Transcript Invasive Species of PA File

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
• the hemlock woolly adelgid, is a
fluid-feeding insect that feeds on
hemlock trees throughout eastern
North America
• Hemlock woolly adelgid was
introduced from Asia into the
Pacific Northwest in 1924.
• first discovered in Pennsylvania in
1967.
• All populations are made up of
females that reproduce asexually.
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid Cont.
• In early spring, overwintering females lay
between 100 and 300 eggs in the woolly egg
sacs beneath the branches.
• PA DCNR uses integrated pest management
(IPM) principles to manage hemlock woolly
adelgid. IPM relies on survey and monitoring of
the insect and its hemlock host. It involves
using a variety of management techniques, such
as biological, chemical, cultural, and silvicultural
control to reduce the populations to less
damaging levels.
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
• Unfortunately, eradication is not the
objective, because hemlock woolly
adelgid is already firmly established in
our state.
Emerald Ash Borers
• Native to Asia, first found in Michigan in
2002
• Can spread naturally but also spread by
firewood, timber and nursery stock
• Has killed millions of ash trees in North
America
Emerald Ash Borer: Host trees
• EAB is known to infest all species of ash
• Ash can be recognized by the presence of
compound leaves which are arranged
opposite of one another on the branches
• Bark often has a diamond-like pattern
EAB: Biology
• Eggs are laid between layers of bark and
in bark crevices
• Larvae hatch in about one week and
bore into the tree where they feed on
the inner bark and the phloem, creating
“S” shaped galleries
• They go through four stages and adults
emerge through “D” shaped exit holes
in May and early June
Exit Hole
larvae
“S” Shaped Galleries
EAB: Signs of Infestation
Epicormic Branching
Dieback
EAB: Signs of Infestation
Woodpecker Damage
Bark Splitting
Gypsy Moth
Identicication
• gets its name from a behavior of its larger caterpillars,
which generally migrate each day from the leaves and
down the branches and trunk to rest in shaded spots
on the tree or objects on the ground.
• Tiny, black young caterpillars are windblown to their
food plants, where they will feed day and night but
older stages of the caterpillars feed only at night to
avoid drying out in the hot sun or being eaten by
predators.
• Mature gypsy moth caterpillars are dark and have dark
hairs, but you can clearly see the five pairs of dark blue
spots and six pairs of brick red spots along the back.
Gypsy Moth – Lifecycle
• Gypsy moth has one generation per year, and includes egg,
caterpillar, pupa and adult stages.
• Egg masses are buff-colored after they are initially deposited in
late summer, but they become lighter in color as they bleach in
the sun.
• Gypsy moths survive the winter in the egg stage and hatch
from mid-April to mid-May
• Older caterpillars are able to eat conifers, while younger stages
are usually found on deciduous hosts
• Mice, shrews, and ground beetles eat the pupae, and are an
important regulator of gypsy moth in this stage.
• Adults only live about a week, and do not feed.
• Caterpillars favor oak but will feed on the foliage Pupae of
many tree species, including some conifers.
Gypsy Moth – History
• introduced from Europe into Medford,
Massachusetts in 1869 by Leopold Trouvelot
– Was trying to develop silk
• 1932, Pennsylvania, Pittston
Gypsy Moth – Control
• Various natural environmental factors
help control gypsy moth
– disease-causing fungus known as
Entomophaga maimaiga – introduced
– nucleopolyhedrosis virus (LdMNPV) –
used during outbreaks
– large metallic green ground beetle known
as Calosoma sycophanta
Gypsy Moths - Pics
Eggs
Female and Male
Pupa
Didymo (Rock Snock)
• In flowing water didymo can
look like fiberglass or toilet
tissue.
• feels like wet cotton and isn’t
slimy
• Anything can spread didymo
• Native range is
• Fishing tackle, waders and boats
Northern Europe
• Disinfect all
• First discovered • Ecological Threat
in 2004
• Cover entire stream beds 8” deep
• is a microscopic
• Block sunlight from native plants
algae known as a
• Not poisonous to people
diatom.
Didymo – How to Prevent the
Spread
• Before you leave a river, stream or lake, check all
items and leave debris at the site.
• Bag and trash it, do not wash down drains
• For non-absorbant items like fishing tackle, either
clean with a five percent solution of dishwashing
detergent, a two percent bleach and water solution, or
soak for at least twenty minutes in very hot water.
• For absorbant items like clothing and felt-soled
waderssoak in very hot water (113 degrees F) for 40
minutes, soak for 30 minutes in hot water with
dishwashing detergent, or freeze the item solid.
Dispose of water well away from waterways
Didymo – How to Prevent Spread
Cont.
• For boats, drain all water before leaving.
When you are away from the water body,
disinfect live wells, bilges, cooling systems,
hulls and decks with a solution of bleach and
water, (1/2 gallon of bleach in a 5-gallon
bucket, then fill with water) and allow at
least 10 minutes of contact time.
• Drying an item out will kill didymo but even
slightly moist didymo can survive for
months
Asian Carp
• The term “Asian carp” usually
refers to four species: the
bighead, silver, black, and grass
carp
• bighead and silver carp posing
the most immediate threats
• Bighead and silver carp are both
large filter feeding fish that can
weigh up to 110 pounds for
bighead carp and 60 pounds for
silver carp.
Origin: Eurasia,
China –
imported to the
southern U.S.
during the
1970’s and
1980’s.
• Food Preferences: planktivores consuming up to 40% of
their body weight daily.
• Having no true stomach, they feed almost continuously.
• Reproductive behavior: Bighead and silver carp are
known to spawn multiple times per year
• Silver carp are noted for launching themselves high out
of the water when disturbed by boats, skiers,
electroshocking, etc.
Asian Carp - Management
• Ultimate goal- Keep them out of the
state
• Ohio River lacks barriers to keep them
out
Nutria
• a large, semi-aquatic rodent native to South
America
• 1889 for its fur.
• market collapsed in the 1940s, thousands of
nutria were released
• nutria’s relatively high reproductive rate
combined with a lack of population controls
have resulted in a proliferation
Nutria – Cont.
• In addition to damaging vegetation and
crops, nutria destroy the banks of ditches,
lakes, and other water bodies
• Of greatest signifi cance, however, is the
permanent damage nutria can cause to
marshes and other wetlands.
• tria feed on native plants that hold wetland
soil together.
– Collapses coastal marshes
Nutria - Identification
• 2-feet long, with a large head, short legs and a stout
body that appears hump-backed on land
• Dark (sometimes light) brown
• Highly adapted for water
• Hind feet adapted for swimming, ears and nostrils
set high on head so they can stay above the waterline
• Teats of females located high on backs so young can
suckle while floating in water
• Can be mistaken from a distance for beavers and
muskrats
Nutria, Beaver,
Muskrat
• Nutria (15 – 20 pounds) Beaver (45 pounds)
• Muskrats have long narrowly flattened tails
whipping snake-like behind when swimming.
• Nutria have a heavy, rat-like tail thinly covered in
bristly hairs that trails smoothly behind when
swimming.
• Nutria have noticeable white whiskers
Feral Swine
• Feral swine carry
diseases that infect
humans, domestic
animals and wildlife.
• They destroy
property and habitat
• They threaten
commercial pork
producers.
What are feral swine?
• they are descendants of domestic pigs,
Eurasian wild boars, and European and Asian
hogs
• escaped or been intentionally released.
• weigh more than 400 pounds and are very
prolific
Where are they in Pa?
• Damage caused by feral swine to wildlife,
habitat and property has been reported in the
Southwest, Southcentral and Northeast
regions
Feral Swine Dangers
• health of wildlife and domestic animals
• threat to the pork industry
• carriers of diseases and parasites that can
infect humans
Feral Swine – Human Health Concerns
• Feral swine are known to carry 18
viral diseases—10 of which can infect
people
• 10 bacterial diseases—all of which
cause disease in humans
• How do people get infected?
– contact with affected blood, tissues or
aerosol droplets
– consuming undercooked meat from
infected animals
• small bird (six and a
half inches long)
• stocky body and a
shorter tail and thicker
bill than most native,
North American
sparrows.
• Males marked with a
gray head and body,
white cheeks, and a
prominent, black bib
on their throats and
chests.
House Sparrow
(English Sparrow)
House Sparrow - Diet
• grains and weed seeds
but are extremely
adaptable to whatever
foods happen to be
available
• Almost every fast food
restaurant has an
established population
of house sparrows
House Sparrow - Invasive
• he English House Sparrow (HOSP) is
one of two birds in North America that
are non-native and not protected by
Federal Law
• take cavities away from our native
nesters
• House Sparrow attacks our native
species, including incubating females
and their eggs, nestlings, and will kill
and build a nest over the corpses of
our native species
Garlic Mustard
• Introduced into the United States by early
European settlers for medicinal or culinary
purposes
• First recorded in Long Island, New York in 1868
• A cool-season
biennial
• Leaves give off the
scent of garlic when
crushed
Garlic Mustard - Description
• First year plants remain as a rosette of leaves
• Button like clusters of white flowers give way
to erect, slender pods by May
Mustard Garlic - Habitat
•
•
•
•
Found in moist, shaded soil of floodplains
Forest edges and openings
Does not tolerate high acidity
White-tailed deer find it distasteful
Mustard Garlic – Ecological Threat
• Highly shade-tolerant so it is good at invading
high-quality mature forests
• Forms monocultures by monopolizing
resources
• Produces allelopathic compounds that inhibit
the germination of other species
How to Control the Species - Physical
• Goal of management is to prevent further
seed production and to nip pioneering
colonies in the bud
• Hand pulling is very effective/ larger colonies
should be cut
– Cutting should be done when in flower.
How to Control the Species - Chemical
• For heavy populations where it will be hard to kill
native species, the herbicide glyphosate may be
useful
• Can be applied at any time of the year as long as
temp remains above 50 and there is no rain for 8
hours
• Best done in late fall when most native plants are
dormant
• Regular burnings in fire-adapted oak woodlands
can also prevent infestations
Garlic Mustard
• Triangular to heart-shaped leaves
• Leaves give off a garlic odor when crushed
• First year plants appear as a rosette of leaves
that remain green through winter
Multiflora rose
• Introduced to the United States as
ornamental rootstock from Japan in 1866
• U.S. Soil Conservation Service promoted it for
use in erosion control and livestock fencing
• Also used as crash barrier along highways
• Now considered a noxious weed in many
states
Multiflora Rose - Range
• Occurs throughout most of the US, especially
the eastern half
• Dense thorny shrub
• Reaches up to 15 feet
• Capable of rambling up trees
• It’s leaves are pinnately compound, divided
into seven to nine leaflets and are finely
serrated
Multiflora Rose - Range
• Clusters of white to pink flowers appear in
May or June
• Small bright red hips (fruit) develop during the
summer and remain on the plant throughout
the winter
Multiflora Rose - Habitat
• Has a wide tolerance for various soil, moisture
and light conditions
• Found in dense woods, along stream banks
and roadsides, and in open fields and prairies
Multiflora Rose - Biology
• a single plant may produce a million seeds
per year
• Seeds may remain viable in the soil for up to
20 years
• Birds eat and disperse the seeds
• New plants can also be formed by rooting
from the tips of canes touching the ground
Multiflora Rose – Ecological Threat
• thickets exclude native species
• This shrub grows very prolifically in riparian
areas*, where its inedible leaf litter can
change the composition of the aquatic
macroinvertebrate community.
• It’s climbing can weigh down trees and cause
them to break
* A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface
between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the
proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial
biomes of the earth. Plant habitats and communities
along the river margins and banks are
calledriparian vegetation, characterized by hydrophilic
plants.
How to Control this Species
• Physical
– Frequent cutting or mowing, three to six times
per growing season, for two to four years
– Scattered populations may be eliminated by
complete removal of the plants. (get all roots)
– In areas where detected early, fire management
How to Control this Species
• Chemical
– Application of herbicides, such as glyphosate or
triclopyr, on freshly cut stems is an effective
control method since it destroys the root system
and prevents re-sprouting. This may be done
during the dormant period which helps keep
natives
– A foliar spray of fosamine can be used from July
through September
How to Control this Species
• Biological
– Biological control is currently under investigation.
– Roserosette disease, a native viral pathogen, is
spread by a mite, and is slowly spreading eastward
from the west.
– The European rose chalcid, a seedinfesting wasp,
promises to reduce seed viability.
Mile-a-minute
• Also known as devil’s tearthumb
• Introduced to the U.S. from the Phillipines
several times from the 1800’s to the 1930’s
• Arrived in PA in contaminated nursery stock in
York
Mile-a-minute Range
• Very common in the sourthern 2/3 of PA and
also WV, VA, MD, DE, NJ, NY, CT, MA, RI and
NH.
Mile-a-minute - Description
• herbaceous, annual vine with delicate, highly
branched stems that are covered by small,
curved spines.
• Alternate leaves are triangular, light green,
one to three inches wide and barbed on the
underside.
• Round leaf-like structures called ocreae
surround the stem.
Mile-a-minute - Description
• From mid-July though the first frost, green
fruits appear, turning a metallic blue color
Mile-a-minute -Habitat
• This plant readily colonizes disturbed areas
along forest edges, wetlands, stream banks
and roadsides.
• regular sunlight to thrive and prefers high soil
moisture.
Mile-a-minute - Biology
• Its fast growth is one way that the plant
spreads, but its seeds are the primary means.
• Birds and other wildlife eat the fruits and
spread the seeds in their droppings.
• Seeds are also buoyant for up to nine days in
water and can be spread by streams and
floods.
Mile-a-minute Ecological Threat
• can grow up to six inches a day quickly
smothering native vegetation and climbing
into the tree canopy where it restricts light
availability to plants below.
• pest plant on tree farms and for horticultural
crops where the soil is not regularly tilled.
How to Control this species: Manual
and Mechanical
• Hand-pulling of vines is possible, especially
when the soil is wet
• Removal should be done prior to fruit
formation.
• mowing will prevent the plant from flowering
and thus reduce or eliminate fruit and seed
production.
How to Control this species: Chemical
• A systemic herbicide like glyphosate will work
on milea-mine,
• especially when used with a surfactant that
will help to penetrate the leaves’ waxy
coating.
• Use in the summer, before fruits appear.
How to Control this Species: Biocontrol
• A weevil, Rhinocominus latipes, is
being used on various test plots in
Pennsylvania and elsewhere to
control mile-aminute.
• These small insects feed on the
leaves and bore into the stems.
• While they will not completely
eliminate the plant they help keep it
in check and reduce fruit
production.
Purple Loosestrife
• Purple loosestrife was intentionally introduced
into North America in the early 1800s as an
ornamental, as well as accidentally by way of
discarded ship ballast.
• It is now banned as a noxious weed in most
states.
• Native to Eurasia, purple loosestrife can now
be found throughout much of the United
States
Purple Loosestrife
• Purple loosestrife is a
perennial herb with square,
woody stems, which may
grow anywhere from four to
10 feet high
• Its lance-shaped leaves occur
in opposite or whorled
arrangements.
• Magenta-colored flower
spikes are present
throughout much of the
summer
Purple Loosestrife: Habitat
• Purple loosestrife prefers open wetlands, and
is capable of invading freshwater wet
meadows, tidal and non-tidal marshes, river
and stream banks, pond edges, reservoirs and
ditches
• can tolerate a range of soil pH, as well as
drought
Purple Loosestrife: Biology and Spread
• With an extended flowering season, from June
to September, and an unusually high number
of flowering stems, each purple loosestrife
plant is capable of producing two to three
million seeds per year.
• This plant can also reproduce vegetatively by
underground stems at a rate of one foot per
year.
Purple Loosestrife: Ecological Threat
• An enthusiastic invader of
wetlands, purple loosestrife
outcompetes native plants,
including some federally
endangered orchids, forming
dense homogeneous stands.
• These monocultures reduce
habitat for waterfowl, clog
waterways, disrupt nutrient
cycling and collect debris,
eventually displacing the entire
wetland.
How to Control This Species:
Prevention
• Early detection and prevention are the best
approaches to managing purple loosestrife.
• Monitoring watersheds yearly to identify new
infestations is critical, and can be most easily
conducted in late July and August when the plant
is in full bloom.
• Clean seed and plant parts from animals,
equipment and clothing before entering wetland
areas.
• Use native competitors as barriers.
How to Control This Species: Physical
• Hand-pulling is only effective for seedlings
with small roots.
• Mowing is not recommended, but may reduce
the production of seeds.
• Flooding kills seedlings; established plants
must be inundated for weeks. Unfortunately,
this also kills desirable vegetation.
• The site may need to be replanted with native,
competitive vegetation.
How to Control This Species: Chemical
• Glyphosate is effective
• Be sure to use an herbicide permitted for
wetland use.
• Herbicides can be applied directly to cut stems
to reduce collateral damage.
How to Control This Species:
Biocontrol
• Four species of beetles from Europe, which
are fairly host-specific on purple loosestrife,
are currently available for control efforts.
• They will not eradicate it.