Resource Search

Report sightings of insect pests, pathogens, and invasive plants in Massachusetts

This report provides information on specific aspects of the Department’s BTS control program as required by Section 314 of Public Law 110-181. Submitted by The Office of the Secretary of Defense, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment).

See also: Status of Ongoing Avian Influenza Response by Province

Wildlife Services has offices in every State ready to support you in resolving your wildlife damage concerns. Contact your local office for information on wildlife damage management, technical assistance, and support for your management efforts.

Read about Forest Service's research highlights. Can filter and sort by Topic, keywords, year, research unit, and more.
See also:  Additional highlights for related topics Pest Management and Plant Diseases

Widespread sampling for invasive crayfish had never occurred in Kansas lakes – that is, until the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) recently funded a university project focused on the freshwater crustacean. KDWP's Aquatic Nuisance Species Program and Ecological Services section funded the project with the overarching goal of establishing sampling protocols that could then be used for long-term monitoring of both native and invasive crayfish in Kansas. During capturing efforts at McPherson State Fishing Lake – one of several small waterbodies slated to be inspected in the state – university researchers collected multiple Rusty Crayfish. Rusty Crayfish have not previously been documented in the wild in Kansas, making this official "discovery" the first of its kind.

Anglers, boaters and watersport enthusiasts are encouraged to keep their eyes open for this invasive species, which can be identified by its trademark large, black-tipped claws and rust-colored spots on its upper shell. If one is discovered, freeze it in a sealed plastic bag, note the date and location of capture, and contact KDWP's Emporia Research and Survey Office at (620) 342-0658.

North American beavers have wiped out 30 percent of forests along rivers and streams in Tierra del Fuego, a remote archipelago at the southern tip of South America, causing the greatest landscape change to these fragile forests in the last 10,000 years. It’s no surprise, then, that the governments of Chile and Argentina want the invasive beavers gone. But eradicating them has proven to be difficult, researchers found, because it requires the participation of every single landowner in the area.

Virginia Tech researchers received a grant to study a local fungus as a biocontrol for Autumn Olive.  If the fungus proves to be a pathogen that targets Autumn Olive it could reduce the human interaction needed to remove the invasive species' underground root systems.

The $900,000 grant will help Virginia Tech researchers see if the spotted lanternfly can help spread a fungus that kills the tree-of-heaven. The goal of the grant is to develop a native fungus as a biocontrol for the tree-of-heaven. Researchers are investigating whether the spotted lanternfly could help transmit the fungus from tree to tree, reducing the need for human intervention.

Scroll to "Aquatic Nuisance Species" section