[fullwidth background_color=”” background_image=”” background_parallax=”none” enable_mobile=”no” parallax_speed=”0.3″ background_repeat=”no-repeat” background_position=”left top” video_url=”” video_aspect_ratio=”16:9″ video_webm=”” video_mp4=”” video_ogv=”” video_preview_image=”” overlay_color=”” overlay_opacity=”0.5″ video_mute=”yes” video_loop=”yes” fade=”no” border_size=”0px” border_color=”” border_style=”” padding_top=”20″ padding_bottom=”20″ padding_left=”0″ padding_right=”0″ hundred_percent=”no” equal_height_columns=”no” hide_on_mobile=”no” menu_anchor=”” class=”” id=””][title size=”1″ content_align=”left” style_type=”underline solid” sep_color=”#000000″ margin_top=”” margin_bottom=”” class=”” id=””]Minnesota Department of Agriculture releases stingless wasps to wage war on emerald ash borer[/title][fusion_text]Tuesday, November 17th 2015
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) continues to wage war on emerald ash borer (EAB) with the help of stingless wasps. This year the department released over 182,500 wasps in the Twin Cities metro area and southeastern Minnesota. This is over 5,000 more wasps than the previous four years combined. Since EAB is not native to North America, it has no known natural enemies here. After years of research and rigorous testing, scientists found the insect’s enemies – stingless wasps – in the EAB’s native Asia. This pest control strategy is referred to as biological control, or biocontrol, which pairs an invasive pest with natural enemies. The wasps kill ash borer eggs and larvae. The wasps were produced and supplied by the United States Department of Agriculture EAB Parasitoid Rearing Facility in Brighton, Michigan. The facility makes the insects available to states fighting EAB. This fall MDA staff have been able to recover stingless wasps in Great River Bluffs State Park near Winona. The tiny insects were released in the park in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Since the wasps only feed on EAB and have reproduced for several generations, scientists know the wasps have found and killed EAB living in the park’s ash trees. It is the MDA’s goal to continue to expand the use of the wasps with the expanding EAB infestations. The long-term goal is for EAB infestations to have established parasitoid wasp populations that can eventually bring EAB population numbers down to a level where ash trees can survive in the environment along with EAB. “The MDA is still early in this process, but we’re excited that we’ve been able to recover parasitoid wasps and are hopeful for long-term success,” said Jonathan Osthus, MDA’s EAB Biological Control Coordinator. “This is the best tool we have at the forest level to combat emerald ash borer.” As new EAB infestations are identified they are analyzed for potential wasp releases. Minnesota has confirmed EAB infestations in Anoka, Chisago, Dakota, Fillmore, Hennepin, Houston, Olmsted, Ramsey, Scott, Washington, and Winona counties, and Park Point in Duluth. The MDA has an interactive map of wasp releases and infested EAB trees. Go to http://gis.mda.state.mn.us/eab/ for details. Emerald ash borer larvae kill ash trees by tunneling under the bark and feeding on the part of the tree that moves nutrients up and down the trunk. The invasive insect was first discovered in Minnesota in 2009. Biological control of EAB is one of several joint MDA and University of Minnesota projects funded through an Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund grant as recommended by the Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.
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