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Eliminating screwworms from the United States saves farmers and ranchers nearly $900 million in lost livestock each year.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species that destroy fruit crops, trees and plants by hopping from plant to plant, crop to crop, and tree to tree. Although native to regions in China, India, and Vietnam, it was first detected in Berks County, Pennsylvania in 2014. Since then, Pennsylvania vineyards have seen considerable damage in high infestation areas and the Mid-Atlantic states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia and West Virginia have also suffered from its presence. Insecticides are effective at killing the insect on grapevines, but they are expensive and of limited use because of constant re-infestation from the Spotted Lanternfly dispersing from wild hosts to surrounding vineyards. So, U.S. Department of Agriculture Scientists Dr. Tracy Leskey and Dr. Laura Nixon of the Appalachian Fruit Research Station in Kearneysville, West Virginia, initiated research on the invasive pest to see if they could develop sustainable pest management strategies and use the insect's dispersal patterns for other prolific specialty crop pests.

An Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist in the Pacific Northwest has joined the hunt for the infamous Asian giant hornet (AGH) — a threat to honey bees in its native territory that could also endanger honey bees in the United States if it becomes established here. AGH is also a health concern for people with bee or wasp allergies. At roughly 2 inches in length, this invasive species from Southeast Asia is the world's largest hornet. It has distinctive markings: a large orange or yellow head and black-and-orange stripes across its body. While the hornet's sting delivers a potent venom that can cause severe reactions—and in some cases, death—in some people who are allergic to bee stings, attacks against humans are rare. AGH earned its bad reputation from the way it hunts down honey bees and other insects, primarily during the late summer months when it seeks protein to feed its young.

Meet the Honeysweet Plum: A virus-resistant plum that ARS hopes to bring to market soon. They are large and oblong with a very sweet, flavorful taste. ARS created the Honeysweet variety using RNAi, a biotechnology method that makes them immune to the plum pox virus. Plum pox infects stone fruit trees: plums, peaches, apricots and cherries. Once infected, the fruit discolors and falls from the tree prior to maturation. There is no natural, genetic resistance to the virus.

The ARS Weed Science Newsletter has been developed as a source for stakeholders, researchers, and the general public to find the latest research information on weed and invasive plant science. The newsletter is published twice per year.

The Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee announced the release of its 2021 Asian Carp Action Plan, a comprehensive portfolio of projects focused on Great Lakes protection.

The yield losses attributed to Asian citrus greening disease once established can be devastating. If the disease continues to spread unabated in the citrus growing regions of East Africa, the annual value of lost production could potentially reach up to US $127 million over the next ten to 15 years, according to a recent paper published by CABI. The paper, The Asian Citrus Greening Disease (Huanglongbing): Evidence Note on Invasiveness and Potential Economic Impacts for East Africa (Jun 2021) [PDF, 2.9 MB], provides a review of the global literature on Asian citrus disease or huanglongbing (HLB) and estimates its potential economic impact on East Africa. The paper also makes recommendations for biosecurity preparedness, surveillance and management options to help decision-makers and citrus growers.

The worldwide decline in bee populations is threatening the delivery of pollination services, thus leading to the development of pollinator restoration strategies. In the United States, one way to protect and restore bee populations is to use seed mixes composed of pollinator-friendly native plants to revegetate federal lands following disturbance.

Scientists assessed the attractiveness and use by bees of 24 native plant species that are standard for revegetation projects (focal plants) on national forest lands in western Montana.

Understanding how wild birds facilitate the maintenance, reassortment, and dispersal of influenza A viruses (IAV) is key to forecasting global disease spread. The current highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in North America highlights the question of how viruses are transported between continents. Recent NWHC research sheds light on this question and the potential role Iceland may play.

The Great Lakes remain one of the most heavily invaded freshwater systems in the world. Ballast water from cargo ships crossing the ocean inadvertently brought in many aquatic invasive species (AIS), accounting for the introduction of 40% of all nonindigenous aquatic species in the Great Lakes. However, collaborative efforts have led to pioneering research and policy changes that have reduced this threat.

Aquatic invasive species threaten U.S. freshwater bodies throughout the country. One of the most prevalent and prevailing of these is hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillate), which spans from Florida all the way up to Maine, and as far west as California. The state of Florida alone spent $125 million from 2008 – 2015 to manage aquatic invasive species, $66 million of which went toward managing hydrilla. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is estimated to spend $15 million annually on managing hydrilla. This submerged weed is primarily managed through cost effective, safe aquatic herbicides and more costly mechanical harvesting. Due to the prevalence of hydrilla, understanding stakeholder perceptions regarding its management is critical to its successful control. 

This infographic displays Florida’s stakeholder perceptions around aquatic herbicide and mechanical harvesting usage, which can be utilized as a model for other states as well. Data analysis of 3,000 survey responses concluded that a majority of stakeholders are concerned about both the use of aquatic herbicides and mechanical harvesting.

Boxwood blight is a fungal disease that can cause the leaves of boxwood plants to fall off prematurely. ARS scientists in Fort Dietrick, MD, are studying how boxwood blight evolves and are working closely with the floriculture and nursey industry to develop methods for testing, controlling, and mitigating the disease.

A unique program run by the Agricultural Research Service in Fort Pierce, FL, uses specially trained dogs to detect citrus greening in orchards. The canine-detection method has an accuracy rate of 99 percent.

USDA Forest Service researchers are monitoring the effects of white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease from Eurasia that has decimated cave-hibernating bats across the U.S. since its arrival in 2006. "The fungus that causes white-nose syndrome grows on bats in the wintertime. It causes them to wake up during their hibernation and burn their fat reserves," says Phillip Jordan, wildlife biologist. Jordan is among the experts featured in a new video, Bats on the Brink. Forestry technician Virginia McDaniel created and produced the video.

Invasive species pose a threat across the United States and its territories, but they can be especially challenging for the U.S. South Pacific territory of American Samoa. Among the invasive pests menacing the territory are several non-native fire ant species. 

Giant reed, Arundo donax, is a large, fast-growing invasive grass that has invaded at least 100,000 acres of "riparian" habitat in the southwestern and southeastern U.S. and is present as far north as Ohio and Washington State. Watch this video to learn how ARS researchers are using biocontrol (insects) to reduce the presence of this invasive plant.

ARS entomologist is developing microbial pesticides for the effective control of mosquitoes and the pathogens they transmit.

The global increase in biological invasions is placing growing pressure on the management of ecological and economic systems. However, the effectiveness of current management expenditure is difficult to assess due to a lack of standardised measurement across spatial, taxonomic and temporal scales.

Research Highlights:

• Since 1960, management for biological invasions totalled at least $95.3 billion.
• Damage costs from invasions were substantially higher ($1130.6 billion).
• Pre-invasion management spending is 25-times lower than post-invasion.
• Management and damage costs are increasing rapidly over time.
• Proactive management substantially reduces future costs at the trillion-$ scale.

In 2021 a team of scientists from the University of Iowa, US, deployed innovative eDNA detection techniques to identify water courses where the New Zealand mud snail may be hiding unseen, which should allow them to identify the scale of the problem and deploy early interventions to keep populations in check before they do visible, irreversible damage.

BioOne VISTA is a monthly collection of recently published articles highlighting timely subjects and themes in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences.

The September 2022 edition focuses on research in BioOne Complete about invasive and non-native plant species. Invasive species can be detrimental to ecosystems. Invasive plant species can change native plant communities, prevent forest regeneration, and even change the soil chemistry of an area. Understanding how non-native and invasive plants impact habitats around the world is an important step in combating the problems they present.