Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Milestones Insect and weed pests have significant negative impacts on natural and managed ecosystems in the North Central region. Conventional management tools including pesticides are frequently expensive and may have undesirable environmental or human health impacts. Biological control is a critical part of IPM aimed at safe and effective management of pests. The goal of NCERA-125 is to coordinate biological control research, education, and implementation in the North Central Region. Our specific objectives, and the associated Milestones for 2007, are as follows: 1. Advance the science of biological control through fundamental research on the biology of natural enemies and their application in pest management. 2007 Milestones:

a. obtain external funding for biological control research b. publish several peer-reviewed journal articles on biological control-related research

2. Facilitate the implementation of biological control in production and natural systems. 2007 Milestones:

a. obtain permits for, and coordinate the release of the soybean aphid biological control agent, Binodoxys communis b. provide threshold recommendations for insect pest management that help conserve natural enemies in agricultural systems

3. Educate stakeholders, students, extension personnel and the general public on the principles and practices of biological control. 2007 Milestones:

a. organize a biological control-related symposium for the education of fellow scientists b. organize educational opportunities on biological control for producers, extension educators, and other agricultural stakeholders c. educate graduate students in the science of biological control d. conduct an educational workshop on biological control for the scientific community, including students e. provide information about biological control to various popular media outlets

4. Contribute to national dialog about regulatory issues of biological control. 2007 Milestone:

a. conntribute to the International Organization for Biological Control effort to establish best practice guidelines for classical biological control

Accomplishments 1. Advance the science of biological control through fundamental research on the biology of natural enemies and their application in pest management.

a. Members of this group obtained regional grants for four group-funding projects that involve either conservation or classical biological control. These were "Biological Control of the Soybean Aphid" and "Management of Soybean Aphid in the North Central States" (North Central Soybean Research Program), "Releasing Binodoxys communis for suppression of soybean aphids: Delivering on the Promise" (Iowa Soybean Association), and "Soybean Aphid in the North Central US: Implementing IPM at the Landscape Scale" (USDA RAMP). The NCERA-125 meetings have provided a forum for discussion and the formation of collaborative relationships that helped make these group-funding grants possible. b. Members of this group contributed to 30 peer-reviewed research journal articles related to the subject of biological control.

2. Facilitate the implementation of biological control in production and natural systems.

a. In 2007, NCERA-125 member George Heimpel (University of Minnesota) performed research in support of obtaining a permit for the release of the Asian parasitoid, Binodoxys communis. Other members of NCERA-125 helped in release efforts by obtaining transport and/or release permits in seven Midwestern states and by conducting preliminary releases in the summer of 2007. The NCERA-125 meetings have provided a forum to keep members apprised of progress on this project, and to plan for and coordinate release efforts in the North Central region. b. Members of NCERA-125 contributed to the dissemination of IPM treatment thresholds for the soybean aphid which help conserve natural enemies in the soybean system. In one state (South Dakota) this conservation-minded threshold was first adopted in 2007. It is estimated that adopting this threshold provides a cost-savings to producers in South Dakota alone of $32.4 million per year in years of moderate aphid pressure.

3. Educate stakeholders, students, extension personnel and the general public on the principles and practices of biological control.

a. NCERA-125 members organized a symposium at the Entomological Society of America North Central Branch meeting for the continuing education of fellow scientists on advances in biological control. The symposium featured five talks by regional leaders in biological control research. Attendance at this symposium was estimated at 75 research professionals. In addition, a symposium associated with the abovementioned USDA grant, "Implementing IPM at the Landscape Scale" was being planned and organized for the 2007 annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America. b. NCERA-125 members contributed talks and information to the distance education shortcourse, "Managing Soybean Aphid in 2007: How Will Biological Control Contribute?" (organized by Kevin Steffey, University of Illinois). This distance education opportunity was available to extension educators and agricultural stakeholders in 124 sites in 16 states and provinces, and was delivered to 338 participants. This 3.5 hour shortcourse included eleven talks and a website service (including presentation podcasts for later viewing and reference). NCERA-125 members also contributed information the website "Soybean Aphid Biological Control," (http://www.entomology.wisc.edu/sabc/resources.htm) maintained by the University of Wisconsin. Website visitation statistics are only available for a four-month period from January to April 2007, but during this quarter the site received 29,425 page hits. Visitation was likely even higher during the growing season, as hits were on the increase by April. c. NCERA-125 members educated at least 20 graduate students and postdoctoral associated (just among members present at the meeting). d. NCERA-125 served as the planning forum for the 2007 Midwest Institute for Biological Control shortcourse "Insect Pathology," organized by Lee Solter (Illinois Natural History Survey). This week-long course instructed 25 students and biocontrol professionals in biological control by insect pathogens. e. NCERA-125 members were involved in a broad array of educational outreach activities through various public media. Highlights include a University of Minnesota media campaign highlighting biological control research which appeared in the New York Times among other outlets. The work of NCERA-125 members also appeared in broadcasts on Minnesota Public Radio (carried on many National Public Radio stations) and in a number of agricultural radio and newspaper reports.

4. Contribute to national dialog about regulatory issues of biological control.

a. NCERA-125 served as a forum for discussion and communication which contributed to the International Organization for Biological Control's "Best Practices Certificate for Classical Biological Control of Arthropods," which has been put up for vote by the IOBC membership. This is a voluntary program to obtain a stamp of approval from the IOBC (Nearctic Region) that researchers are doing the best possible practices that are recognized by this organization in the research and release of biological control agents. This certification program was developed in response to a leadership vacuum and a lack of clarity in the biological control permitting process, and represents an act of leadership in codifying the recent paradigm shifts in the practice of arthropod biological control.

Butler, C. D., and R. J. O'Neil. 2007. Life history characteristics of Orius insidiosus (Say) fed diets of soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura and soybean thrips, Neohydatothrips variabilis (Beach). Biol. Control. 40: 339-346. Butler, C. D., and R. J. O'Neil. 2007. Life history characteristics of Orius insidiosus (Say) fed Aphis glycines Matsumura. Biol. Control. 40: 333-338. Costamagna, A. C., W. van der Werf, F. J. J. Bianchi, and D. A. Landis. 2007. An exponential growth model with decreasing r captures bottom-up effects on the population growth of Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae). Agricultural and Forest Entomology, 9: 297  305. Costamagna, A. C., and D. A. Landis. 2007. Quantifying predation on soybean aphid through direct field observations. Biological Control 42: 16  24. Costamagna, A. C., D. A. Landis, and C. D. DiFonzo. 2007. Suppression of A. glycines by generalist predators results in a trophic cascade in soybean. Ecological Applications 17: 441 - 451. De Boer, J.G., Ode, P.J., Vet, L.E.M., Whitfield, J.B. & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Diploid males sire triploid daughters and sons in the parasitoid wasp Cotesia vestalis. Heredity 99, 288-294. Deol , Yadwinder S., Sukhbir K. Grewal, L. Cañas and Parwinder S. Grewal. 2007. An assessment of entomopathogenic nematode delivery through commercial potting media and garden soil. In Press, International Journal of Nematology. Deol , Yadwinder S., Sukhbir K. Grewal, L. Cañas and Parwinder S. Grewal. 2007. An assessment of entomopathogenic nematode delivery through commercial potting media and garden soil. In Press, International Journal of Nematology. Fuchsberg, J. R., T.-H. Yong, J. E. Losey, M. E. Carter, and M. P. Hoffmann. 2007. Evaluation of corn leaf aphid (Rhopalosiphum maidis; Homoptera: Aphididae) honeydew as a food source for the egg parasitoid Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Biological Control 40: 230-236. Ganpati B. Jagdale, Mildred L. Casey, Luis Cañas, Parwinder S. Grewal. 2007. Effect of entomopathogenic nematode species, split application and potting medium on the control of the fungus gnat, Bradysia difformis (Diptera: Sciaridae), in the greenhouse at alternating cold and warm temperatures. Biological Control 43: 2330. Gardner, J., M. P. Hoffmann, S. A. Cheever, A. J. Seaman, P. Westgate and R. V. Hazzard. 2007. Large-scale releases of Trichogramma ostriniae to suppress Ostrinia nubilalis in commercially grown processing and fresh market sweet corn. J. Appl. Entomol. 131:432-440. Harwood, J.D., N. Desneux, H.J.S. Yoo, D.L. Rowley, M.H. Greenstone, J.J. Obrycki, & R.J. O'Neil. 2007. Tracking the role of alternative prey in soybean aphid predation by Orius insidiosus: a molecular approach. Molecular Ecology 16:4390-4400. Harwood, J.D. & J.J. Obrycki. 2007. Temporal detection of Cry1Ab-endotoxins in coccinellid predators from fields of Bacillus thuringiensis corn. Bull. Entomol.Research 97: 643-648. Harwood, J.D., M.R. Bostrum, E.E. Hladilek, D.H. Wise & J.J. Obrycki. 2007. An Order-specific monoclonal antibody to Diptera reveals the impact of alternative prey on spider feeding behavior in a complex food web. Biological Control 41:397-407. Harwood, J.D. & J.J. Obrycki. 2007. Web-site selection strategies of linyphiid spiders in alfalfa: implications for biological control. BioControl 52: 451-467. Hodgson, E. W., B. P. McCornack, K. A. Koch, D. W. Ragsdale, K. D. Johnson, M. E. ONeal, E. M. Cullen, H. J. Kraiss, C. D. DiFonzo, M. Jewett, and L. M. Behnken. 2007. Field validation of Speed Scouting for soybean aphid. Online Journal. Crop Manag. http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/cm/ Krischik, V.A., Landmark, A.L. & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Soil-applied imidacloprid is translocated to nectar and kills nectar-feeding Anagyrus pseudococci (Girault) (Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae). Environmental Entomology, 36, 1238-1245. Lee, J.C. & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Sugar feeding reduces short-term activity of a parasitoid wasp. Physiological Entomology 32, 99-103. Matos, B. & J.J. Obrycki. 2007. Evaluation of mortality of Galerucella calmariensis L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) preimaginal life stages and pupal survival at two wetlands in Iowa. J. Kansas Entomol. Soc. 80: 16-26. Michaud, J.P. & J.L. Jyoti. 2007. Repellency of conspecific and heterospecific larval residues to ovipositing Hippodamia convergens Guerin (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) foraging for greenbugs on sorghum plants. Eur. J. Entomol. 104: 399-405. Michaud, J.P. & J.L. Jyoti. 2007. Dietary complementation across life stages in a polyphagous lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata. Entomol. Exp. Appl. (in press). Raghu, S., Dhileepan, K. and Scanlan, J.C. 2007. Predicting risk and benefit a priori in biological control of invasive plant species: a systems modelling approach. Ecological Modelling (in press). Raghu, S. and Walton, C. 2007. Understanding the ghost of Cactoblastis past: historical clarifications on a poster-child of classical biological control. BioScience 57: 699705. Ragsdale, D. W. B. P. McCornack, R. C. Venette, B. D. Potter, I. V. MacRae, E. W. Hodgson, M. E. ONeal, K. D. Johnson, R. J. ONeil, C. D. Difonzo, T. E. Hunt, P. Glogoza, and E. M. Cullen. 2007. Economic Threshold for Soybean Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) J. Econ. Entomol. 100(4): 1258-1267. Wu, Z. & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Dynamic egg maturation strategies in an aphid parasitoid. Physiological Entomology, 32, 143-149. Wyckhuys, K. and R. J. ONeil. 2007. Extra-field contribution to abundance of natural enemies of Spodoptera frugiperda Smith (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in Central American subsistence maize production. International Journal of Pest Management. (In press). Wyckhuys, K.A.G. & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Response of the soybean aphid parasitoid Binodoxys communis to olfactory cues from target and non-target host-plant complexes. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 123, 159-158. Wyckhuys, K.A.G., Koch, R.L., & Heimpel, G.E. 2007. Physical and ant-mediated refuges from parasitism: implications for non-target effects in biological control. Wyckhuys, K. A. G., Hopper, K. R., Wu, K. M., Straub, C., Gratton, C. & Heimpel, G. E. 2007. Predicting Potential Ecological Impact of Soybean Aphid Biological Control Introductions. Biocontrol News Inform. 28, 3034. Yong, T.-H., S. Pitcher, J. Gardner, and M. P. Hoffmann. 2007. Odor specificity testing in the assessment of efficacy and non-target risk for Trichogramma ostriniae (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae). Biocontrol Science and Technology 17: 135-153.