News On Vermont Invasives

Below, you'll find news about the initiatives of our partnerships. You can also see upcoming events in our calendar or subscribe to our newsletter to receive updates on our work.

Warehouse Employees Commended for Vigilance in Detecting Non-native Longhorn Beetle alert
Friday, January 11, 2013

In October 2012, the Vermont State Pest Survey coordinator received a call from a warehouse informing her of a live insect that was found in a shipment they received earlier that day.  They collected the insect and immediately took safety precautions by wrapping the entire shipment in shrink wrap (including the pallet) and alerting the state survey coordinator who then picked up the...

2012 Trap Trees Free of EAB
Wednesday, January 2, 2013

ESSEX--Several studies conducted by Michigan State University and USDA Forest Service scientists since 2003 have shown that EAB beetles are attracted to stressed ash trees and tend to lay more eggs on stressed trees than on healthy trees.  Girdled trees, called trap trees, are currently used for EAB detection and surveying in many states.  Girdling, or removing a band of bark and...

UVM Students Assist with Ash Health Assessment
Monday, December 17, 2012

NR 25: Measurements & Mapping is a fall semester service-learning course taught in the Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources at UVM.  The course introduces students to basic concepts of mapping, from how to use a compass to how to create digital maps using Google Earth and Google Maps, and students engage in a service-learning project for the last month of the...

Firewood Exchange Nabs Wood from States with EAB and ALB Quarantines
Tuesday, December 11, 2012

 

State releases beetles to control invasive species
Friday, December 7, 2012
Rutland Herald

POWNAL — Hemlock woolly adelgid, invasive insects spotted in the Pownal woods over the summer, might have caused all kinds of damage to local trees — but wait until they meet the beetles.

On Thursday, staff with the state Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation released almost 400 small black beetles, or laricobius nigrinus. The beetles eat the adelgid and while they are not...

Researchers: Emerald Ash Borer Killing Wasp Is ‘Extremely Cold Tolerant’
Thursday, November 29, 2012
CBS Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – At the University of Minnesota researchers are studying small wasps to see if they’ll survive a Minnesota winter.

Why? Because these wasps kill the larvae of the Emerald Ash Borer, which is killing trees in Hennepin, Ramsey, Houston and Winona counties

The U.S. Forest Service wants to stop these pests before they reach huge stands of black elm in...

Working dogs help MN Dept. of Agriculture detect Emerald Ash Borer
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Minn Post

People have been relying on dogs' keen sense of smell for thousands of years, for tasks ranging from helping hunters find prey to sniffing out explosives. Thanks to a Minnesota Department of Agriculture program initiated last spring, man's best friend can add another skill to its repertoire: detecting infestations of Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive pest wreaking destruction on the state...

UT scientists use wasps to fight EAB alert
Monday, November 5, 2012
The Daily Times

Researchers with the University of Tennessee are investigating whether parasitic wasps can be used to battle the emerald ash borer that threatens millions of trees across the country.  Greg Wiggins, a research assistant professor with the UT Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, visited two sites in Blount County and released about 1,500 of the wasps.

Emerald Ash Borer: What do birds have to do with it?
Thursday, November 1, 2012

By Katherine Manaras

Nov 15th Deadline for Financial Assistance to VT Farmers and Forest Landowners alert
Thursday, November 1, 2012

COLCHESTER, VERMONT, October 29, 2012 — Agriculture or forest landowners and operators in Vermont: If you are interested in protecting, conserving, or restoring the natural resources on your property through technical or financial assistance, contact your local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) field office to begin the conservation planning process.