Introduction of Biological Control Organisms
As part of the campaign against the emerald ash borer (EAB), American scientists in conjunction with the Chinese Academy of Forestry searched since 2003 for its natural enemies in the wild leading to the discovery of several parasitoid wasps, namely Tetrastichus planipennisi, a gregarious larval endoparasitoid, Oobius agrili, a solitary, parthenogenic egg parasitoid, and Spathius agrili, a gregarious larval ectoparasitoid. These have been introduced and released into the United States of America as a possible biological control of the emerald ash borer. Initial results have shown promise with T. planipennisi, and it is now being released. Entomologist John Vandenberg is assessing the application of Beauveria bassiana (a fungal pathogen with known insecticidal properties) prior to the releasing of T. planipennisi. However, some recent studies have shown that B. bassiana has had deleterious effects on the wasps themselves.
Read more about this topic: Emerald Ash Borer
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