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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

Internet Use Statistics

Insect Surveys

Presentations for 1999 by Eric R. Day

Collaborators

Total Number of Specimens Received

Taxa, by Order, received at the Insect Identification Lab

Number of Specimens Received from each County

Categories of Arthropods Received by Month and Commodity Group

Common names of Arthropods and the Month Received :

Host-pest List for 1999

This report summarizes the activity of the Insect Identification Laboratory at Virginia Tech for 1999. The laboratory is located in 215 Price Hall. It is managed by Eric Day, Lab Manager, and Doug Pfeiffer, Extension Entomologist, Department of Entomology.

Specimens are identified and recorded in the lab, then sent for control recommendations and additional comments to Extension Entomologists who handle particular commodity groups. All specimen data are entered into the Insect I.D. Lab computer data base on the Virginia Tech mainframe computer. The data base greatly facilitates sorting and storage of the information. Some of the records were sent via microcomputer to the Cooperative National Plant Pest Survey and Detection Program (USDA, APHIS, PPQ). We at Virginia Tech acknowledge support provided by this program.

Whenever possible insects are identified to the species level. Common names are used where possible because of their wide recognition. To facilitate mailing insects and insect damaged plant specimens to the lab, local offices of Virginia Cooperative Extension are provided with Insect Identification and Diagnosis Request forms (form 444-113), alcohol vials, and mailing tubes. Specimens also may be brought directly to the lab or mailed to:

A total of 1,510 requests were received in 1999. The requests came from the following categories:

AGENT	1257
MAIL-IN	41
OTHER	2
UNKNOWN	3
VDACS	16
VPI-ENTOMOLOGY	7
VPI-CAMPUS	10
VPI-PPWS	5
VPI-EXPERIMENT STATIONS	5
WALK-IN	164
Grand Total	1510

Identification requests from:

COMMERCIAL GROWER, FARMER	105
HOMEOWNER	1248
LANDSCAPER, ARBORIST	46
MEDICAL DOCTOR	7
OTHER	59
PEST CONTROL OPERATOR	36
UNKNOWN	9
Grand Total	1510

Control Recommendations were requested:

CONTROL RECOMMENDATIONS
NO	54
YES	1456
Grand Total	1510

Referrals

Sent to the Insect Identification Lab directly	1219
Refereed to the IIL from the Plant Disease Clinic	291

For the Insect Identification Laboraotry site, http://www.ento.vt.edu/Facilities/OnCampus/IDInfo.html.

Web Server Statistics for www.ento.vt.edu

 

 

Program started at Thu-03-Feb-2000 14:21 local time.

Analysed requests from Fri-01-Jan-1999 00:19 to Fri-31-Dec-1999 23:45 (365.0 days).

 

Total successful requests: 778 200 (4 906)

Average successful requests per day: 2 132 (700)

Total successful requests for pages: 250 729 (1 769)

Total failed requests: 5 866 (37)

Total redirected requests: 407 (8)

Number of distinct files requested: 729 (408)

Number of distinct hosts served: 56 233 (642)

Number of new hosts served in last 7 days: 373

Corrupt logfile lines: 3 038

Unwanted logfile entries: 13 141 699

Total data transferred: 8 001 Mbytes (53 342 kbytes)

Average data transferred per day: 22 447 kbytes (7 620 kbytes)

(Figures in parentheses refer to the 7 days to 31-Dec-1999).

 

For entomology factsheets maintained on the Virginia Cooperative Extension site, http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology. Data is for July to December.

Total pages requested (not total "hits"):

 

Analyzed requests from Fri, Jan 01 1999 00:00 to Wed, Jun 30 1999 23:59 (181.0 days).

 

194575: /departments/entomology/

9284: /entomology/

3669: /entomology/factsheets/

4953: /entomology/images/

98: /entomology/landscape/

 

Analyzed requests from Thu, Jul 01 1999 00:00 to Fri, Dec 31 1999 23:59 (184.0 days).

 

292095: /departments/entomology/

10833: /entomology/

3788: /entomology/factsheets/

6234: /entomology/images/

88: /entomology/landscape/

 

 

Total Requests for 1999 for material maitained on Extension Server by Eric Day = 525617

 

Combined total for pages maintained by Eric Day: 1,303,817

Detection survey for exotic bark beetles: Ips typographus and I. sexdentatus INVESTIGATOR: Dr. Scott M. Salom, Department of Entomology, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0319. Phone (540) 231-2794/Fax (540) 231-9131, e-mail: salom@vt.edu PROJECT OBJECTIVE To survey for exotic bark beetle pests, Ips typographus, I. sexdentatus at major Virginia ports. FINAL REPORT Semiochemical-baited funnel traps were deployed on April 13, 1999 at three locations: 1. Craney Island, Portsmouth, VA, 2. Dulles Airport, VA, and 3. Deepwater Terminal, Richmond, VA. Six traps were deployed at each site. At Dulles, traps were placed in mature pine forests at two locations approximately 2 miles apart from each other. At Portsmouth, two groups of traps were placed 1/2 mile apart from each other. In Richmond, 3 traps were placed in each of two separate locations as well, no further than 1 mile apart. All traps were baited with the exotic Ips pheromones: ipsdienol, methyl butenol, and cis-verbenol supplied by Phero Tech Inc., Delta, B.C. Canada. The baits were replaced with new ones at all sites in late June. APHIS, PPQ personnel (Dulles, and Portsmouth) and VDACS personnel (Richmond) checked the traps every two weeks until August 5, 1999, when trapping was terminated After each collection period, the personnel sent the beetles to Virginia Tech for identification. None of the targeted exotic bark beetle species were captured in any of the semiochemical-baited traps. In past years, we have generally caught mostly Ips calligraphus. This held true in 1999. Again, Dulles caught very few insects, Portsmouth caught somewhat more, and Richmond caught the most. In fact, each trap in Richmond averaged about 50 I. caillgraphus for each sampling period. I have determined that after 6 years of trapping for I. typographus and I. sexdentatus, that future surveys should be carried out in spruce forests. Spruce is the host of I. typographus and placing traps in pine forests is somewhat inefficient. Trapping in areas where spruce occurs naturally or has been planted offers the best chance of finding whether I. typographus is present in Virginia. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am very grateful to USDA, APHIS personnel Josh Horn at Norfolk and Jose Zeballos at Dulles Airport, and VDACS personnel Dave Innes and Wendy Phillips in Richmond for diligently servicing the traps during this survey. I am also grateful to Eric Day, Virginia Tech who helped coordinate these efforts and set up the plots.

PITFALL TRAP SURVEY FOR EXOTIC CLOVER WEEVILS IN VIRGINIA Investigators: Eric R. Day, Department of Entomology, VPI&SU and Frank Fulgham, VDACS. Abstract: Clover/grass fields in five Virginia counties were sampled for exotic clover seed weevils. Justification: Ischnopterapion virens was recently detected in eastern Pennsylvania less then 100 miles from the Northern tip of Virginia. I. virens is now been discovered in several south central counties in Pennsylvania, Westchester County in New York, and in two counties in northern New Jersey. This insect has the potential to be a pest of clover, particularly white clover in Virginia and knowledge of its presence would aid in pest management and regulatory programs. Because of the recent discover of I. virens in the Northeast CAPS region an additional three weevils have been added as potential targets for survey, they are Protapion apricans (Herbst), P. trifolii (L.), and P. varipes. Because all four weevils are serious pests of clover in Europe and clover is an important component of the hay and pasture fields in Virginia all four weevils were surveyed for in Virginia in 1999. 1999 Narrative: A survey for exotic clover weevils was conducted June, July, and August in thirty-two sites in five Virginia counties (Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun, Fauquier, Highland). Widely scattered sites were selected in each county and for the most part these were sites that are currently being used for the Pine Shoot Beetle Survey. They were chosen because of the pasture like mix of clover and grass grown and maintained between rows of Christmas trees in each of these plantations. Clover is an abundant ground-cover species in Christmas tree fields this made these suitable sites for clover seed weevils to be found. In the rare cases when the Christmas trees are treated for pests, only the trees, and not the clover, are treated with insecticide. Three methods were used for each site: A special suction device made from a modified gasoline powdered leaf blower was used to vacuum all insects from the clover clumps. At least 50 clumps were vacuumed per site per visit. Sweep net samples (50 sweeps per field) were also taken in June, July, August, and September. Pit fall traps were placed during entire survey period. Results: Suspect weevils were found in two sites in two counties. A weevil collected by Beth McClelland in Loudoun County was confirmed by E. Richard Hoebeke to be I. virens, the first state record. An additional suspect weevil was collected in Frederick county and is still at the Smithsonian awaiting confirmation. The first state record has already been uploaded to the NAPIS database the remaining positive and negative records will be uploaded when the Frederick Co. sample is returned. Virginia Tech Personnel: Eric R. Day, Elizabeth Bush. VDACS Personnel: Frank Fulgham, Tom Finn, Tom Cary, Beth McClelland, Ernie Elliott

SURVEY FOR SILVER LEAF WHITEFLY IN VIRGINIA. Investigators: Peter B. Schultz, Virginia Tech, Hampton Roads AREC and Eric R. Day, VPI&SU. ABSTRACT: Survey of 8 Virginia counties for silver-leaf whitefly. The counties/cities surveyed in the whitefly study include Orange Co., Culpeper Co., Fauquier Co., Henrico Co., Chesterfield Co., City of Newport News, City of Norfolk, City of Chesapeake. Justification: Whiteflies including the silver-leaf whitefly are easily transported large distances by shipment of horticulture products. Project Narrative: Whitefly infestations can be detected with a combination of yellow sticky traps and foliage inspection. Species identification is most reliable when pupal cases are available. Yellow sticky traps were deployed in wholesale and retail greenhouses. Sites were selected in or near metropolitan areas (Norfolk, Richmond, northern Virginia) where large quantities of plant material are imported. Sites were visited 4 times during the cropping season. Foliage inspection was made at locations with positive catches of any whitefly species. RESULTS: At this point samples are still being processed. Foliage with whitefly pupae will be collected and submitted to the IIL for positive identification. Additional specimens will be collected from submitted samples. Positive or negative data will be uploaded at the projects conclusion to the NAPIS data base.

1., b. Additional Surveys

Pine Shoot Beetle - Thirty-three sites were surveyed in northern Virginia for Pine Shoot Beetle, Tomicus piniperda.. PrincipLE Investigators: Eric R. Day Department of Entomology VPI&SU Blacksburg, VA 24061 Frank Fulgham Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) P.O. Box 1163 Richmond, VA 23218 Bernetta Barco USDA/APHIS/PPQ 2702 Charles City Rd. Richmond, VA 23231 Abstract: Traps were placed on 31 farms in January, 1999. Traps were checked on a 2 to 4 week interval until June in some locations and September in others. No Pine Shoot Beetles or suspect beetles were found in any of the traps. Project Background and Justification: Tomicus piniperda was recently detected in western panhandle region of Maryland (Allegheny, Garrett and Washington Counties) less then 20 miles from the Virginia state line. T. piniperda is known in the United States from seven states but has not yet been found in Virginia. This insect has the potential to be a pest of pine (Pinus sp.) in Virginia and knowledge of its presence would aid in pest management and regulatory programs. It is currently regulated by a USDA, APHIS quarantine. Current survey procedures rely on visual surveys conducted during July and August. The literature and recent trapping experience in infested states shows that Lindgren funnel traps baited with alpha pinene or a combination of alpha pinene, terpinolene, and 3-carene are effective in detecting T. piniperda. Due to the amount of work during the visual survey season and the cryptic nature of shoot damage, survey for T. piniperda during spring emergence is needed. Seven Virginia counties (Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun, Rapphannock, Shenandoah, Fauquier, Highland) were surveyed. Widely scattered sites were selected in each county. Each site consisted of at least 25 pine trees or a Christmas tree plantation, nursery, saw mill, pulp mill, or timber gathering yard. Three traps were placed per site. A total of 93 traps were placed in all five counties. T. piniperda fly when winter temperatures exceed 54oF Traps were baited with alpha pinene lures obtained from a commercial source. RESULTS: Traps were serviced by VDACS, APHIS, and VPI&SU. All samples were sent to VPI&SU. Preliminary screening of samples was done by a VPI&SU technician and no suspect specimens were submitted to S. Passoa or Rick Hoebeke for confirmation. Summary data indicating its negative status in Virginia has been entered into the NAPIS database. No suspect or exotic beetles were found.

Background Information on Pine Shoot Beetle Survey: Counties: Frederick, Clarke, Loudoun, Highland, Fauquier Monitoring agencies: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU), Virginia Dept. of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS), and APHIS/PPQ. Number of Sites: 31 Sites in five counties Traps per site: 3 Total traps: 93 Trap Setup: December and January. Travel & Transportation: Traps were visited every 4-8 weeks from February to June and until September for some sites. Virginia Tech Personnel: Eric R. Day, Elizabeth Bush. APHIS Personnel: Jose Ceballos. VDACS Personnel: Frank Fulgham, Tom Finn, Tom Cary, Beth McClelland, Ernie Elliott

Previous Surveys: Corn Earworm, Heliocoverpa zea, Survey (1974-1997); Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera (1985, 1987-93); Asian Tiger Mosquito, Aedes albopictus (1988-1992); Pear Thrips (1990-92), Exotic Lady Beetles (1993), Hylobius abietis (1995). Exotic moths: Apple Ermine Moth, Cherry Bark Tortrix, and Pear Leaf Blister Moth (1986-1995). Broomrape Weed (Orobanche) (1996), Tufted Apple Bud Moth (1996), Apple Maggot (1996), Golden Nematode (1996) Culicoides veripennis. (1994 -1995), Pine Shoot beetle (1997-1998), Exotic Bark Beetles (1995-1999), Tropical Soda Apple (1998), Sweet Potato Weevil (1998), exotic clover weevils: Ischnopterapion virens (1999).

Presentations for 1999 by Eric R. Day

Site	Group	Audience Size
New Castle	Garden Club	15
New Castle	Grade School	25
Tazewell	Master Gardeners	25
Front Royal	Landscapers	100
Craig Co	4-H	5
Staunton	VDOT	50
Front Royal	CAPS	28
Va Beach	Graduate Class	20
Christiansburg	Pumpkin Growers	25
VA Tech	Systematics Class	10
Va Tech	IPM Class	30
Warrenton	Christmas tree growers	20
Craig Co	Christmas tree growers	20
VPI Campus	Turf-Walking Tour	25
Turf Center	Insect Clinic	25
Blacksburg	VCTGA	100
Abingdon	Mastern Gardeners	35
Tazewell	Master Gardeners	25
		____
Total		583

Persons providing identifications and/or control recommendations:

Identifications and control recommendations covering most commodities performed by:

Mr. Eric R. Day

Manager, Insect Identification Laboratory

Timely and valuable identifications and/or control recommendations were also provided by:

Dr. Richard D. FellDr. Ames Herbert	Associate Professor of Entomology		Soybeans, Small grains, Peanuts, and cotton
Mr. Steve Hiner	Technical Support Staff		Aquatic Insects and Invertebrates
Dr. Michael Kosztarab	Emeriti Professor of Entomology		Scale Insects
Dr. Edwin Lewis	Assistant Professor of Entomology		Turf and Ornamentals
Dr. Douglas G. Pfeiffer	Associate Professor of Entomology		Fruit and Nuts
Dr. Scott Salom	Assistant Professor of Entomology		Forest and Conifer
Dr. Peter Schultz	Station Director, Hampton Roads		Ornamentals
Dr. Paul J. Semtner	Professor of Entomology		Tobacco
Dr. J. Reese Voshell	Professor of Entomology		Aquatic Insects
Dr. Roger Youngman	Associate Professor of Entomology		Corn, Small grains, and Livestock

The following table lists the magnitude of activities and services provided by the Insect Identification Laboratory (IIL) and the faculty and staff associated with it since 1967.

Number of Specimens Identified
Year	Identifications for Extension Agents and the Public	Identifications from Exotic Pest Surveys, Numbers of Traps Examined	Specimens sent to the Systematic Entomology Laboratory,USDA at Beltsville, Md. *
1967	318	a	a
1968	984	a	a
1969	1104	a	a
1970	1245	a	a
1971	1276	a	100b
1972	970	a	516
1973	1124	a	184
1974	1264	a	316
1975	1430	a	160
1976	1437	a	223
1977	1365	a	282
1978	1351	a	89
1979	1770	a	120
1980	1527	a	23
1981	2028	a	89
1982	2004	a	100
1983	1815	a	36
1984	1745	a	45
1985	1730	a	20
1986	1537	62	16
1987	1731	0	32
1988	1719	69	15
1989	1877	145	10
1990	1629	120	37
1991	1874	120	23
1992	1516	80	13
1993	1642c	160	30
1994	1548	77	17
1995	1764	0	32
1996	1376	0	6
1997	1435	0	4
1998	1595	0	6
1999	1510	0	7
	______	_____	_____
TOTAL	49240	833	2551

a Service not previously provided.

b Estimated

c Includes requested Harmonia axyridis samples

* Includes specimens sent to other taxonomists at other institutions

Coleoptera	274
Hymenoptera	195
Homoptera	181
Acari	163
Lepidoptera	139
Hemiptera	123
Diptera	94
Thysanoptera	45
Isoptera	34
Araneida	26
Orthoptera	23
Araneae	21
Collembola	17
Psocoptera	9
Diplopoda	8
Scutigeromorpha	7
Dermaptera	5
Dictyoptera	4
Neuroptera	3
Isopoda	2
Thysanura	2
Anoplura	1
Mallophaga	1
Megaloptera	1
Mollusca	1
Plecoptera	1
Scolopendramorpha	1
Trichoptera	1

Source of Insects by County for 1999

Count of County
County	Total
Albemarle	98
Alleghany	7
Amelia	13
Amherst	3
Appomattox	7
Arlington	52
Augusta	37
Bath	4
Bedford	26
Bland	1
Botetourt	7
Brunswick	6
Buchanan	5
Buckingham	3
Campbell	6
Carroll	12
Chesapeake(IC)	15
Chesterfield	54
Clarke	3
Craig	3
Culpeper	8
Cumberland	2
Danville(IC)	31
Dickenson	12
Dinwiddie	3
Essex	6
Fairfax	6
Fauquier	20
Floyd	6
Fluvanna	10
Franklin	29
Frederick	8
Giles	15
Gloucester	4
Goochland	5
Grayson	6
Greene	10
Greensville	1
Halifax	10
Hampton(IC)	12
Hanover	30
Henrico	68
Henry	9
Highland	8
Isle of Wight	11
James City	45
King and Queen	5
King George	4
King William	6
Lancaster	7
Lee	2
Loudoun	7
Louisa	8
Lunenberg	10
Lynchburg(IC)	78
Madison	7
Mathews	11
Mecklenberg	2
Middlesex	7
Montgomery	182
Nelson	8
New Kent	1
Newport News(IC)	6
Norfolk(IC)	2
Northumberland	14
Nottoway	4
Orange	7
Out of State	1
Page	32
Patrick	11
Pittsylvania	3
Powhatan	4
Prince Edward	9
Prince George	29
Prince William	12
Pulaski	3
Rappahannock	23
Richmond	4
Richmond(IC)	5
Roanoke	50
Rockbridge	8
Rockingham	37
Russell	4
Scott	1
Shenandoah	6
Smyth	3
Southampton	9
Spotsylvania	3
Stafford	23
Suffolk(IC)	7
Surry	4
Sussex	2
Tazewell	11
Virginia Beach(IC)	5
Warren	14
Washington	8
Westmoreland	18
Wise	17
Wythe	7
York	22
(blank)
Grand Total	1510

Count of Insects by Host Category and Month for 1999

Count of Month	Month
Host Category	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Grand Total
ANIMAL	2			1	1		2	1	3	3			13
APICULTURE			2			1		2			1		6
FIELD CROP			2	3	3	10	2	4	1		2		27
FRUITS, NUTS		1	4	5	7	17	18	2	6	1	1	1	63
GENERAL			1	3	1	5	7	4	7	1			29
HOUSEHOLD	28	14	19	31	40	43	52	41	20	32	19	19	358
HUMAN		1	1	7	17	18	30	27	17	4	9	1	132
LAWNS, TURF	1	1	2	3	3	5	4	4	4	1	2	1	31
ORNAMENTALS	13	29	27	66	101	137