Benefits and Risks of Imidacloprid-Based Management Programs for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
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University of Tennessee, Knoxville TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 5-2016 BENEFITS AND RISKS OF IMIDACLOPRID-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID Elizabeth Paige Benton University of Tennessee - Knoxville, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss Part of the Entomology Commons, Forest Biology Commons, and the Forest Management Commons Recommended Citation Benton, Elizabeth Paige, "BENEFITS AND RISKS OF IMIDACLOPRID-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2016. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/3681 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TRACE: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. To the Graduate Council: I am submitting herewith a dissertation written by Elizabeth Paige Benton entitled "BENEFITS AND RISKS OF IMIDACLOPRID-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID." I have examined the final electronic copy of this dissertation for form and content and recommend that it be accepted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, with a major in Entomology and Plant Pathology. Jerome F. Grant, Major Professor We have read this dissertation and recommend its acceptance: R. Jesse Webster, Rebecca J. Nichols, Joseph Baile, John Schwartz Accepted for the Council: Carolyn R. Hodges Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School (Original signatures are on file with official studentecor r ds.) BENEFITS AND RISKS OF IMIDACLOPRID-BASED MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID A Dissertation Presented for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree The University of Tennessee, Knoxville Elizabeth Paige Benton May 2016 Copyright © 2015 by Elizabeth Paige Benton All rights reserved. ii DEDICATION I dedicate this dissertation to my family: Dan, Violet, and Russ Benton. This endeavor would not have been possible without their love, support, and sacrifice. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to everyone who has assisted me in completing this research project. I thank my advisor Dr. Jerome Grant for his guidance throughout this process and for providing me with opportunities to advance my education. I thank my committee members Jesse Webster, Dr. Becky Nichols, Dr. John Schwartz, and Dr. Joe Bailey for their guidance and mentoring during this project. I thank Dr. Rich Cowles, Dr. Anthony Lagalante, and Dr. Tom Mueller for assistance and guidance with pesticide chemical analyses and data interpretation. I thank Dr. Arnold Saxton and Dr. John McCreadie for their guidance with statistical analyses. I thank Dr. John Morse, Dr. Boris Kondratieff, Dr. Chuck Parker, and David Lenat for guidance with aquatic insect taxonomy. I thank Dr. Greg Wiggins, Dr. Carla Coots, and Renee Follum for guidance and support during this process. In addition, I thank the following people for assistance within the field and laboratory: Bryhana Adams, John Glafenhein, Phil Hensley, Ashley Lamb, Katheryn Nix, Forrest Salts, Bryson Scruggs, Scott Sherry, Derrick Turman, and numerous National Park Service personnel. I would also like to thank the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service for funding. iv ABSTRACT Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Annand) (HWA) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), has caused widespread decline of eastern hemlock, Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carriére. This collaborative retrospective analysis with Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GRSM) provides research-based management guidance on imidacloprid treatments and nontarget risks to aquatic systems. Imidacloprid and olefin concentrations were assessed in foliage from different diameter at breast height (DBH) size hemlocks 4 – 7 yr post-imidacloprid treatment. Imidacloprid concentrations were below the LC50 [lethal concentration] for HWA, but olefin was above the LC50 4 yr post-treatment. HWA populations were suppressed, and hemlock canopies were healthy. Treatment efficacy can last up to 7 yr post-treatment. Hemlocks from the larger (61 and 76 cm) size classes generally had higher concentrations of imidacloprid and olefin. Concentration data from foliage of different size hemlocks were used to develop a model to optimize dosages based on tree diameter. Smaller (< 30 cm) and larger (> 63 cm) hemlocks can be given lower imidacloprid doses, while maintaining > 80% HWA mortality in hemlocks. Impacts to stream water quality and aquatic macroinvertebrates were assessed in ten streams in hemlock conservation areas. Water samples were collected upstream and downstream from conservation areas and in nearby control streams. Imidacloprid was present in seven downstream locations in concentrations from 28.5 to 379 ppt, which is below USEPA aquatic life benchmarks. Aquatic macroinvertebrate bioassessments were conducted at downstream and v upstream locations, and downstream baseline data were available. Diversity measures at downstream samples did not vary from those at upstream and baseline samples. Imidacloprid treatments did not negatively affect aquatic macroinvertebrate communities. Imidacloprid treatments suppress HWA populations for up to 7 yr. Dosages can be optimized based on the DBH size of the hemlock. Imidacloprid risks to aquatic systems for this HWA management program were minimal and within USEPA benchmarks. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 Eastern Hemlock ......................................................................................................................... 2 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid ........................................................................................................... 5 Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Management ................................................................................... 10 Non-Target Risks ...................................................................................................................... 17 Great Smoky Mountains National Park HWA Management Program ..................................... 22 Objectives ................................................................................................................................. 23 CHAPTER II. ASSESSMENT OF IMIDACLOPRID AND ITS METABOLITES IN FOLIAGE OF EASTERN HEMLOCK MULTIPLE YEARS FOLLOWING TREATMENT FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID, ADELGES TSUGAE, IN FORESTED CONDITIONS..... 25 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 26 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 27 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 32 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................. 41 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 52 CHAPTER III. ASSESSING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TREE DIAMETER AND LONG- TERM PERSISTENCE OF IMIDACLOPRID AND OLEFIN TO OPTIMIZE IMIDACLOPRID TREATMENTS OF EASTERN HEMLOCK .............................................................................. 54 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 55 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 56 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 59 Results ....................................................................................................................................... 66 Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 80 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................... 85 CHAPTER IV. HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID ABUNDANCE AND HEMLOCK CANOPY HEALTH NUMEROUS YEARS AFTER IMIDACLOPRID BASAL DRENCH TREATMENTS: IMPLICATIONS FOR MANAGEMENT PROGRAMS ............................... 87 Abstract ..................................................................................................................................... 88 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 89 Materials and Methods .............................................................................................................. 92 Results and Discussion ............................................................................................................. 97 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................. 113 CHAPTER V. ASSESSMENT OF IMIDACLOPRID TREATMENTS FOR HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADELGID ON STREAM WATER QUALITY IN THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS .....................................................................................................................