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CISMA Call Agenda • Introductions- Kris S-K

• Air Potato biocontrol status – Eric Rohrig

• CISMA Updates: – Heartland CISMA, Cheryl

Millett

– Treasure Coast CISMA, TBD

• CISMA reports – dissemination discussion

• FLEPPC/FTWS Conference CISMA sessions

Biological Control of Air Potato, Dioscorea bulbifera, in Florida.

Dr. Eric Rohrig

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, Gainesville, Florida

Multiagency Effort • USDA-ARS-IPRL, UF-IFAS-BCRCL, and FDACS-DPI are conducting extensive research on APB

and D. bulbifera.

• FDACS-DPI is collecting information on current air potato infestations and beetle releases throughout Florida and storing in a geodatabase, managing requests for beetles, and coordinating releases.

- utilizing an electronic form for vine reports/beetle requests and releases.

• FDACS, USDA, and UF are mass rearing APB for release and research needs.

Eric Rohrig Min Rayamajhi, Paul Pratt William A. Overholt Ken Hibbard Ellen Lake, Mellissa Smith Rodrigo Diaz Ryan Poffenberger Stephen Hight, John Mass, Kristine Tice Veronica Manrique

Biological Control

• 2 native Dioscorea sp. in United States (D. floridana and D. villosa) both in Florida.

• 28 native sp. in West Indies (19 in Genus Rajania).

• 120 native sp. in Mexico and Central America.

• 130 sp. in Brazil. • Agricultural/economically

important yam species.

• Can not release an exotic organism without demonstrating, through host specificity testing, that it will not attack non target organisms.

*Host Specificity*

The Candidate • Liliocerus sp. was discovered

attacking D. bilbifera in 2002 in Nepal. Imported into the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory quarantine (IPRL) in Ft. Lauderdale in 2005 for host specificity testing.

• Later identified as Lilioceris cheni by Dr. Alex Konstantinov at the USDA- ARS-Systematic Entomology Laboratory (2010).

• Species identification verified

through molecular and taxonomic study.

Taxonomy Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae Subfamily: Criocerinae Genus: Lilioceris Reitter Species: cheni Common name: none, but we like air potato beetle (APB)

APB Biology

• Adults

- 1 cm long x 0.5 cm wide - solid black with reddish orange elytra - leaf feeder - longevity several months average up to a year - mating begins ~2 wks after adult emergence - oviposition begins ~ 1 wk after mating or in May-June in overwintered individuals - oviposition period of ~49 days - Fecundity averages 1,200 eggs per female

APB Biology • Eggs - white upon lay, then turn

yellow

- laid in bunches within “cupped” leaves

- eggs hatch in 2-4 days (25⁰C)

APB Biology • Larvae

- heavy feeders - feed gregariously, skeletonizing leaf tissue

- 4 instars - Larval development ~ 7 days - yellow in first , then darken from brown to a grey

before pupating - place feces onto back to deter predators - drop, crawl to soil surface to pupate in substrate

or under debris - orally secret white foam which hardens to form

puparium - pupal stage ~16 days

Pupae

Newly hatched

4th instar

2nd instar

APB Release 2012:

• FDACS-DPI and USDA-ARS-IPRL conducted initial releases in late summer and fall of 2012 at select research locations (public lands) in Alachua, Broward, Dade, and Manatee Counties.

2013:

• Total released: ~150,000 L. cheni by FDACS-DPI and USDA-ARS.

• Counties: 32 (Alachua, Bradford, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, Desoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Indian River, Lake, Lee, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, St. Johns, and Union).

• Sites: city, county, state, and federal parks/preserves/forests and some residential areas.

Mass Rearing - Spring-fall: field cages, screenhouses, lab cages - Winter: lab cages, greenhouse cages

Mass Rearing – Field Insectaries

• Utlilize numerous field insectaries.

- sites with little human traffic, no herbicide use.

- release large numbers of larvae and adults in early spring.

- revisit throughout summer to collect larvae and adults for lab or field release.

APB Requests/Releases

• Limited beetle numbers, overwhelming demand, strategic releases for maximum impact:

- Priority sites include town, city, county, state, federal parks, preserves, and conservation lands.

- As large populations build at these sites, beetles disperse to surrounding residential and commercial lands. So far, so good.

- Begin residential releases in 2014 with UF-IFAS?

APB Request/Release Forms

- Request sheets are emailed or faxed to all interested individuals, agencies, or organizations. - Release sheets are returned to Eric Rohrig following a release. - Request beetles year round for multiple sites, requests filled in order, public land priority.

APB Geodatabase

Yellow pin= request Blue pin= DPI release Red pin= USDA release Orange pin= UF release

Release Results 1 Year post release results

● Widespread overwintering

● Large population increases

● Extensive beetle dispersal. Over 10 miles in some areas.

● Light – heavy damage (10-100%)

● Vine height reduced

● Re-growth of native vegetation in areas with heavy vine damage

● Significant reduction in bulbil production

8 ft

> 30 ft

Release Results-Research Sites Before 1 yr After

Control (Aloft CG- Systemic)

Release Results Before 1 year After

Current Multiagency Research

• Effects of beetle releases on D. bulbifera infestations and surrounding native plant communities (as vines are reduced).

• Beetle establishment and dispersal ability.

• Vine biomass (vine, tuber, and bulbil production by vine morphotype = brown vs tan bulbils).

• Life tables for population growth.

• Beetle longevity and fecundity.

• Diapause, cold storage, and overwintering ability.

• Mating (Chinese x Nepalese biotypes).

• Volatile induced behaviors.

• Field host specificity testing.

• Lilioceris egena quarantine host specificity testing

Soon to Join the Battle

1) Lilioceris cheni from Nepal (Summer 2014)

- Tolerate freezes/frost

2) Lilioceris egena (Summer 2015?)

- Voracious bulbil feeder - Host range testing at USDA-ARS-IPRL

Acknowledgements

Program: USDA-ARS, UF-IFAS, FDACS-DPI, countless land managers throughout Florida (DEP, FDOT, WMD, FFS, USFS,

BSA, NPS, NWR). Too many to list!

Funding: FDACS-DPI mass rearing and release of Lilioceris cheni is funded, in part, by a Cooperative Agreement from United States Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS).

Questions?

Heartland CISMA Update

DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Okeechobee and Polk Counties Keeli Carlton-Carmichael & Cheryl Millett, co-chairs

Python Patrol

Responder training 10/1/13 Dupuis WEA

We love workshops! 10/16/13 Fall Grass ID training Archbold Biological Station Highlands County

We love workshops!

4th annual Central Florida Invasive Species Workshop 3/5/14

Central Florida Lygodium Strategy

• Treated private property adjacent to Green Swamp

• Avon Park Air Force Range • Surveyed 1,000 acres • Treated 300 acres

EDRR priority list

Annual report

Annual workplan

Coming up and what we want your help with

• EDRR list how-to- CISMA workshop at FLEPPC 4/29

• How to develop EDRR animal list- email cmillett@tnc.org

• 5-year strategic plan ends December 2014…

• Neo moth release • 9/4/14 Forest Stewardship Program

workshop in Okeechobee!

Treasure Coast CISMA Update

Presenter: ?

5 Year Workday MOU renewed with signatures from FDEP, FFWCC, TNC, Martin County and USFWS. Updating EDRR list with FNAI’s assistance. Held one special meeting and liked the idea of separate aquatic and terrestrial lists, and probably top ten priority again. Still in the process. EDRR on the ground has been slow. Meetings and Workdays, now 3 steering committee meetings a year, and about 7 workdays, which occur more as needed. CISMA structure working well, with co-chairs, Workday Coordinator position, shared lead on outreach, training lead, EDRR lead; submitted 4 grants (Partners, FLEPPC CISMA).

TC CISMA - April 2014 update

Private land efforts with beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada)

• Using our new printed brochures to help with educating private landowners. • 2 private land projects with different Garden Clubs moving forward right now. • Slow process even with our Partners funding. No dedicated staff time.

Private land efforts at Camp Tanah Keeta Scout Reservation

CAMP TANAH KEETA: 640 ACRES

CAMP WELAKA

JDSP

KEY: INIT. MAINT.LYGODIUM DOWNY R MBRAZ PEPMELALEUCA

MAP CREATED 9-15-2011

• Two more workdays occurred with 2 Alternative Spring Breakaway groups. • SUCCESS – Initial treatment of all invasives nearly complete now. Beginning to think about maintenance. • Worked through staff changes at camp. • Received additional funding from Partners for Fish and Wildlife. • Success here attributed to “buy in” from many partners.

CISMA plans and reports – discussion

CISMA annual reports CISMA workplans How do we use these documents to help raise awareness of CISMA strategies and accomplishments? 1. What audiences should we be targeting and why?

• CISMA members? • CISMA member agencies? • Private landowners/land managers? • Other organizations (FNPS, Cattlemen's)?

2. What are some outlets for dissemination for these documents?

Annual CISMA Workshop

Annual workshop will be held on April 29, 2014 from 1:30pm to 5pm during the FLEPPC/FLTWS Conference in Safety Harbor, Florida. We have 2 sessions for this workshop:

EDRR Plant Lists – discuss/review/results/next steps? Lakeville – time to play! UF Center for Aquatic and Invasive

Plants has a whole program to work with teachers, including curriculum that meets state standards.

Next CISMA Call May 28, 2014 at 1:30 pm Eastern

Agenda: Updates (will need to narrow down to 3): • East Central Florida CISMA • Central Florida CISMA • First Coast IWG • Southwest Florida CISMA • Osceola County CISMA Presentation: • Lionfish

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