Phasgonophora sulcata Westwood (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): A Potential Augmentative Biological Control Agent For The Invasive Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in Canada

The emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is an invasive pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) in North America. Since its accidental introduction in the early 1990's, A. planipennis has killed millions of ash trees in 22 states and 2 provinces. The widespread establishment of this pest has made eradication impossible. Therefore, long-term management protocols that minimize future populations to non-damaging levels are required. One possible management strategy is biological control using parasitic wasps. In Canada, an endoparasitic chalcidid wasp, Phasgonophora sulcata Westwood, has demonstrated potential as possible augmentative biological control agent of A. planipennis. Unfortunately, very little information exists concerning the interactions of this wasp and its hosts. The goal of my work was to determine the information necessary for both evaluating its effectiveness as an augmentative biological control agent and to provide information that would be useful for parasitoid production and release. I conducted four studies that addressed this problem, specifically (1) determination of the species' basic life history characteristics; (2) analysis of the wasp's courtship behaviours and elucidation of adult-produced pheromones; (3) identification of semiochemicals used in host searching; and (4) observations on the within-tree and temporal distributions of P. sulcata and other parasitoids in A. planipennis-infested sites in Southwestern Ontario. My results indicate that P. sulcata possesses several characteristics associated with effective biological control agents, including synchronization with the preferred host stage, low super-/multiparasitism, and high egg loads at emergence. However, its solitary and delayed development reduces the feasibility of mass rearing. Natural populations may however be effective in areas of high host densities or where augmentation is possible.

Department dc:contributor.department

Forestry

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Roscoe, Lucas Edward

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Sandy, M. Smith

• Biological Control
• Chemical Ecology
• Emerald Ash Borer
• Entomology
• Forestry
• Phenology

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/68407

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/68407