Regulatory Entomology and Biological Control: a Tribute to Reece Sailer
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244 Florida Entomologist 87(2) June 2004 REGULATORY ENTOMOLOGY AND BIOLOGICAL CONTROL: A TRIBUTE TO REECE SAILER HAROLD A. DENMARK, CHIEF (RETIRED) Bureau of Entomology, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Dr. Reece I. Sailer joined the faculty of the En- though the Bureau was not conducting biological tomology and Nematology Department, Univer- control programs at that time, I was inspired by sity of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural this opportunity to build for the future. Sciences in early 1973, an opportune time to con- The Florida State Collection of Arthropods duct biological control research (Fig. 1). He en- (FSCA) had less than 30,000 specimens prior to tered arguably the nations largest entomological 1953, most of them poorly pinned and without la- community with a well-developed research and bels. Today, it is one of the best collections in regulatory infrastructure. His research in insect North America with more than eight million spec- biological control required taxonomists to provide imens well-pinned, labeled and identified to spe- authoritative identifications and an associated li- cies. The professionally-curated collection also brary, well-curated collections of specimens iden- contains partially identified specimens, 344,000 tified to species, and a secure building with in vials of alcohol and 340,000 mounted on slides. limited access to contain exotic arthropods and Of the specimens on slides, 100,000 are mites. arthropod pathogens. I committed my career to There are 30,000 bulk samples in alcohol that the creation of this kind of infrastructure for Flor- contain millions of specimens collected across ida and, with the help of a dedicated staff, ob- much of the world to be sorted, identified, labeled tained and managed many of the resources that and added to the collection. Now the fifth largest supported Dr. Sailer. This work began 49 years arthropod collection in the U.S., it is curated by ago, in July 1953, when I left the Entomology De- eight full-time taxonomists, one quarantine ento- partment of the University of Florida and ac- mologist, six technicians, and five assistants. Dr. cepted a position as an Entomologist in the Howard Weems developed the supporting FSCA Entomology Bureau of the State Plant Board Research Associates program that has grown to (SPB). I had been teaching biological control and more than 300 members. The taxonomic library is apiculture, and was interested in insect taxon- one of the most complete in North American, con- omy. Ed Ayers, the recently appointed Plant Com- taining both American and European journals. missioner, directed me to build an Entomology These FSCA resources at the Florida Department Bureau with an extensive insect collection and a of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), regulatory capability second to no other state. Al- Division of Plant Industry (DPI) are available to the staff, University of Florida faculty and stu- dents, and cooperators. In 1870, Germany was the first country to pass a quarantine law, perhaps due in part to the threat posed by the Colorado potato beetle, Lepti- notarsa decemlineata (Say). This pest was first described by Thomas Say as an obscure chry- somelid found feeding on a wild solanaceous plant known as buffalo bur or sand bur that grows along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains from Canada to Texas (Say 1824). For 30 years it continued to be of no economic importance until the pioneer settlers brought Irish potatoes into the area. The beetle quickly accepted the potato as a new source of food and became known as the Colorado potato beetle. It swept steadily east- ward and arrived at the Atlantic Coast in 1874. This event did not go unnoticed in Germany but, with the help of man, the beetle found its way into Europe and eventually Germany in spite of the quarantine law. The Florida Plant Act was passed on April 30, 1915 (Yonge 1915), soon after the U.S. enacted the Federal Plant Quarantine Act in 1912 and Cali- fornia became the first state to have regulatory Fig. 1. Dr. Reece I. Sailer. authority, also in 1912. Regulations were re- Pioneer Lecture 245 quired to control the spread of citrus canker that olia cardinalis (Mulsant), introduced into Florida was found in Jefferson County on September 30, from California in 1899 to control the cottony 1912. Some citrus was grown in the panhandle of cushion scale, Icerya purchasi Maskell (Berger Florida at that time, particularly Satsuma or- 1915). The vedalia beetle had been imported pre- anges. The Florida Department of Port and Rail- viously from Australia into California where it way Inspection of the SPB was created in June had become a very successful classical biological 1915 to inspect incoming ships and trains. The control agent. The SPB maintained a colony of the SPB was in charge of port inspections in Florida vedalia beetle until the mid 1930s and sold them until 1958. It was administered by the Board of to citrus growers and nurserymen at 10 beetles Control of the University of Florida and furnished per dollar. Cottony cushion scale is no longer a office space on the fifth and sixth floors of the Sea- pest in Florida probably because the vedalia bee- gle Building until moving to the Doyle Conner tle is still present and suppressing it to very low Building in 1967 (Fig. 2). The SPB became the population levels. This classic example of biologi- DPI, one of the 11 divisions of DACS in 1960. The cal control caught my attention as a student and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also had I have been interested in the field ever since. their personnel at ports in Florida and, in 1958, In addition to intentionally introducing insects accepted full responsibility for 100% inspection of for whatever purpose, some pests have arrived ac- all incoming cargo. Since 1960, the percentage of cidentally on agricultural products. The gypsy inspected cargo has steadily decreased to only 2- moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), was imported into 3% today. This decline was due to a large increase the Northeast from Europe in about 1869 to im- in the volume of cargo entering U.S. ports, includ- prove silk production. Egg masses are routinely ing plants, other agricultural products, and pas- found in Florida on campers and travel trailers senger baggage. that arrive in the fall from infested areas. How- Prior to the Florida Plant Act, there was no ever, due to Florida’s warm climate, this pest does regulatory authority to control non-indigenous not become established. The European corn borer, species in Florida, introduced or adventive, in- Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner), was accidentally in- cluding biological control agents. Comprehensive troduced in about 1908 on broomcorn from Italy records were not kept but it is estimated that or Hungary. By 1938, it had spread over practi- about 35 species of parasites or predators were re- cally all of New England. It reached the Florida leased in Florida from 1899 to 1964, based on in- Panhandle in 1975 when it was found in seven formation from the SPB, University of Florida, counties by DPI inspectors. The Japanese beetle, and USDA. The first was the vedalia beetle, Rod- Popillia japonica Newman, was introduced into Fig. 2. The Seagle Building (A) and Doyle Conner Building (B) in Gainesville, Florida successively housed the State Plant Board. 246 Florida Entomologist 87(2) June 2004 New Jersey on roots of nursery stock in about During this period, only 20 flies were trapped in 1916 from Japan and spread south into Georgia Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Lee Counties. in the late 1980s. It has been found in Florida as This species was not detected again in Florida un- a hitchhiker but has not become established. til April 23, 1965 at Miami Springs, and it subse- Among the more recent invasive pests is the quently infested Surinam cherries in the same sugarcane rootstalk weevil, Diaprepes abbrevia- area. Federal personnel who worked in Puerto tus (L.), first found in the Apopka area (Woodruff Rico thought that the caribfly was only a pest of 1964). It is a native of the West Indies with many ripe grapefruit, so it could not overwinter in Flor- host plants, including ornamental nursery stock. ida. Malathion (LV 95%) applied at the rate of 2 oz Initially, only one specimen was discovered on a per acre and 5 oz (25% WP) plus 1 pint of SIB No. nursery plant, but an infestation was subse- 7 bait per acre were tested on 200 acre blocks at quently detected in a nearby citrus grove Miami in 1965. Both sprays provided control suf- (Poucher 1968). The adults feed and lay eggs on ficient for eradication of the Caribbean fruit fly. the leaves of more than 200 hosts and larvae The Florida Legislature offered $1 million for an cause serious damage by feeding on roots. Larvae eradication program; however, it was deemed un- are difficult to control with insecticides after the necessary based on information provided by the first instar, even when chlordane, aldrin and di- USDA, APHIS. Within a year, the caribfly spread eldrin were available. A hymenopteran parasite, to 30 counties and we have had to learn to live Quadrastichus haitiensis (Gahan) was released with it. in the Apopka area but it was not effective be- The citrus blackfly, Aleurocanthus woglumi cause it could not overwinter. More recently, Dr. Ashby, first detected and eradicated in 1935 at Jorge Peña reported that the egg parasites, Q. Key West, was found a second time on January haitiensis, Ceratogramma etiennei Delvare and 28, 1976 in Broward County. A survey indicated Aprostocetus vaquitarum (Wolcott), have been re- that Dade and Palm Beach Counties were also in- leased and recovered in the southern part of the fested.