We review research on ecological impacts of emerald ash borer (EAB)-induced ash mortality in the Upper Huron River watershed in southeast Michigan near the epicenter of the invasion of North America, where forests have been impacted longer than any others in North America. By 2009, mortality of green, white, and black ash exceeded 99%, and ash seed production and regeneration had ceased. This left an orphaned cohort of saplings too small to be infested, the fate of which may depend on the ability of natural enemies to regulate EAB populations at low densities. There was no relationship between patterns of ash mortality and ash density, ash importance, or community composition. Most trees died over a five-year period, resulting in relatively simultaneous, widespread gap formation. Disturbance resulting from gap formation and accumulation of coarse woody debris caused by ash mortality had cascading impacts on forest communities, including successional trajectories, growth of non-native invasive plants, soil dwelling and herbivorous arthropod communities, and bird foraging behavior, abundance, and community composition. These and other impacts on forest ecosystems are likely to be experienced elsewhere as EAB continues to spread.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive pest of numerous agricultural crops with an increasing global distribution. Finding simple and reliable monitoring tools for H. halys agricultural and surveillance programs is imperative. In 2016, we compared standard pyramid traps to clear sticky cards attached atop wooden stakes and evaluated two commercially formulated lures (Trécé and AgBio) with low and high rates of the H. halys aggregation pheromone (PHER) and pheromone synergist (MDT) at 12 sites (low: 5 mg PHER + 50 mg MDT; high: 20 mg PHER + 200 mg MDT). In 2017, we reevaluated lure efficacy using only the clear sticky traps at six locations. Sites were classified as having low, moderate, or high relative population densities of H. halys in 2016, and as very low or low densities of H. halys in 2017. Although clear sticky traps captured fewer adults and nymphs than pyramid traps, their captures were generally correlated at all population levels indicating that clear sticky traps can reliably monitor H. halys presence and relative abundance regardless of relative population density. During both years, adult and nymphal captures were significantly greater in traps baited with Trécé lures than with AgBio lures. Captures were greater in traps baited with high loading rate lures for each lure type, and with the exception of traps baited with AgBio lures at high relative density sites in 2016, H. halys captures in traps with low and high loading rates of each lure type were correlated for both years. Comparison of yellow and clear sticky cards indicated they performed equally, but yellow cards captured more nontargets. In summary, clear sticky traps attached atop wooden posts and baited with H. halys pheromone and pheromone synergist lures are an effective option for this pest monitoring and detection.

Current monitoring systems for the invasive Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera; Pentatomidae) in orchard agroecosystems rely on ground-deployed tall black pyramid traps baited with the two-component H. halys aggregation pheromone and pheromone synergist. Pyramid traps are comparatively costly, require considerable time to deploy and service, and may not be best suited to grower needs. Therefore, we evaluated other traps for H. halys, including modified pyramid traps (lures deployed on the outside), a canopy-deployed small pyramid, a pipe trap, delta traps, and yellow sticky cards in 2015 and 2016 in commercial apple and peach orchards. We also compared various H. halys killing agents for use in standard pyramid trap collection jars, including VaporTape kill strips, cattle ear tags, and plastic netting treated with various pyrethroids. Finally, we evaluated the effect of positioning the lures inside versus outside the collection jar on standard pyramid traps on overall captures. Among trap types, modified pyramid and pipe traps were most effective, capturing more adults than all other trap designs. Adult captures in small canopy-deployed pyramid, delta, and yellow sticky traps were lower, but significantly correlated with the standard black pyramid. Placing lures on the outside of collection jars on pyramid traps resulted in significantly greater captures and insecticide-impregnated netting was as effective for retaining bugs as VaporTape strips. These studies demonstrate that trapping systems for H. halys can be simplified and improved by modifying the trap design, lure deployment location, and/or killing agent.

Las avispas parasitoides desempeñan un papel fundamental en la regulación de la dinámica de poblaciones de insectos tanto en ecosistemas agrícolas como naturales. Las trampas adhesivas amarillas son un componente clave en el manejo integrado de plagas y el principal método de muestreo para estimar la abundancia y diversidad de parasitoides. Se comparó la retención de 3 especies de avispas parasitoides en 2 trampas de tarjetas adhesivas amarillas y se encontró que hasta el 34% de los parasitoides escaparon dentro de las 72 h, lo que sugiere que esta técnica de muestreo comúnmente utilizada puede subestimar la abundancia y diversidad de parasitoides.

The red admiral butterfly, Vanessa atalanta (Linneaus, 1758) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) is a globally distributed species and model organism for studying migration patterns and effects of climate change. Most previous red admiral research focused on wild populations. Establishing laboratory colonies allow for experimentation with a multitude of lab-based plant-insect interactions. We describe red admiral butterfly life history and laboratory rearing methods.