TB172: Evaluation of Entomopathogens for Biological Control of Insect Pests of Lowbush (Wild) Blueberry

To maintain the economic viability of Maine’s blueberry farms, to offer alternative pest control strategies in light of the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996, and to reduce the human health and environmental risks associated with pest management, these researchers have been researching biological control tactics. This technical bulletin outlines protocols and experimental design necessary for evaluation of entomopathogens targeted against the significant direct and indirect pests associated with lowbush blueberry.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1035/thumbnail.jp

Some Aspects of the Biology of a Predaceous Anthomyiid Fly, \u3ci\u3eCoenosia Tigrina\u3c/i\u3e

The results of a two-year study in Michigan on the incidence of Coenosia tigrina adults under different onion production practices is presented. In Michigan, C. tigrina has three generations and is more abundant in organic agroecosystems than chemically-intensive onion production systems

TB147: Simulating the Development of Mexican Bean Beetle Immature Stages, Epilachna varivestis Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), on Dry Beans

A computer model was developed to simulate and predict the phenology of Mexican bean beetle (MBB), Epilachna varivestis Mulsant, populations on dry beans, Phaseolus vulgaris. Time-varying distributed developmental rates of the egg, four larval instars, and pupal stages were simulated with degree day models, based on a standardized cumulative probability distribution function from a range of constant temperature experiments. Predictions from the simulation model provided a good fit to the observed constant temperature data and field experiments. Using temperature data in the form of daily maximums and minimums, the model can be used to predict the occurrence of immature MBB stages under field conditions, when the frequency distribution of egg mass recruitment is known.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1204/thumbnail.jp

Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award Video - Eleanor Groden

The 2017 Excellence in Faculty Mentoring Award from UMaine\u27s Rising Tide Center was awarded to Eleanor Groden, professor of entomology in the School of Biology and Ecology. This video features an interview with Professor Groden and remarks from a colleague

TB199: Ant–Homopteran Relationships: Relevance to an Ant Invasion in Maine

The richness and diversity of native ant species on Mt. Desert Island, Maine, have been reduced in areas infested with Myrica rubra (European red ant). In general, the success of invasive ant species has been attributed to interference and exploitative competition coupled with the ants’ opportunistic diets. In field experiments on Mount Desert Island, Maine, M. rubra discovered and recruited to baits faster than native ants. This study also showed that M. rubra displaced most native ant species from food resources (Garnas 2005). This, together with M. rubra’s aggressive defense of invaded territories, has led to fewer native ants in infested areas. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate ant–homopteran relationships and discuss the possibility of homopterans indirectly aiding ant invasions.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1004/thumbnail.jp

Mechanisms of competitive displacement of native ant fauna by invading Myrmica rubra (Hymenoptera : Formicidae) populations

Exotic ants have become invasive in many regions around the world, with variable ecological impacts. Post-invasion, native ant communities are often found to be depauperate, though the drivers of minimal coexistence are rarely well known. Myrmica rubra, a Palearctic Myrmecine ant, is currently expanding its range as an invasive in North America. This aggressive ant forms dense, patchy local infestations and appears to aggressively displace native ant fauna. We measured behavioral interactions and rates of recruitment in experimental field assays pitting native foragers against captive colonies of M. rubra at tuna-jelly or aphid baits in uninfested areas of Mt. Desert Island, Maine. Behavioral interactions were idiosyncratic with respect to the native opponent, but M. rubra generally showed significantly higher levels of recruitment, aggression and displacement of native foragers. Since the absence of a tradeoff between resource discovery rate and behavioral dominance appears to contribute to invasion success in other exotic ant species (the dominance-discovery hypothesis), we studied M. rubra and naturally co-occurring native ants at baits along the invasion front. Myrmica rubra was consistently faster to discover baits and disproportionately displaced native foragers, confirming a break in the dominance-discovery tradeoff and providing a plausible proximate mechanism for native ant exclusion. Finally, we surveyed ant recruitment at baits for 24 hours in August 2004 at four sites with varying M. rubra abundance but found little evidence of temporal niche partitioning. Taken together, these results indicate competitive superiority by M. rubra with respect to native ant communities of the northeastern North America and suggest direct aggression and competitive exclusion at food resources can lead to local native displacement.U.S. National Parks Service at Acadia National Park and the Maine Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. This is MAFES Publication No. 3384.http://www.entsoc.org/Pubs/Periodicals/EE2015-12-30hb201

University of Maine NSF-ADVANCE Project Outcomes Report

The University of Maine ADVANCE IT project proposes a three-pronged approach to institutional gender equity for STEM women faculty. Specific goals and objectives include increasing the percentage of women in the STEM disciplines, supporting professional development activities, addressing recruitment, retention and advancement of women faculty and engaging other campuses in the University of Maine System, as well as the faculty union, through the dissemination of information regarding ADVANCE outcomes. Intellectual Merit. The proposed activities are rooted in a conceptual framework that focuses on faculty job satisfaction, which plays a major role in retention. This project also presents a unique perspective to institutional transformation in that it takes into consideration the faculty union and its impact on faculty advancement and job satisfaction. Broader Impact. The University of Maine ADVANCE IT project , because of its emphasis on seven other institutions in the state of Maine, has the capacity to impact women faculty beyond the proposing institution. It is expected that project results will be broadly disseminated across Maine and to other institutions through traditional means including national presentations and scholarly journal articles. As such, the University of Maine will contribute new knowledge to the field of institutional transformation

Homopterans and an invasive red ant, Myrmica rubra (L.), in Maine

Myrmica rubra (L.), is an invasive ant that is spreading across eastern North America. It is presently found in over 40 communities in Maine and areas in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and several provinces in the Canadian Maritimes and Ontario. In addition to disrupting native ant faunas, invasive ants also have been shown to influence homopteran abundance and species composition. We conducted surveys of Homoptera in infested and noninfested sites and conducted manipulative experiments to quantify the effects of M. rubra on homopteran abundance and composition in the summers of 2003, 2006, and 2007 on Mount Desert Island, ME. In 2003, Homoptera family-level richness was higher in infested sites compared with noninfested sites with two out of three sampling methods. Homopteran abundance in infested compared with noninfested sites depended upon the site. The sites with the highest population of M. rubra were associated with significant differences in Homoptera population abundance. In 2006 and 2007, two out of three host plants sampled had significantly higher abundances of the aphids, Aphis spiraephila Patch and Prociphilus tessellatus Fitch. An ant exclusion field experiment on the native plant, meadowsweet (Spiraea alba Du Roi), resulted in higher abundances of A. spiraephila with M. rubra tending compared with native ant tending. A predator exclusion field experiment was conducted on meadowsweet using adult ladybeetles, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, larval green lacewings, Chyrsoperla carnea Stephens, and no predators. Predator impacts on aphid populations were reduced in the presence of M. rubra with C. carnea and moderately reduced with H. convergens.We thank Bruce Hazen-Connery and David Manski, biologists with the National Park Service at Acadia National Park, for their support and assistance with the logistics of conducting research in Acadia National Park. In addition, we want to thank two anonymous reviewers for their invaluable comments. This research was supported by several entities: the Maine Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, the University of Maine Graduate School, the National Park Service at Acadia National Park, and the L.L. Bean Acadia Research Fellowship Program run by the Friends of Acadia. This is Maine Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station journal article no. 3245.http://www.entsoc.org/nf201

Wild Bumblebee (Bombus) Diversity and Nosema (Microsporidia: Nosematidae) Infection Levels Associated with Lowbush Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) Production and Commercial Bumblebee Pollinators

The primary objective was to determine if the prevalence of Nosema bombi infection is higher for wild bumblebees (Bombus spp.) caught in lowbush blueberry growing areas with a history of commercial bumblebee use than for bumblebees caught in areas without a history of commercial bumblebee use. Additionally, we wished to determine relative Bombus species abundances and diversity in blueberry growing regions. Over two years we caught, identified to species, and dissected 767 bumblebees. Light microscopy revealed overall infection levels of 5.48%. The history of commercial bumblebee use had no relation to infection levels. Bumblebee species diversity and field location had significant relationships to infection (r 2 adjusted = 0.265; species diversity F (1,22) = 6.848, P = 0.016; field region F (1,22) = 5.245, P = 0.032). The absence or presence of one species, Bombus terricola, appears to determine the relationship between species diversity and infection. The data show B. terricola decline in sampled regions and almost half of the collected B. terricola were infected with Nosema. The commercial species, B. impatiens, shows an increase in abundance, but with a 6.9% proportion infection. Molecular confirmation of the infecting species was ambiguous, suggesting a need for future clarification of the infecting species

B843: The Ecology, Economics, and Management of Potato Cropping Systems: A Report of the First Four Years of the Maine Potato Ecosystem Project

The bulletin reports on the first four years of the Maine Potato Ecosystem Project, a long-term, multidisciplinary study of alternative crop management strategies. The study site is a 15-acre tract on the northern boundary of the University of Maine\u27s Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, Maine, divided into 96 main plots that are grouped into four blocks. Each block is an area where soil survey data show similar soil characteristics. Thus, given the same production inputs, the crop output is expected to be the same on each plot within a block. Within each block there are 24 plots to which the different treatments have been randomly assigned. A treatment is a particular combination of the following factors: (1) pest management—conventiorial, reduced input, or biological; (2) potato variety—Atlantic or Superior; and (3) soil management—amended or unamended.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1025/thumbnail.jp