Contact:  Dr. Chuck Quimby at pcq@ars.usda.gov

Many of the invasive insect pests and weeds in the United States originate in the People’s Republic of China.  Consequently, the Sino-American Biological Control Laboratory (Sino-ABCL) is of great value as a unique institution providing resources and expertise in exploration of natural enemies of invaders.

Mission of the Sino-ABCL:

• Facilitate the exploration and analysis of biological control agents against selected invasive insect pests and weeds.
• Communicate and publish the results of the investigations.
• Provide logistic support to ARS researchers and other US scientists conducting investigations on biological control in China.

The Sino-ABCL operates on the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) campus through a cooperative agreement.  The Sino-ABCL’s primary focus is laboratory research, field survey and collection and field experiments.

Below is a list of projects associated with the lab conducted or partially conducted in China. The working sites are distributed throughout about 20 provinces. The Sino-ABCL has a staff of seven employees with approximately fifty collaborators, twelve of which are ARS scientists.

Projects:                                                

-         Asian Longhorn Beetle (ALB) behavior and control 

-         Saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) biocontrol agents collection

-         Cardaria draba survey and collection in the west

-         Soybean Aphids biocontrol agents survey and collection

-         Olive fruit fly survey and wild olives sample collection

-         Wheat Stem Sawfly parasitoids survey

-         Leafyspurge biocontrol agents collection and research

-         Termites biocontrol agents field survey and laboratory research

-         Japanese Beetle and Oriental Beetle biocontrol parasitoids survey and collection

-         Russian Knapweed distribution and biocontrol agents survey

-         Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense) biocontrol project