Progress 07/01/24 to 06/30/25
Outputs Target Audience:PD Bartlett and team's communications activities related to the yellow-legged hornet have involved several key groups. We have worked with and continue collaborate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture leadership to coordinate communications about the invasive yellow-legged hornet response. We provides quotations for the department's press releases, photographs of collaboration for their monthly "Yellow-legged ledger", and have hosted the GA Commissioner for Agriculture Dr Tyler Harpur. We work similarly liaising with the South Carolina equivalent of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Clemson Plant Protection Services. Over 1000 credit-card "ID Reference Guides" have been delivered to the surrounding area. We continue to educate the wider public on the yellow-legged hornet has via press releases and corresponding features in news media, including interviews with Atlanta News First, MSN.com, and USA Today. Estimated media reach per University of Georgia Marketing and Communications for reporting period is over 210million people. These interviews included multiple on-camera visits to the UGA bee lab. We also communicate on this invasive with the general public through local events, such as his lab's exhibit for the annual "Insectival" at the Botanical Gardens (2024, 2025) , an activity which has now expanded to other Botanical Gardens events such as Gainesville's "FallFest" (2024). PD Bartlett has led communications with peer scientists on the yellow-legged hornet response. This has included co-authorships between himself, other UGA professors, and senior staff from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Conference proceedings at the American Bee Research Conference 2024 and 2025 centered work from this project, presented by Bartlett. PD Bartlett's policy engagement work includes interacting with legislators (Republican and Democrat) on the yellow-legged hornet work funded by NIFA, which has led to him hosting representatives of elected senators (Ossoff, Warnock) in Georgia at both the UGA lab and the Georgia Beekeepers Association. PD Bartlett has provided training to Apiary Inspectors of America (2024) as well as worked with CO-PI Delaplane to provide extension publications for education GA Extension Agents training during this reporting period. The final and largest / most emphasized target group for communication has been beekeepers in Georgia, the wider US, and internationally on the work of this project. Venues have included, during this reporting period, the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium, American Beekeeping Federation, Georgia Beekeepers Association, South Carolina Beekeepers Association, Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, Maryland Beekeepers Association, and local clubs including Charleston (SC) and West Palm Beach (FL) out of State, and over 15 local glubs in Georgia, with emphasis on over 3 full days of training for the "Coastal Empire Beekeepers Association" (Savannah / Chatham County) at the heart of the invasion. Estimated beekeeper reach is over 5000 across the reporting period. Communication has also been provided internationally, including in Australia to the Cope Pollination Association of Australia and Queensland Beekeepers Association. Changes/Problems:Delays to 1.1 have emerged due to Clemson PPD/DPI and GDA requiring legally formalized data sharing agreements. All sides understand the necessity and this should only yield a delay, not a prevention of completion. Objective 3.3 has become difficult to undertake at the request of GDA / their obligations to find and destroy nests as quickly as possible. Additionally, bait traps are being successfully used already minimizing urgency. PD Bartlett is pursuing using surrogate invasive species including Vespa crabro naturalised in the mainland US and working with USDA collagues in Guam on the closely related invasive Vespa tropica. No other changes or problems current. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Project has provided significant training for 2 graduate students in the Odum School of Ecology (Anna Willoughby and Daniel Gilley). AW completed significant field work, liaison and pshyical collection generation. DG has gained expertise in geneti extraction, metagenomics, and grant application. Project has provided training for 3 staff scientists Victor Flex, Lily Fulton, Jestin Freeze. VF has expanded skillsets significantly in generation of novel species distribution models and invasion analysis. LF and JF have gained singificant skills in technical support of field and molecular lab work. Project has led to collaboration with Purdue University, where posdtoctoral researcher Dr Benjamin Taylor has been afforeded opportunity to expand his bioinformatics skills. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?PD Bartlett and team's communications activities related to the yellow-legged hornet have involved several key groups. We have worked with and continue collaborate with the Georgia Department of Agriculture leadership to coordinate communications about the invasive yellow-legged hornet response. We provides quotations for the department's press releases, photographs of collaboration for their monthly "Yellow-legged ledger", and have hosted the GA Commissioner for Agriculture Dr Tyler Harpur. We work similarly liaising with the South Carolina equivalent of the Georgia Department of Agriculture, Clemson Plant Protection Services. Over 1000 credit-card "ID Reference Guides" have been delivered to the surrounding area. We continue to educate the wider public on the yellow-legged hornet has via press releases and corresponding features in news media, including interviews with Atlanta News First, MSN.com, and USA Today. Estimated media reach per University of Georgia Marketing and Communications for reporting period is over 210million people. These interviews included multiple on-camera visits to the UGA bee lab. We also communicate on this invasive with the general public through local events, such as his lab's exhibit for the annual "Insectival" at the Botanical Gardens (2024, 2025) , an activity which has now expanded to other Botanical Gardens events such as Gainesville's "FallFest" (2024). PD Bartlett has led communications with peer scientists on the yellow-legged hornet response. This has included co-authorships between himself, other UGA professors, and senior staff from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Conference proceedings at the American Bee Research Conference 2024 and 2025 centered work from this project, presented by Bartlett. PD Bartlett's policy engagement work includes interacting with legislators (Republican and Democrat) on the yellow-legged hornet work funded by NIFA, which has led to him hosting representatives of elected senators (Ossoff, Warnock) in Georgia at both the UGA lab and the Georgia Beekeepers Association. PD Bartlett has provided training to Apiary Inspectors of America (2024) as well as worked with CO-PI Delaplane to provide extension publications for education GA Extension Agents training during this reporting period. The final and largest / most emphasized target group for communication has been beekeepers in Georgia, the wider US, and internationally on the work of this project. Venues have included, during this reporting period, the Honey Bee Veterinary Consortium, American Beekeeping Federation, Georgia Beekeepers Association, South Carolina Beekeepers Association, Pennsylvania Beekeepers Association, Maryland Beekeepers Association, and local clubs including Charleston (SC) and West Palm Beach (FL) out of State, and over 15 local glubs in Georgia, with emphasis on over 3 full days of training for the "Coastal Empire Beekeepers Association" (Savannah / Chatham County) at the heart of the invasion. Estimated beekeeper reach is over 5000 across the reporting period. Communication has also been provided internationally, including in Australia to the Cope Pollination Association of Australia and Queensland Beekeepers Association. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Legal agreements in place with GDA, Clemson PPD to allow full data access necessary for 1.1. Submit and publish to complete 1.2. 1.3 will begin without challenge following the above. Objectives under 2 are all progressing all planned and will continue to do so. A graduate fellowship has been secured by lead graduate student Daniel Gilley to support the success of these activities. Objective 3.3 is being re-envisaged, Bartlett has proposed moving the experiments to Guam to work on vespa tropica, a comparable invasive surrogate species there. Applications have been made to secure travel funding to ameliorate this one problem objective. All other objective continue towards completion as planned.
Impacts What was accomplished under these goals?
Objectives: Objective 1 1.1 Invasion Model Initiated and ongoing; pending legal agreements with GDA and Clemson PPD to access necessary data, trial models built and analysis frameworks have been developed and tested. Ready to run when data acquired. 1.2 Niche Model Generated, communicated, scientific manuscript in finalization of writing prior to submission. 1.3 Economic Threat Assessment Ongoing, requires completing of 1.2 Objective 2 2.0 Sample collection Successful and ongoing. Over 1000 samples accessioned and databased. No barriers to completion. 2.1.1 YLH Genetics - Wet Lab Complete. 2.1.2 YLH Genetics - Analysis Complete/ongoing. Mitotyping complete and published. SSRs and sequencing in analysis / bioinformatics stage (data generated). No barriers to completion. In collaboration with Purdue University (Dr BrockHarpur and Lab) 2.2.1 Metagenomics - Wet Lab Initiated, on-track. 2.2.2 Metagenomics - Analaysis Will begin once 2.2.1 finalized. Objective 3 3.1 Establish Monitoring Network Complete. 3.2 Creation & Revision of Education Materials Partially complete (created, not revised). 3.3 Field Experiments Not undertaken due to request of GDA. 3.4 Beekeeper Training Complete & ongoing. 3.5 Extension Agent Training Initiated, partially complete.
Publications
- Type:
Peer Reviewed Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Hoebeke, E. Richard, et al. "First records of Vespa velutina (Lepeletier)(color form Nigrithorax)(hymenoptera: Vespidae) in North America, an invasive Pest of domesticated honeybees." Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 126.2 (2024): 193-205.
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