Resource Search

The spongy moth, (Lymantria dispar), formerly known as the "gypsy moth," continues to spread throughout North America, threatening deciduous trees and impacting humans. This non-native, foliage-feeding insect currently occupies only about one-third of its possible host distribution in the United States. Efforts to reduce its impact and spread represent one of the largest and most successful federal and state agency integrated pest management programs against a forest pest.

This new General Technical Report (GTR), published by the Northern Research Station, synthesizes information about the Slow the Spread Program, its accomplishments, and provides a framework for future landscape-level integrated pest management.
See related resource: National Slow The Spread (STS) Program

Citation: Coleman, Tom W.; Liebhold, Andrew M., eds. 2023. Slow the spread: a 20-year reflection on the national Lymantria dispar integrated pest management program. Gen. Tech. Rep. NRS-212. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station. 130 p. https://doi.org/10.2737/NRS-GTR-212.

The mission of the Clemson University IPM program is to develop interdisciplinary, research based information, and provide it to the public in efficient and accessible formats. The goals of the IPM program are driven by the needs of stakeholders, who have an integral part in developing the priorities of the program.

The annual competitive grants program, Southern IPM Grants, (formerly Enhancement Grants) regionally address Global Food Security challenges including invasive species, endangered species, pest resistance, and impacts resulting from regulatory actions. All projects must further their mission, which is to foster the development and adoption of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), a science-based approach to managing pests in ways that generate economic, environmental, and human health benefits. Funding is outcome-based.

See also: Weed I.D. and Options for Control for more species

Take Action is a farmer-focused education platform designed to help farmers manage herbicide, fungicide and insect resistance. The goal is to encourage farmers to adopt management practices that lessen the impacts of resistant pests and preserve current and future crop protection technology.

Prepared by: American Sheep Industry Association

Spotted-wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii), is an invasive fruit fly species that causes about $500 million in economic damage to fruit crops in the U.S. each year. A native to southeast Asia, it arrived in the U.S. in Hawaii in the 1980s and in the continental U.S. in California in 2008. It is now widespread through many parts of the U.S. and the world. In a new review article published last week in the Journal of Economic Entomology, Vaughn Walton, Ph.D., of Oregon State University and a multi-university team of experts have created a comprehensive look at how SWD management strategies are evolving to address these challenges.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture grant that funds part of Walton and colleagues SWD research stipulates that they work with industry influencers, and they have been doing this from the beginning. They bring technologies to industry and seek feedback on how well the technologies work in actual practice. "Federal funding is allowing us to listen to and serve our clients—the growers," Walton says. As the Journal of Economic Entomology paper details, many promising control strategies are being developed for this challenging and uniquely adaptable invasive species. With continued advances, researchers can hope that populations of SWD can be controlled and the damage they cause reduced.

Noxious weeds plague farmers and ranchers, push out native species, and cause both economic and ecological damage. Synthetic herbicides are often used to control the spread of these plants, however, some species have developed a resistance to these chemicals.

New techniques use radiation to eliminate dangerous mosquitoes. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is notorious for spreading dengue virus, yellow fever virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus, among other ailments. While many mosquitoes do not feed on people, or even domestic animals, this mosquito targets humans causing disease to millions of people throughout the world. ARS researchers with scientists from the University of Florida have developed a new technique for using radiation to control mosquito populations.

Thousands of invasive fish have been removed from the Chesapeake Bay watershed at the Conowingo Dam earlier this year and donated to local food banks through a continuing partnership between Maryland Department of Natural Resources and others. During the 2024 season, which ran from March to June, more than 18,000 pounds of invasive fish (blue catfish, flathead catfish, and northern snakehead) were removed from Maryland waters.

A tiny wasp may be the solution for managing an agricultural pest causing major economic damage to fruit, vegetable, and field crops in North America and Europe. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are currently studying Trissolcus japonicus, commonly known as the samurai wasp, to see if this parasitoid wasp is the right biological control agent for reducing brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys) (BMSB) populations outside of Asia. Biological control is the process of reducing or mitigating pests or pathogens by using the pest’s or pathogen’s natural enemies. The samurai wasp is a known natural enemy for the BMSB in Asia, and researchers are understanding how it behaves in non-native environments.

See also: Biocontrol Factsheets for more information on biocontrol agents

New research from the University of Minnesota’s Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) shows a possible path forward in controlling the invasive pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB), that threatens Minnesota’s nearly one billion ash trees.

In a recent study published in Fungal Biology, MITPPC researchers identified various fungi living in EAB-infested trees — a critical first step in finding fungi that may be harnessed to control the spread of EAB, and ultimately, prevent ash tree death. 

Scientists at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Ft. Worth District are researching the effects of biocontrol on an invasive tree in south Texas. The Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia, was introduced to the U.S. as an ornamental in the 1840s. This invasive tree causes problems where it grows because it forms dense thickets, shading out native grasses and shrubs.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Invasive Species Program provides essential research and tools to help resource managers reduce or eliminate the threat of invasive species.
See also: Geonarratives for all USGS geonarrative / story map resources

Is artificial intelligence (AI) a viable tool in the fight against invasive species? UF/IFAS scientists are exploring that question on a small scale in a project using traps equipped with AI technology. For this study, the traps are targeting Argentine black and white tegus in Fort Pierce. Scientists hope these AI 'smart traps' will help suppress and remove an established population of these lizards that have quickly invaded this Treasure Coast city. St. Lucie county has become a hot spot for tegus over the last seven years.