Text: Department of Agriculture Release on Pest Research
(USDA to undertake research to combat three pests)The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is undertaking new research to control three non-native destructive pests: kudzu, an invasive weed; the Formosan termite; and the tree-killing Asian long-horned beetle, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman announced January 31.
"This new research promises to help minimize the economic, ecological, and the human health impacts of invasive species and determine further steps to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species," said Glickman, co-chair of the National Invasive Species Council.
The Asian long-horned beetle, an insect native to China, has infected nearly 6,000 trees in the Chicago and New York City areas alone, according to the USDA. USDA scientists plan to conduct field tests with soil- and tree-injected insecticides this year against the tree-boring pest.
Following is the text of the press release:
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USDA RESEARCH MAY COMBAT INVASIVE PESTS
WASHINGTON
JANUARY 31, 2000Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced new research to control three destructive invasive species: kudzu, a non-native invasive weed; the Formosan termite, a tiny ravenous pest; and the Asian long-horned beetle, a tree-killing pest.
"This new research promises to help minimize the economic, ecological, and the human health impacts of invasive species and determine further steps to prevent the introduction and spread of invasive species," said Glickman, co- chair of the National Invasive Species Council. USDA scientists have found a fungus that's highly effective at knocking out kudzu in field locations where the weed grows uncontrollably. In greenhouse and field studies over two years, the fungus Myrothecium verrucaria, from the sicklepod plant found in the southeastern U.S., killed 100 percent of kudzu weeds.
This unattractive weed has crept over more than 7 million acres in the U.S., with control costs escalating nearly $6 million annually. This research was done in collaboration with Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, La. A joint patent will be pursued.
Meanwhile, a new weapon against the Asian long-horned beetle is slated for testing this year. USDA scientists are planning to conduct field tests this spring to determine whether a soil or tree-injected insecticide will stop the spread of the Asian long-horned beetle. The insect, native to China, bores into healthy hardwood trees, leading to their destruction.
To fight this invasive species, agriculture officials have been forced to remove more than 4,300 trees in and around New York City and more than 1,200 trees in the Chicago area. Officials are optimistic these field tests will provide an alternative to tree removal in the battle against this pest.
This summer, USDA researchers will field test a Formosan termite control project. Baits laced with spores of naturally occurring fungi may help dampen the Formosan termite's appetite for destruction. The Australian strain of Metarhizium fungus is one of the candidates to be tested in a new termite bait made of material more palatable to the Formosan termites in a variety of commercial mediums. In lab trials, up to 100 percent of Formosan termites died two days after exposure to millions of the fungus spores. The baits are central to an area- wide termite control project planned for Mississippi's Gulf Coast. These termites cost an estimated $1 billion a year in property damage, repair and control costs.
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