Location: Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research
Project Number: 6036-22000-031-027-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jul 1, 2019
End Date: Jun 20, 2021
Objective:
1) Contribute to surveys for natural enemies of Hypogeococcus spp.
2) Collect parasitoid specimens during surveys for identification.
3) Describe and identify parasitoids of Hypogeococcus spp. collected by collaborators in South America, Puerto Rico, and other locations where the pest occurs.
Approach:
Activities proposed in this project will support a biological control program against the Harrisia cactus mealybug, a serious pest of columnar cactus in Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands, and potentially North America. This work builds on previous and continuing work conducted by collaborators to identify, describe, and segregate members of the Harrisia cactus mealybug species complex, survey for and identify promising natural enemies, and export potential biological control agents to Puerto Rico for quarantine host range testing. In addition, this proposal builds on work conducted over the past year by collaborators at the Puerto Rico quarantine facility to prepare for the arrival of Argentine parasitoid species.
