The Tachinid Times ISSUE 10 February 1997 Jim O’Hara, editor Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, Biological Resources Program Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre C.E.F., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K1A 0C6 Correspondence: [email protected] This issue marks the 10th anniversary of The Resolutions adopted by International Conference on Tachinid Times. Though the appearance of the hardcopy Biological Control version of this newsletter has changed little over the An International Conference entitled, Technology years, the mode of production of the newsletter has Transfer in Biological Control: from Research to changed considerably. The first few issues were Practice, was held in Montpellier, France, 9-11 produced before personal computers were commonplace September 1996. The Conference was jointly organized in the workforce, and were compiled solely from letters by the International Organization for Biological Control sent by the readership. News items then began reaching (IOBC/OILB) and C.I.L.B.A./AGROPOLIS. me on diskettes, and now the Internet is the most Resolutions adopted by the participants are as follows common method used for submission of news. (reproduced from d’Agropolis, La lettre No. 38): A new medium for the exchange of information is now - WHEREAS biological control and IPM have upon us in the form of the World Wide Web, and its contributed significantly to environmentally compatible potential for the dissemination of scientific knowledge is and sustainable pest management for over 100 years with quickly being realized. Already there are “products” minimal non-target effects; appearing on the WWW which are unavailable in - WHEREAS biological control and IPM are eco- hardcopy, and it will not be long before some scientific logically-based processes that depend on a strong research journals publish in electronic versions only. component; One of the purposes of this newsletter is to provide a - WHEREAS biodiversity is best preserved by using yearly listing of recent literature about the Tachinidae. biological control methods against pest organisms; This bibliography now covers the years 1980 to 1996 and - WHEREAS a clear commitment to implementing and is available from me in WordPerfect or ASCII format. advocating biological control is needed to ensure With the advent of Web-based information systems, it availability of sustainable, sound pest management seems appropriate to extend coverage of tachinid-related practices which will contribute to improving overall references to this medium. Beginning this this issue I human well-being and biological diversity in the future; will include a section immediately before the tachinid - WHEREAS classical biological control has proved bibliography on tachinid-related URL’s, and I welcome particularly useful to protect subsistence crops in the readership to help me keep this list up-to-date. resource-poor regions; The next issue of The Tachinid Times will be - WHEREAS natural enemies remain the only efficient distributed in hardcopy and over the WWW in February tool presently available for controlling pest problems 1998. Please send contributions for the next issue before occurring on a number of small-sized crops; the last week of January 1998. - WHEREAS there are still groups of pest species that have not been considered appropriate targets for biological control operations; The Tachinid Times - WHEREAS an increasing number of pest species is being commercial bromeliads in that state. The project is introduced to new biogeographic regions each year; funded by the Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies, - WHEREAS the transfer in terms of biological control Inc. and collaborates with Dr. Howard Frank at the and IPM technologies has been uneven in different parts University of Florida. The research constitutes the thesis of the world; of an undergraduate student at the Escuela Agricola - WHEREAS the search for, the development, and use of Panamericana, Zamorano. Intentions are to understand new biological control agents should continue to increase the reproductive biology of Admontia sp. and develop a productivity, sustainability and yield significant economic culturing method in the laboratory in order to produce benefits to the future; material for further studies and possibly introduce The participants in the Montpellier IOBC/OILB individuals into the field in south Florida. Conference strongly recommend that: Provided with a honey/water mixture, Admontia 1. biological control methods be considered for use o against any target pest species, and in particular in adults live for up to three weeks at 21 C. Female flies environmentally sensitive areas; enter plants at the base of leaves where they possibly 2. existing, natural biological control be enhanced by larviposit near the tunnel of the weevil larva in the adequate management of both crops and natural habitats; meristem. The parasitoid larva then would enter the 3. adequate support be secured for all basic research tunnel to find its host. Parasitized weevil larvae form a disciplines needed to develop biological control solutions, pupation chamber made of plant tissue threads but are with especial emphasis on systematics, technology killed before pupating. Admontia larvae may pupate implementation and evaluation techniques; within or outside the host pupation chamber. 4. new technologies be developed in terms of augmentation, mass-production, formulation, and Recent changes at the Central Experimental Farm, delivery; Ottawa (by J.E. O’Hara) 5. education, training, and information efforts in The year 1996 was one of great change for Agriculture biological control be given significant global commitment and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). The three Centres in terms of coordination and support, thereby recognizing formerly comprising the Research Branch of AAFC on the that information should flow from research to the end- Central Experimental Farm were downsized considerably users and vice-versa; and then amalgamated into a single Centre, the Eastern 6. awareness of biological control in society be Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre (ECORC). Within considerably increased through appropriate media this Centre, Systematic Entomology continued with much activities and publications written for general audiences; the same mandate as before, though became part of the 7. biological control be better documented; Crop Protection Program. Higher management has since 8. regulatory authorities develop systems that are science- discovered that their choice of name, Crop Protection based for registering biological control products and take Program, was not an improvement over the previous name, into account the relative importance of each market niche, so in spring 1997 we will probably reassume the name the intrinsic specificity of each active ingredient used, and Biological Resources Program for our systematic programs the long history of safe use of biological control and IPM; in entomology, botany and mycology. (Though we are an 9. governments develop laws, procedures and support for organization of systematists, “Biosystematics” has not biological control and IPM that maintain their safety been permitted in our title since the demise of our one-time record, increase public involvement and guarantee that name, Biosystematics Research Centre). they continue to contribute to human welfare. Systematic Entomology has been reorganized considerably. A new Study Management System has been Possible use of a tachinid in biocontrol program implemented which tracks research throughout our against bromeliad weevil (by R. Cave) Research Branch. Systematic Entomology now comprises A project was initiated in 1996 to study the four studies, namely biocontrol, pests, animal protection reproductive biology and mass rearing of a probably and biodiversity. Each study has clearly defined goals, undescribed species of Admontia which parasitizes the milestones, products and clients. Scientists may belong to larvae of the weevil Metamasius quadrilineatus more than one study depending upon the projects he/she is Champion. This weevil infests cloud forest bromeliads involved in. Of concern to this newsletter is the Biocontrol Study, in Central America, but a close congener, Metamasius of which I am study leader. There are currently several callizona (Chevrolat), was found in south Florida in projects involving the Tachinidae in the Biocontrol Study. 1989 and is causing significant damage to native and One is the preparation of electronically published Page 2 Issue 10, February 1997 The Tachinid Times interactive keys (and perhaps hardcopy keys as well) to the Valicente, F.H. Survey of natural enemies of Spodoptera tachinid and hymenopterous parasitoids of the Bertha frugiperda in the south of Brazil. P. 670. (Poster.) armyworm (Mamestra configurata), diamondback moth Yagi, S., Shinbo, H. and S. Nakamura. In vitro rearing of (Plutella xylostella), obliquebanded leafroller (Choristo- parasitoids. P. 615. neura rosaceana) and western spruce budworm (Choristo- Zuk, M., Simmons, L. and J.T. Rotenberry. Phonotactic neura occidentalis). Taxonomic revisions of certain parasitoids and calling behavior in the field cricket problematic tachinid groups may be conducted in Teleogryllus oceanicus. P. 367. conjunction with the preparation of these keys. Another project is the cataloguing of the Tachinidae of America Fourth International Congress of Dipterology (by A.C. north of Mexico using the software program Platypus Pont) (developed by CSIRO in Australia). These projects