Predicting and managing the impacts of invasive insects

Presented by Patrick Tobin. Expansion of global trade and trade has facilitated the arrival and subsequent establishment of nonnative insects. Forest ecosystems are especially threatened by non-native insects due to the worldwide importance of solid wood packaging material used in global trade, the importation of lumber and wood products, and the importation of live trees for planting, all of which provide a mechanism on which an insect can ‘hitchhike.’ Fortunately, of the over 3,500 non-native insect species established in North America, only a small minority of them cause damaging impacts, which collectively exceed US$70 billion each year. Predicting the rarer, higher-impact species from the more benign ones remains a challenge in invasive species management, and is critically important for developing mitigating and proactive control strategies. In this talk, I will summarize new research on predicting impacts from herbivorous non-native insects, even prior to their establishment. These findings highlight the importance of evolutionary history, as opposed to the traits of the insects, in driving the level of impacts that non-native insects cause. I will then focus on specific non-native insects that are currently present in the Pacific Northwest, and those that are at high risk for introduction into the Pacific Northwest, and how this new research can be used to enhance integrated pest management strategies against invasive insects.

You will need to register to receive a link to attend the seminar via Zoom.

This seminar has been approved for one (1) WSDA Pesticide License Recertification Credit.

This seminar is part of our new Pesticide Recertification Seminar Series, which will include 11 opportunities to earn a recertification credit! Thank you to Lydia Tymon and Carol Miles for their work in organizing this.