Invasive Species - What's New on NISIC's Site

The ARS Annual Report on Science highlights ARS’s impact on the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. Every year, ARS discovers real-world solutions to agricultural challenges affecting our nation and a growing world.Research highlights includes insect pests, plant diseases, animal health detection, protecting pollinator health and other related invasive species topics.
See also: Annual Report on Science Archives (from FY2016)

Northern pike are native to Alaska, Canada, and much of the central and eastern continental United States. Genetic evidence reveals the role of human transport in the spread of invasive northern pike in the Columbia River basin.

Forests are incredibly important to pollinators. Forest pollinators can also provide substantial economic benefits to neighboring agricultural areas, as a new global review paper discusses. Forest pollinators are easy to overlook – they are often highly seasonal, especially in temperate regions, and many are active far above our heads in the forest canopy.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed the detection of the box tree moth (BTM) near the border of Hamilton and Clermont counties.

A local resident submitted a photo of the insect to the USDA earlier this month, resulting in trapping in the area. Two specimens captured were identified as the BTM.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) is beginning its annual search for pests that could threaten the state’s environment and agricultural industry. Staff will set thousands of traps statewide to monitor for the introduction or spread of more than 130 invasive pests and diseases, including spongy moth, Japanese beetle, apple maggot and northern giant hornet.

WSDA is still asking residents to report all suspected hornet sightings. Northern giant hornet queens should be active now and could be spotted while they establish their nests. As the colony grows, worker hornets may become increasingly visible throughout the summer and into the fall. See Public hornet trapping instructions for more information.

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 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is a historic, federal government-wide investment that furthers NOAA’s efforts to build a Climate-Ready Nation. It provides $3.3 billion for NOAA to build on its commitment to help Americans – including tribes and vulnerable populations – prepare, adapt, and build resilience to weather and climate events; improve supercomputing capacity and research on weather, oceans, and climate; strengthen NOAA’s hurricane hunter aircraft and fleet; and replace aging NOAA facilities.

Within NOAA's IRA funding, $575 million was put towards standing up the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge. The funds are available as competitive grants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $502 million under the Animal Health Protection Act to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to prepare for potential additional detections of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in the United States.

USDA continues to successfully combat HPAI in the United States. In May 2022, there were a total of 18 commercial poultry HPAI detections. In May 2023, there were 0 commercial poultry detections, a decrease of 100% from the previous year. Additionally, there has not been a case of HPAI in commercial poultry since April 19, 2023 or in backyard poultry since May 18, 2023.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Spotted Lanternfly Strategic Planning Working Group has released the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF) Five-Year Strategy for fiscal years 2024-2028 [PDF, 4.47 MB]. APHIS brought together the working group in August 2022 with representatives from APHIS, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) and the National Plant Board (NPB). The working group developed a unified approach to reduce the spotted lanternfly’s spread and impacts through the effective use of available State and Federal resources.

Alligator weed works it's way into Northern California. ARS researchers are seeking biocontrol agents to control the invasive weed.