Location: European Biological Control Laboratory
Project Number: 0212-22000-027-021-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Dec 1, 2017
End Date: Sep 30, 2019
Objective:
Survey for the presence of the citrus longhorned beetle egg parasite, Aprostocetus fukutai, and establish laboratory colonies for further study.
Approach:
Travel with Italian personnel from Servizio Fitosanitario Regionale, ERSAF (responsible for citrus longhorned beetle [CLB] monitoring and for removal of infested trees), and an entomologist (expert on CLB) from Fondazione Minoprio to select and collect, with their agreement, CLB-infested stumps in the locations where the egg parasitoid was released in 2015, and in zones where it established naturally following its accidental introduction from Japan. CLB-infested stumps will be transported to EBCL quarantine under appropriate permits. Rates of parasitism will be measured and samples will be shared with USDA-ARS-BIIRU, Newark, DE. Colonies of A. fukutai will be established in quarantine at both laboratories, where further research on biology and behavior of the egg parasitoid will be conducted to improve rearing methods and to evaluate it as a prospective biological control agent of CLB.
