - Ornamentals and turf, general/other; 3110 - Insects;

Field Of Science
1130 - Entomology and acarology;

Keywords

japanese beetle

oriental beetle

brown marmorated stink bug

biological control

tiphia parasitoids

Goals / Objectives
Conservation of existing natural enemies Augmentation programs involving repeated rearing and release Introduction of new natural enemies against invasive insects

Project Methods
1) Development of conservation biocontrol tactics using nectar plants for Tiphia wasps to increase their parasitism rates on Japanese beetle and oriental beetle larvae. Influence of food plant presence on parasitism of Japanese beetle larvae by Tiphia vernalis. Three peony cultivars will be selected as food plant species for T. vernalis. The peonies selected are 'Festiva', 'Big Ben' and 'Bowl of Beauty'. These plants were tested in spring 2009 for their suitability as food plants for T. vernalis. These plants were also examined in 2009 for their potential as host plants (food and oviposition) for the Japanese and oriental beetles. Compared to other plants tested in 2009, the selected plants will not be attacked by these pest beetles (Legrand, unpublished). Plants will be transplanted into a turfgrass field and arranged in rows. Perpendicular to each side of the peony rows, areas with Japanese and oriental beetle grubs will be set up. In early June, grubs will be examined to determine levels of parasitism. Sampling for parasitism will be done at 1m and 30m distance from the plant rows in order to determine how distance from food plants affects parasitism levels. Grubs will be collected from the field and taken to the lab for identification. Analysis of variance will be used to determine treatment effects on parasitism levels. 2) Host selection of Spring Tiphia (Tiphia vernalis) and Summer Tiphia (Tiphia popilliavora) Response of T. vernalis and T. popilliavora to white grub infested fine fescue, hard fescue and creeping bent grass. In a previous study we showed that both tall fescue and Kentucky bluegrass emit elevated levels of terpenes when attacked by Japanese and oriental beetle grubs. Two-choice bioassays were conducted in a Y-tube olfactometer to test whether wasps are attracted to herbivore-induced plant volatiles. The study demonstrated that T. vernalis and T. popilliavora females were significantly attracted to volatiles emanating from grub-infested Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescue over uninfested plants of the same species. The work for this project will examine the response of T. vernalis and T. popilliavora toward Japanese and oriental beetle grub-infested fine fescue (Festuca rubra), creeping bent grass (Agrostis palustris), and hard fescue (Festuca longifolia) against healthy grasses of the same species. These are important turfgrass species that can also be attacked by white grubs but very little is known about their response to white grub feeding and interactions with white grub natural enemies such as Tiphia wasps. Plants will be grown in separate pots and grown in a plant growth chamber for 6 weeks. Third instar Japanese and oriental beetle grubs will be introduced to half of the plants and allowed to feed on the roots for a week. The other plants will be kept without grubs to serve as controls. Two-choice bioassays will be conducted in a Y-tube olfactometer. For the bioassays, air will be filtered through activated charcoal, humidified, and split into two air streams that will be fed each through a glass chamber and then to one of the Y-tube olfactometer arms at a flow of 1 l min-1 in each arm. At the end of the stem, air will be drawn out at a rate of 2 l min-1. A small pot with a given turfgrass species will be placed in each of the glass chambers so that air can pass above the plants and be directed to the Y-tube olfactometer. Each parasitoid will be tested by placing it on the Y-tube stem entrance and scoring its choice between a plant that has been exposed to grub feeding vs. a control uninfested plant. The choice tests will replicated 30 times for each turf species. 3) Surveys of existing natural enemies of stink bugs in ornamental and agricultural landscapes in CT. The brown marmorated stink bug is an invasive species that has been found in Connecticut. Currently it is deemed a nuisance problem in the state but it could create serious problems for agricultural production as it has done in other Northeastern states. Research is being conducted by the USDA on exotic parasitoids that could aid in the management of this stink bug in the US. Information is also needed on native predators and parasitoids that could attack this pest. A survey will be done to determine what predators and parasitoids are found in Connecticut. We have surveyed for parasitism on stink bug adults of several species already present in the state. In addition to continuing the adult stink bug survey, we will survey stink bug egg parasitism by placing sentinel frozen egg masses of 2-3 stink bug species including the brown marmorated stink bug. Sentinel egg masses will be placed in the different habitats where the brown marmorated stink bug is found. This will include locations in ornamental landscapes, natural areas and farms. This information will be shared with other states doing similar surveys and with USDA researchers needing information on native natural enemies that attack stink bugs. The project leader is member of the Northeastern Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Working Group which provides a forum for information sharing and collaborations.

Progress 10/31/13 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Vegetable growers, homeowners, Master Gardeners, extension staff, researchers, Spanish-speaking green industry workers Changes/Problems:PD switched area of work from turfgrass insect pests to vegetable insect pest management. This was reported during the previous reporting period. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A Master's level graduate student received partial support from this project and obtained training in the fields of entomology thus increasing research capacity in this area. The lead investigator was able to participate in a number of research conferences and extension activities where the project results were disseminated. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through conference presentations, workshops, public presentations, fact sheets, journal articles and online information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the reporting period, work continued on the evaluation of flowers that can be employed as insectary plants for conservation biological control. The goal is to identify plants that can attract and provide nutritional resources to key natural enemies of the caterpillar pest complex (diamondback moth, imported cabbageworm, etc.) on cole crops. Experiments were completed to examine Ammi majus as an insectary plant for cabbage caterpillar conservation biocontrol. Three field experiments were completed and data are being analyzed. In addition, field experiments also compared Ammi majus and buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum for their attraction to syrphid flies, other insect natural enemies and pollinator insects. For each plant type, observations were done on the type of natural enemies that visited the flowers for nectar/pollen and shelter. Insects and other arthropods observed directly on the flowers were quantified and collected for species identification. In addition to the ongoing work described above, data analysis was completed for the first year of a drought-tolerant plant evaluation. Plants were evaluated for beneficial insect attraction to determine how well these plants can support insect natural enemies and insect pollinators during times of drought stress. Insects were collected from anise hyssop Agastache foeniculum yellow chamomile Cota tinctoria, firewheel Gaillardia pulchella and Phacelia tanacetifolia. Important natural enemies like syrphid flies and pollinators from several bee families were identified from samples collected. Phacelia attracted the most syrphid species relative to the other plants and syrphids comprised 43% of all insects collected from this flower. Bombus species (Apidae family) were commonly collected from all plants and the largest proportion at 23% was collected from yellow chamomile. Other pollinator families collected from these plants included Megachilidae, Andrenidae, Halictidae and other Apidae members like honeybees. Over the total participation timeframe in this project applied research and extension efforts concentrated on scarab beetle larvae biocontrol options and later on switched to vegetable insect pest biocontrol. Work was done on scarab larvae, also known as white grubs, because they are key turfgrass pests. PD Legrand worked on a number of white grub natural enemies including Tiphia parasitoids, nematodes and Bacillus thuringiensis galleriae (Btg). Research results were shared with the public and interested parties. Educational materials were developed based on research from this project and described the biology and use of these natural enemies. Workshops were also presented to the public and to managers on white grub identification and the use of peonies in landscapes for Tiphia conservation biocontrol. All participants indicated through workshop evaluations that they increased their knowledge on the topics covered and that the information was helpful for their pest management decisions. The work for this area generated new knowledge for our state residents, expanded the availability of options for turfgrass insect pest management and created educational opportunities that had not been previously available. The subsequent switch of PD's work focus to vegetable insect pest management initiated ongoing research to develop the use of insectary plants for conservation of beneficial insects found in vegetable systems.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Legrand, A. 2018. Insectary plants: flower power for natural enemies of vegetable pests. Crop Talk: Commercial Vegetable and Fruit Crops Newsletter. Feb. 2018.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Legrand, A. 2018. Insectary Plants Fact Sheet. Online. Brassica Pest Collaborative Website.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Updates for the UConn Vegetable Pest Alert. Distributed weekly from June through September via the UConn Extension Vegetable IPM Program list serve to 443 subscribers.

Progress 10/01/16 to 09/30/17

Outputs
Target Audience:Vegetable growers, homeowners, Master Gardeners, extension staff, researchers, Spanish-speaking green industry workers Changes/Problems:Biological control research focus has changedto target insectsthat are primary pests in vegetable crops. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A postdoctoral associate continued training in the fields of biological control and entomology thus increasing research capacity in these areas. The lead investigator was able to participate in a number of research conferences and extension activities where the project results were disseminated. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through conference presentations, workshops, public presentations, fact sheets, journal articles and online information. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?I plan to continue work with insectary plants for conservation biological control of vegetable pests. New work will also start with augmentative biological control studies for vegetable insect pest management.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Work continued in the evaluation of flowers that can be employed for conservation biological control. The goal is to identify plants that can attract and provide nutritional resources to key natural enemies of the caterpillar pest complex (diamondback moth, imported cabbageworm, etc.) on cold crops. The plants identified by the project should also provide an economic benefit from their sale as cut or dry flowers and herbs. Not all cut flower species are suitable for attracting natural enemies due to their harvest time, flower features attractive/useful to natural enemies and likelihood of attracting pests. Thus, it is essential to have a detailed study of cut flowers species that can serve for conservation biological control purposes. For each plant type, observations were done on the type of natural enemies that visited the flowers for nectar/pollen and shelter. Insects and other arthropods observed directly on the flowers were quantified and collected for species identification. Sample analysis results documented a high diversity of natural enemies visiting the flowers. Altogether, 14 families representative of insect parasitoids were collected along with 9 families that include mostly insect predators. Ammi majus stood out among all plants because of the largest number of natural enemy families collected from it. Other flowers that attracted a good diversity of insect families included Gomphrena globosa 'Vegas White', Celosia argentea cristata 'Kurume' and C. argentea cristata 'Triangle Mix'. It was expected that all C. argentea cristata would attract many syrphids however this was not the case. Only one syrphid was collected from C. argentea cristata 'Triangle Mix'. This was surprising considering this plant is described by others as one that attracts syrphids. A large number of parasitoid families were found across several cut flower cultivars. For example, braconidae parasitoids were collected from many plants and the highest number of specimens came from C. argentea cristata 'Kurume'. Data were also collected on other arthropods found on the flowers that could be considered a pest. While several types of insects were recorded throughout the work season, there was no group that reached pest status and impacted plant quality. In fact, it was notable that most of the plants did not suffer damage from leaf feeding beetles that were found in high numbers in the vicinity of the cut flowers. Thus, this is an observation that deserves follow-up study as these plants could be considered resistant to these pest beetles. In addition to potential pest resistant qualities of the cut flowers examined, several of the cut flowers selected can be also sold a dried flowers such as all of the Gomphrena cultivars and in particular Nigella damascena which produces a very interesting and aesthetically pleasing seed pod that can be used as a dried component in flower arrangements. In conclusion, from these results, the cut flower Ammi majus was selected for further work in cabbage because of the high diversity, type and number of natural enemies it attracted. Moreover, one can recommend several of the cut flowers examined for natural enemy attraction and conservation. In particular, all of the flowers tested attracted a high number of anthocorids which are important general insect predators. Most flowers attracted coccinellids (ladybird beetles) and only a few flowers were acceptable for syrphid fly (hover fly) attraction. In regards to insect parasitoids, only Ammi majus attracted both braconids and ichneumonid parasitoids and the only other plants that can be suggested for braconid attraction are cultivars of Celosia argentea cristata and C. argentea plumosa. Both braconid and ichneumonid families include many important parasitoids of vegetable pests.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2017 Citation: Abram, P. et al. 2017. Indigenous arthropod natural enemies of the invasive brown marmorated stink bug in North America and Europe. Journal of Pest Science, Special Issue, Halyomorpha halys. Published online June 8, 2017. J Pest Sci (2017). doi:10.1007/s10340-017-0891-7

Progress 10/01/15 to 09/30/16

Outputs
Target Audience:vegetable growers, homeowners, landscape managers, groundskeepers, Master Gardeners, extension staff, researchers Changes/Problems:The project will include other significant pest species not listed in the original project summary. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project has provided training to a Master's student and a postdoctoral associate in the fields of biological control and entomology thus increasing research capacity in these fields. In addition, the lead investigator was able to participate in a number of research conferences and extension activities where the project results were disseminated. Examples of this activities are listed in the 'Other Products' section of this report and include workshops on pest management for green industry workers, Master Gardeners, growers and researchers. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through conference presentations, workshops, public presentations, journal articles and fact sheets. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?First, continue work on brown marmorated stink bug management options and colony rearing studies. Second, finish the identification of parasitoids collected from the cabbage caterpillars and continue with the evaluation of insectary plants for conservation biological control.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys is an invasive insect from Asia. It was first detected in Connecticut in 2008 and it has been detected in 43 states and 4 Canadian provinces. This insect is a pest of vegetables, fruits and of ornamental plants in several of the states where it is found. It is also considered a nuisance pest for its habit of entering homes in September and October in search of overwintering shelter. Many research efforts rely on BMSB laboratory colonies for production of eggs or insects for a variety of management trials. One important reason to produce egg masses is for surveys of biological control agents that could destroy BMSB eggs. Studies were conducted to determine which rearing diets are best for high survival and best nymph development of BMSB in lab colonies. Results from Zach Donais master's thesis work demonstrated that a mixed diet of green beans and carrots was the best choice out of several single and multi-food diet treatments tested. Survival time for insects once placed on a diet treatment ranged from 3 days to 162 days. These findings have been shared with the regional BMSB working group. In addition to diet studies, field work was done to determine the rates of predation and parasitism on sentinel BMSB egg masses in three habitats: ornamental plants, natural areas (forest edges) and field corn. Predation levels (percent of eggs destroyed) were significantly higher than parasitism levels in ornamental and natural habitats. Predation in ornamental settings was observed at 19.2% vs 5.5% in natural habitats. Sentinel egg masses from the green stink bug and brown stink bug were also included in this study and suffered similar predation levels in the habitats studied. Parasitism of BMSB eggs was significantly higher in ornamental than in natural habitats for one year of the study. Parasitism levels were not significantly different for the brown stink bug egg masses in either habitat. However, parasitism levels were significantly higher in natural habitats vs. in ornamental plantings, 22.7% vs 0.9% respectively. Predation or parasitism was not detected in field corn during the study time. The project director and a postdoctoral associate also worked on evaluating potential insectary plants for conservation biological control and on a parasitoid survey of the cabbage caterpillar complex. A field plot was established at the Department of Plant Science Research and Education Facility to screen 20 specialty cut flowers for their attraction of insect natural enemies and to monitor for any pest activity on these plants. Insect collections from the flowers documented a great diversity of natural enemies. For each plant, observations were done on the type of insect that visited the flowers for nectar/pollen and shelter. Insects and other arthropods were collected for species identification. Some flowers like Ammi majus attracted a high number of parasitoid and insect predator families. Other flowers that attracted numerous natural enemies included Gomphrena 'Vegas White', Celosia Cristata 'Kurume' and Celosia Cristata 'Triangle Mix'. Field studies were started on the parasitoids that attack the cabbage caterpillar pest complex which includes the imported cabbage worm, Diamondback moth, cabbage looper and the cross-striped cabbageworm. In total, 2,330 caterpillars of all four species combined were collected through the summer and maintained in the lab to rear out their parasitoids. Past work on this project addressed invasive insects such as the Japanese beetle and oriental beetles in their larval form also known as white grubs. The past data collected through this project allowed target audiences to learn about: conservation biological control of Tiphia species (low risk IPM tactic) using landscape ornamental plants, how to enhance Tiphia wasp activity and survival and the factors that influence the parasitoids' search process. In addition to field research, workshops were presented on the use of peonies in landscapes for Tiphia conservation biocontrol, white grub identification and management. All participants indicated through workshop evaluations that they increased their knowledge on the topics covered and that the information will help them in their pest management decisions. More recent work covers the brown marmorated stink bug and caterpillar pests of cabbage. The goals for the intermediate impacts of this project are to promote the use of conservation biocontrol and to provide alternative pest management options. This project has increased our knowledge on predation and parasitism of BMSB in Connecticut which is necessary in order to develop biologically-based pest management strategies against these pests. In addition, it will produce significant information on natural enemies of the cabbage caterpillar complex. The long term impacts of this work would be to reduce human exposure to pesticides applied in public/private outdoor areas (general public, staff), reduce non-target impacts and to reduce costs of pest management efforts against target pests.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Donais, Z. 2016. A study of native parasitoids and rearing diet efficacy for the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys. Master of Science Thesis. University of Connecticut.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Legrand, A. 2016. Survival of adult Japanese beetle Popillia japonica exposed to Metarhizium brunneum (Petch) F52. 2015 Annual UConn Turfgrass Research Report. UConn Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture. http://www.turf.uconn.edu/pdf/research/reports/2015%20UConn%20Annual%20Turf%20Research%20Report.pdf
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Legrand, A. 2015. Using beneficial nematodes for turfgrass insect pest management. UConn IPM Program Fact Sheet. University of Connecticut. http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/raw2/html/977.php?aid=977
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Legrand, A. 2016. Ten tips for the use of beneficial nematodes. UConn Home and Garden News. Spring 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Legrand, A. 2016. Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae SDS-502 strain for white grub management. Univ. of Connecticut 2016 Turfgrass Field Day Research Summaries. July 19, 2016.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2016 Citation: Legrand, A. 2016. Japanese beetle management tips: include resistant plants in the landscape. UConn IPM Program Nursery Update. July 2016.

Progress 10/01/14 to 09/30/15

Outputs
Target Audience:Homeowners, landscape managers, groundskeepers, Master Gardeners, extension staff, researchers. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?A Master's level student is currently involved in this project conducting research on brown marmorated stink bug parasitoids. In addition, the lead investigator was able to participate in a number of research conferences and extension activities where the project results were disseminated. Examples of this activities are listed in the 'Other Products' section of this report and include workshops on pest management for green industry workers, Master Gardeners and presentations to the public. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Through conference presentations, workshops, public presentations, journal articles andfact sheets. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?BMSB egg parasitoid survey will be expanded and more detailed studies will be carried out with BMSB parasitoids and predators. BMSB rearing in the lab will continue using information gathered from this project.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) Halyomorpha halys is an invasive insect from Asia. It was first detected in Connecticut in 2008 and as of 2015 BMSB has been detected in 42 states and two Canadian provinces. This insect is a pest of vegetables, fruits and of ornamental plants in several of the states where it is found. It is also considered a nuisance pest for its habit of entering homes in September and October in search of overwintering shelter. Research is being conducted by the USDA on exotic parasitoids for the biological control of this stink bug in the US. Information is also needed on native predators and parasitoids that could attack this pest and our goal is to develop this information for Connecticut. In 2014 and 2015, a stink bug egg parasitoid survey was conducted in the Storrs Mansfield area by placing frozen sentinel egg masses in three habitat types: field corn, natural areas (forest edges) and ornamental plantings. Sentinel eggs were produced from BMSB, green and brown stink bug colonies maintained in the lab. To accomplish this, stink bugs were caught using pheromone and black light traps in several locations mainly in eastern and central Connecticut. Insect colonies were started and are currently maintained from the trapped individuals so that eggs could be produced and deployed for the survey. Egg masses were left in the field for 48 h and then collected and inspected daily for signs of parasitism. The egg parasitoid Telenomus podisi was found attacking the native green and brown stink bugs as well as BMSB eggs. An Ooencyrtus sp. was found on green stink bug eggs only and no parasitoids were detected in field corn. Future work will follow up on these results and expand the survey to other crop systems and areas. In addition to the egg parasitoid survey, work was carried out on a rearing diet study to maintain BMSB in the lab. BMSB were reared on several diet treatments and their survival, final adult weight and time of development was assessed. Diet treatments included the single use and combinations of green beans, carrots, peppers and apple. The results from this work will provide information on the most optimal foods to use for lab-rearing of the BMSB. This project has increased our knowledge on native parasitoids of stink bugs which is necessary in order to develop biologically-based pest management strategies against these pests.The past data collected through this project allowed target audiences to learn about: conservation biological control of Tiphia species (low risk IPM tactic) using landscape ornamental plants, how to enhance Tiphia wasp activity and survival and the factors that influence the parasitoids' search process. Work on this project is also addressing a variety of invasive insects beginning with scarab beetles such as the Japanese beetle and oriental beetles and now the brown marmorated stink bug. The goals for the intermediate impacts of this project are to promote the use of conservation biocontrol and to provide alternative pest management options. The long term impacts of this work would be to reduce human exposure to pesticides applied in public/private outdoor areas (general public, staff), reduce non-target impacts and to reduce costs of pest management efforts against target pests. In addition to change in knowledge impacts, this project has provided training to a Master's student in the fields of biological control and entomology thus increasing research capacity in these fields.

Publications

• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2015 Citation: Use of peonies to conserve spring tiphia parasitoids of white grubs: a three year study. 2014 Annual UConn Turfgrass Research Report. UConn Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture.

Progress 10/31/13 to 09/30/14

Outputs
Target Audience: Homeowners, landscape managers, groundskeepers, Master Gardeners, extension staff, researchers Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? A PhD student completed her training through this project and submitted a dissertation along with 4 journal articles. A Master's level student is currently involved in this project conducting research on brown marmorated stink bug parasitoids. In addition, the lead investigator was able to participate in a number of research conferences and extension activities where the project results were disseminated. Examples of this activities are listed in the 'Other Products' section of this report and include participation in the UConn Turf Field Day for turf professionals, workshops on pest management for green industry workers, and presentations to the public. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Through conference presentations,workshops, public presentations, journal articles, fact sheets and a webinar. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Methods to keep brown marmorated stink bug colonies will be refined and the stink bug egg parasitoid survey will be done through the entire growing season at several sites.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Two important scarab beetle species, the Japanese beetle and oriental beetle are considered invasive species and have been reported as key pests of urban landscapes and of various other agricultural settings in the Northeast. The larvae of Japanese beetles (white grubs) primarily feed on the roots of a wide variety of plants, including all cool season grasses and most weeds that are commonly found in turfgrass sites. The root-feeding larvae of oriental beetles are a major pest of blueberries, ornamental nurseries, and turfgrass. Tiphia vernalis (Spring Tiphia) and Tiphia popilliavora (summer Tiphia), were introduced as part of the biological control effort against Japanese beetle. One approach in conservation biological control is to provide food resources to these natural enemies either through food sprays or by incorporating flowering plant habitats that could provide food resources over a period of time. The objective of a study completed during this report period was to determine if the use of peonies in the landscape can conserve and enhance parasitism of Japanese and oriental beetle grubs in turfgrass. Results from this project indicate that peonies are the best plants to provide nectar to the spring Tiphia. We found that in 2 out of 3 years, more grubs were parasitized in areas 1 meter away from the peonies as compared to areas 30 meters away from the peonies. A second study completed examined what host-derived cues are used by female T. popilliavora to find hosts in the soil. The results indicated that T. popilliavora is significantly attracted by host body odor cues and frass found in soil trails. Further, wasps showed a significant preference for frass trails over body odor trails in the soil. In addition to research on Tiphia wasp conservation biological control, a survey of brown marmorated stink bug and green stink bug (GSB) parasitoids was started. To accomplish this, stink bugs were caught using pheromone and black light traps in several locations mainly in eastern and central Connecticut. Colonies were started and are currently maintained from the trapped individuals so that eggs could be produced and deployed as sentinel eggs for the egg parasitoid survey. At the end of season, GSB egg masses were deployed in the field for 48 h along woodland edges of agricultural fields. Eggs were collected and inspected daily for signs of parasitism. A total of 814 eggs were placed into the field and preliminary data shows that about 8% of the eggs placed into the field were predated upon while 5% of the eggs had parasitoids hatching out of them. This project has increased our knowledge on Tiphia parasitoids of white grubs which is necessary in order to develop biologically-based pest management strategies against scarab pests. The data collected through this effort allowed target audiences to learn about: conservation biological control of Tiphia species (low risk IPM tactic) using landscape ornamental plants, how to enhance Tiphia wasp activity and survival and the factors that influence the parasitoids' search process. Work on this project is also addressing a variety of invasive insects beginning with scarab beetles such as the Japanese beetle and now including the brown marmorated stink bug. The goals for the intermediate impacts of this project are to promote the use of conservation biocontrol and to provide alternative pest management options. The long term impacts of this work would be to reduce human exposure to pesticides applied in public/private outdoor areas (general public, staff), reduce non-target impacts and to reduce costs of pest management efforts against target pests. In addition to change in knowledge impacts, this project has provided training to PhD and a Master's students in the fields of biological control and entomology thus increasing research capacity in these fields.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2013 Citation: Obeysekara, P. A. 2013. Host selection of Spring Tiphia (Tiphia vernalis) and Summer Tiphia (Tiphia popilliavora). PhD Dissertation. University of Connecticut.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Obeysekara, P., A. Legrand and G. Lavigne. 2014. Use of herbivore-induced plant volatiles as search cues by Tiphia vernalis and T. popilliavora (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae) to locate their below-ground scarabaeid hosts. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 150:74-85.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Obeysekara, P. and A. Legrand. 2014. Analysis of Tiphia parasitoids preovipositional behaviors and of scarab host defensive responses. Biological Control 69:97-106.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Obeysekara, P. and A. Legrand. 2014. The influence of host species and location in the hostdetection ability of Tiphiid (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae)parasitoids. Environmental Entomology 43:1594-602
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Obeysekara, P. and A. Legrand. 2013. Influence of grass species on the development and survival of oriental beetles. 2013 Annual Turfgrass Research Report, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Connecticut.
• Type: Other Status: Published Year Published: 2014 Citation: Legrand, A. 2014. Plants that attract beneficial arthropods: a list of plants documented to attract natural enemies of pests. UConn IPM Program Fact Sheet. University of Connecticut Cooperative Extension Service. Updated March 2014. http://ipm.uconn.edu/documents/raw2/html/555.php?aid=555
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Legrand, A. 2014. Evaluation of beneficial nematodes for white grub management. Univ. of Connecticut 2014 Turfgrass Field Day Research Summary. July 2014.
• Type: Other Status: Other Year Published: 2014 Citation: Legrand, A. 2014. Use of peonies to conserve Spring Tiphia parasitoids of white grubs. Univ. of Connecticut 2014 Turfgrass Field Day Research Summary. July 2014.