Invasive Insects of Concern to Georgia Page 1 Why are these insects of concern to Georgia? These insects are invasive species and have the potential to create significant damage through direct losses to agronomic crops, forests, our landscape, structures, aquatic environments or environmental damage through wide-spread plant mortality. The presence of these pests may also result in quarantines that restrict the import and export of commodities. What is an invasive species? An invasive species is any species (including its seeds, eggs, spores, or other propagative material) that is not native to an ecosystem, and lives free from natural predators, parasites, or competitors. As a result, they can develop large populations very rapidly, and their introduction does or is likely to cause harm to the economy, environment or human health. Native insects can be pests, but the introduction of exotic insect species has the potential to cause greater damage due to a lack of effective biological control agents and a lack of resistance in our native plants. Invasive species can out-compete, displace or kill native species and disrupt vital ecosystem functions such as wildlife food and habitat, water flow, nutrient cycling or soil decomposition. This brochure provides information about non-native insect species that are thought to be of concern to GA: some are already causing significant damage, others are established but not widely distributed, and some are potential serious pests not yet established in GA. Where do these invasive insects come from? Most are native to other continents but a few are native to the Southwestern U.S., Mexico or Central America and have become established in the Southeast. Invasive insects are frequently introduced accidentally as “hitch-hikers” in contaminated freight or the movement of contaminated wood products (including shipping pallets and firewood), host plants or food products. Why don’t our native plants have resistance to these exotic insects? Front Cover: Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora Plants develop resistance to native insects through interaction glabripennis). Photo credit Melody Keena, USDA Forest over many generations. Plants with resistance survive to pass Service, Bugwood.org. their resistive characteristics on to the next generation. Over time the plant species develops a set of effective defenses that allows it to survive attack. When a new insect is introduced, Citation: the defenses of the plant species are not prepared to counter its attacks and significant losses often occur. Moss, E.J., G.K. Douce, J.H. LaForest, D.J. Moorhead, C.T. Bargeron, M.D. Toews, 2016. Invasive Species of Concern to What type of damage do these invasive insects cause? Georgia. The University of Georgia. Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, Tifton, GA. BW-2016-01. 36 p. Different insects cause different types of damage which can stress or even kill plants by either directly damaging them or by All images can be found in the Bugwood Image Database System weakening them, making them susceptible to other stress factors. at http://images.bugwood.org. Page 2 Page 3 The type of damage inflicted is an important identification tool. How do we know an insect will be a problem here if it isn’t Leaf-feeding insects may defoliate plants once or many times. currently? Wood-boring insects kill by disabling the plant’s ability to take up or transport water and nutrients, or can structurally damage We don’t, however, with our favorable climate and an abundance the plant. Many insects damage the fruit or seeds of plants or are of potential hosts, many non-native organisms could become noxious to humans or domestic or wild animals. Many times, established and thrive in Georgia. Since it is difficult to predict the only recourse in the face of infestation is whole tree removal, the extent of potential damage until after an introduction has as in the case of Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) eradication occurred, caution is advocated to prevent an introduction programs. in the first place, if possible. Additionally, if a population of exotic organisms becomes established, we encourage the implementation of management plans to limit the spread and impact of that organism while the population is small and limited in geographical scope. What can I do to fight these invasive insects? The most important thing we can do to help fight invasive species is to prevent introduction and establishment in the first place! There are some very basic measures one can follow to prevent the spread of invasive pests locally. BEFORE If you engage in recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, camping and boating, you could be inadvertently transporting invasive species. Invasive organisms often hide in or on items needed for outdoor activities, such as firewood, waders, boats, T. B. Denholm, NJ Dept. of Agriculture, Bugwood.org of Agriculture, B. Denholm, NJ Dept. T. ATVs and camping equipment. Cleaning your equipment before visiting another area, and purchasing local firewood (from the same county or within fifty miles from where you will burn it) helps to minimize transport. Many parks, camps and boat ramps sell firewood and/or have wader wash stations. If you do not burn all of your locally-purchased firewood, leave it behind for the next camper or angler. Don’t take it home, as you could be AFTER taking home unwanted pests. Even if firewood looks “clean” ALB eradication measures in New Jersey and healthy and is properly dried, it can still have tiny invasive Are all exotic species invasive? insect eggs, microscopic fungal spores, or even larvae living in the wood. No, actually only a small percentage of introduced species ever become invasive. However, it is nearly impossible to predict which species will become invasive and new species are being introduced every day. Some species can be present for many years before they exhibit invasive characteristics, perhaps going through a “lag phase” in which their populations grow slowly or adapt to the environment. At some point the population may reach a size where it is able to explode and become invasive. Are all of these invasive insects here now? A number of the species listed in this publication are not known to be established in the U.S. To date, 13 of the species listed APHIS PPQ,USDA APHIS PPQ, USDA Bugwood.org Removing gypsy moth egg mass from trailer hitch here have been detected in Georgia. Invasive organisms can be easily transported on other forest products including living plants or fresh fruit or recently-killed plant material including lumber and wooden packing material. These products should be treated with the same precautions as Page 4 Order: Coleoptera Family: Buprestidae Page 5 firewood, and their long-range movement should be avoided. It is recommended that you purchase only local, certified pest-free nursery stock. A. Battisti, Universita di Padova, Bugwood.org Padova, di Universita A. Battisti, USDA Forest Service Forest USDA L. Nageleisen, Département de la Santé des Forêts, Bugwood.org des Forêts, de la Santé Département L. Nageleisen, It is important to educate yourself and keep up-to-date on the status of the pests listed in this publication, among others. Resources with information on what to look for and how to Bugwood.org des Forêts, de la Santé Département L. Nageleisen, control exotic species are available through your local extension office and many websites: Oak splendor beetle - Agrilus biguttatus http://www.bugwood.org Oak splendor beetle is native to Asia and it has not yet been http://www.invasive.org found in North America. The beetle is a strong flier, able to travel http://www.forestpests.org several miles in search of a suitable host. It is readily moved http://www.pestalert.org in wood products such as firewood and other materials with http://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant_health attached bark. Oak is the primary host but chestnut and beech http://pest.ceris.purdue.edu/ are also susceptible. This beetle may have one generation a year http://www.dontmovefirewood.org/ in warm climates, but a two-year cycle is more common. Adult females feed on oak foliage before depositing clusters of 5 to 6 Rapidly identifying new introductions and reporting any eggs in bark crevices. The south side of large oaks (diameter at occurrences to your local County Extension Agent or Forestry breast height of 11 to 15 inches) is preferred. Larvae feed in Commission Office may help to minimize the introduction, the cambium, creating frass-filled “zig-zag” galleries. Mature spread and impact of invasive species. So spread the word: tell larvae are creamy white, legless grubs around 1 to 1¾ inches in your neighbors if you see invasive species on their property. length. The firstthoracic segment is wider than the other body Volunteer with natural resources agencies to control invasive segments. Two hornlike projections (urogomphi) are found on species. It is more effective and economical to control small the last abdominal segment. Pupation occurs in the bark, and infestations than well-established, rapidly spreading infestations. over-wintering can occur in both the larval and pupal stages. Adult oak splendor beetles emerge from May to June, leaving D-shaped exit holes. Adults are attractive, metallic green, slender insects about ⅓ to ½ inch in length. The end third of each wing cover has a distinct white mark on the interior edge. Damage Throughout this publication, there are words in bold. These typically results in dieback, epicormic branching, crown thinning terms are defined in a glossary on the last page. and tree mortality. Page 6 Order: Coleoptera Family: Buprestidae Order: Coleoptera Family: Buprestidae Page 7 D. Cappaert, MSU, Bugwood.org Cappaert, MSU, D. D. Cappaert, MSU, Bugwood.org Cappaert, MSU, D. M. Zubrik, Forest Research Institute - Slovakia, Bugwood.org - Slovakia, Institute Research M.