status update on winter moth in new england

Status Update on Winter Moth in New England

Joe Elkinton

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA USA

• Persistent outbreaks of spring-feeding geometrids have occurred in eastern Mass in the late 1990s

• Large male flight at Xmas 2002 suggested something new: possibly winter moth Operophtera brumata, native to Europe.

2003

Discovery of winter moth in E. Massachusetts

Boston

Cape Cod

June 5, 2006

Widespread defoliation of many deciduous tree species: oaks, maplesFailure of the blueberry crop

Defoliation by winter mothIn 2011

Map courtesy ofKen Gooch and MassDept. of Conservation andRecreation

A

Elkinton et al. 2010 . Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer. 103:135-145.

Oak mortality on Martha’s Vineyard

Collection and importation of Cyzenis albicans

Winter moths have been established in N. America twice before

Nova Scotia before 1950

Pacific NW in 1970s

In both cases WM populations were permanently controlled by introducing two parasitoids from

Europe • Cyzenis albicans

• Agrypon flaveolatum

Photos thanks to Nicholas Conder

Nova Scotia: Percent defoliation and parasitism following release (Embree 1966)

First parasitoid release

The best place to collect winter moth parasitoids is Victoria, British Columbia

Imre Otvos

The bio-control project mostly due to the heroic efforts of Jeff Boettner

Jeff Boettner

In the last few years I have hired my own winter moth collecting

crew on Vancouver Island

Winter moth parasite rearing in British Columbia in 2011: 130 five gal. buckets in motel = 62,800 pupae shipped to Quarantine.

Last year (2010) we had the first clear evidence for establishment (recovery a

year or more after release) of C. albicans at three of six release sites

• We hope this follows the same trajectory as Nova Scotia

First parasitoid release

Flies Released 2005- 2010

Flies Released 2011

Flies Recovered 2010

Flies Recovered 2011

Cyzenis albicansRelease and Recovery Sites 2005-2011

Defoliation 2011

Summary of biological control effort

We have now established Cyzenis albicans at 5 of 6 earlier release sites

In 2011 we released spread 7000 flies out over 9 new release sites

We have not yet seen the big increase in % parasitism that we are expecting. We believe it is just a matter of time