ore

JHR 32: 75-8 I (20 I 3) JOURNAL CF Apeenreviewed open-access journal
doi: 10.3897/JHR.32.4865 SHORT COMMUNICATION ME Hymenoptera

www.pensoft.net/journals/jhr The iternaonl Scie of Hymenopexriss, RESEARCH

First detection of Agrilus planipennis in Connecticut
made by monitoring Cerceris fumipennis
(Crabronidae) colonies

Claire E. Rutledge', Melissa K. Fierke?, Philip D. Careless*, Thomas Worthley*

| Zhe Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, 123 Huntington St. New Haven CT 06511 2 Dept. of
Environmental and Forest Biology, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 135 Illick Hall 1
Forestry Dr. Syracuse, New York 13210 3 University of Guelph, Insect Systematics Laboratory, School of Envi-
ronmental Sciences, 1216 Edmund C. Bovey Building, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, NIG 2WI1, Canada
4 University of Connecticut Middlesex County Cooperative Extension Center 1066 Saybrook Road, Haddam
CT 06438-0070

Corresponding author: Claire E. Rutledge (Claire.Rutledge@ct.gov)

Academic editor: Jack Neff| Received 14 February 2013 | Accepted 26 February 2012 | Published 24 April 2013

Citation: Rutledge CE, Fierke M, Careless P. Worthley T (2013) First detection of Agrilus planipennis in Connecticut
made by monitoring Cerceris fumipennis (Crabronidae) colonies. Journal of Hymenoptera Research 32: 75-81. doi:

10.3897/JHR.32.4865

Abstract

Smoky winged beetle bandits, Cerceris fumipennis Say, digger wasps in the family Hymenoptera: Crabro-
nidae: Cercerini, provision their underground nests with adult metallic wood-boring beetles (Coleoptera:
Buprestidae). Researchers, as well as engaged community volunteers, in several states have monitored fe-
male wasps returning to their nests as a means to detect invasive buprestid species. In this paper, we report
the first detection of emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairemore), an invasive beetle responsible for
killing millions of ash trees in North America, in Connecticut by C. fumipennis and discuss its relationship
to A. planipennis survey efforts by other modalities in the state. We also report detections of A. planipennis
by C. fumipennis in Illinois, New York and Ontario; all of which were made after it was known the beetle
was in the area. These findings support the use of C. fumipennis as a biomonitoring tool and bolster the

use of engaged volunteers.

Keywords

Biosurveillance, Cerceris fumipennis, Agrilus planipennis, survey technique

Copyright Claire E. Rutledge et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 3.0
(CC-BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

76 Claire E. Rutledge et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 32: 75-81 (2013)

Introduction

Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis Fairemore) (EAB) is native to far eastern Asia,
and was accidentally introduced to North America in the mid 1990's. It was first
detected in 2002 in Detroit MI, and has spread to 18 US states and 2 Canadian
provinces. North American Fraxinus spp. show little to no resistance to the beetle, al-
lowing it to attack and kill trees regardless of tree condition (Rebek et al. 2008). One
major concern has been locating new infestations of EAB. The average time from
infestation to detection is 6-12 years (McCullough et al. 2011; MFK unpublished
data), ample time for the beetles to become firmly established in a new location.
Much research and resources have been devoted to developing survey techniques
to shorten the time between infestation and detection (Francese et al. 2006; Poland
et al. 2006; Crook et al. 2009; Francese et al. 2011; Grant et al. 2011; McCullough
et al. 2011; Ryall et al. 2012).

A novel survey technique called biosurveillance has been developed as part of
that effort (Marshall et al. 2005; Careless 2009). This technique takes advantage of
the prey specialization of Cerceris fumipennis Say, 1837 (Hymenoptera: Crabroni-
dae: Cercerini), a native solitary digger wasp. As is typical for digger wasps, females
provision larval cells with paralyzed prey. A wide range of adult beetles in the family
Buprestidae are utilized by C. fumipennis females (Marshall et al. 2005; Careless
and Marshall 2010; Rutledge et al. 2011) to provision their nests. Included in that
range are beetles in the genus Agrilus, the genus of the EAB. By monitoring the prey
returning wasps bring to their nests, surveyors can sample the buprestid beetles in
the area surrounding the colony, including EAB. Studies by Careless (2009) sug-
gested that the majority of species in an area are sampled after collecting 50 beetles
from a colony, and that further collecting yields diminishing returns. Thus, the goal
of an EAB biosurveillance program is to collect at least 50 beetles from each colony
(Carrier and Jackson 2012).

Biosurveillance has been undertaken in several states and provinces where EAB is
already known to occur and in areas, like New England, where the beetle had not yet
been detected (Table 1). In Connecticut, a biosurveillance program was begun in 2008
by The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) with surveys for Cerceris
fumipennis colonies and the monitoring of nest sites, collecting 129 beetles. The pro-
gram was expanded in 2009 the discovery of 40 additional colonies suitable for moni-
toring for EAB, biosurveillance of 36 sites and the capture of 315 beetles. To enhance
colony survey efforts in Connecticut, a citizen-scientist program was initiated in 2010
modeled on a volunteer program in Maine (Rosenholm 2012; Teerling 2012) called
‘Wasp Watchers’ that assigns volunteers to specific colonies and trains them to monitor
the wasps’ prey for EAB. The “Wasp Watcher’ program in Connecticut has grown stead-
ily, with 23 watchers in 2010, 29 in 2011 (12 returning) and 52 watchers in 2012 (19
returning), increasing the number of colonies monitored and beetles collected.

In 2010 and 2011, 1,605 beetles were collected by CAES volunteers and research-
ers. Maine, Vermont and Massachusetts also have flourishing “Wasp Watcher’ pro-

First detection of Agrilus planipennis in Connecticut... Tl
Table |. Sites with known Cerceris fumipennis captures of emerald ash borer.
Site! Collector” Year icra ESS Hoe, poe
collected? Province?

____Windsor, ON University of Guelph 2006 48 Yes _

was, LaSalle, ON University of Guelph 2006 1 Yes ae
Walpole Is., ON University of Guelph 2006 8 Yes
Wheatley, ON University of Guelph 2007 1 Yes
Toronto, ON University of Guelph 2008 31 Yes
Turkey Point, ON University of Guelph 2009 107 Yes
Ottawa, ON University of Guelph 2010 1 Yes
Lancaster, NY SUNY ESF 2011 3 Yes
Cook County, IL USDA APHIS PPQ 2011 present Yes
DuPage County, IL USDA APHIS PPQ 2011 present Yes
Kane County, IL USDA APHIS PPQ 2011 present Yes
Lake County, IL USDA APHIS PPQ 2011 present Yes
Prospect, CT CAES 2012 36 No
Beacon Falls, CT CAES 2012 1 No

' Data obtained from APHIS PPQ surveys cannot not be identified below county level
* Collector refers to the institution for which the collector was working at the time of the find

° Data obtained from APHIS-PPQ surveys only noted presence/ absence of emerald ash borer

grams (Rosenholm 2012). With the detection of EAB in Saugerties, NY in 2010, a col-
laborative effort between the USDA Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS),
Plant Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) and CAES, with support of the U.S. Forest
Service, was made to monitor as many colonies in Connecticut as possible. In 2011
and 2012, USDA-APHIS-PPQ personnel monitored colonies in the four western
counties, while personnel from CAES monitored colonies in the four eastern counties,
in addition to administering the “Wasp Watcher’ program. In the 2012 season, 2,139
buprestids were collected from 81 C. fumipennis colonies.

Emerald ash borers have been recovered from wasps in several areas with known
EAB populations (Table 1), but this approach had not yet made the initial detection
of emerald ash borer in a state or province where it had previously been undetected.
However, on the morning of July 16, 2012, CAES personnel captured a wasp carry-
ing a female emerald ash borer in the Town of Prospect in New Haven County, CT.
A further six emerald ash borers were captured at that colony that same afternoon.
Since EAB is a federal and state regulated pest, the USDA-APHIS-PPQ State Plant
Health Director submitted the initial specimen to the PPQ identifier, James Za-
blotny, for identification. James Zablotny confirmed the state identification on July
17, 2012 and forwarded the specimen onto the Systematic Entomology Laboratory
(SEL) in Beltsville, MD for confirmation as a new state record. Alexander Konstan-
tinov, SEL, confirmed the identification on July 18, 2012. This represented the first
new state detection using Cerceris biosurveillance for the detection of EAB. In subse-
quent days, an additional 26 EAB adults were captured, including EAB found on the
ground near the entrance to nest holes (Fig. 1). As fewer C. fumipennis colonies were

78 Claire E. Rutledge et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 32: 75-81 (2013)

Figure |. Abandoned emerald ash borer next to the nest entrance of Cerceris fumipennis at a colony in

Prospect CT.

being monitored in this area than in other parts of the state, additional colonies were
located in Prospect and towns immediately adjacent to it (Beacon Falls, Cheshire,
Naugatuck, Bethany, Seymour). Surveys of these colonies yielded two more EAB
positive colonies. On July 17", three EAB were captured at a Prospect site approxi-
mately one km due south of the first find. One additional EAB was caught on July
24" in the Town of Beacon Falls, about 11 km southwest of the colonies in Prospect.
A ‘Wasp Watcher’ volunteer had caught nine EAB at the original Prospect colony
in the first week of July, but did not recognize the beetles and so the finds were not
reported until July 19".

In addition to the three colonies at which EAB were collected, 25 other Cerceris
fumipennis colonies had 50+ beetles collected (Table 2A, B). By USDA-APHIS-PPQ
criteria, collecting 50 beetles at a site is not an official ‘negative’ for EAB (Carrier and
Jackson 2012), but it does suggest EAB is likely not present, or is present at very low
densities. The minimum EAB density for C. fumipennis detection is not known, how-
ever, we do know that EAB was found at the first Prospect colony after only 15 beetles
were collected in 2012. However, that same colony was monitored in 2011, with 68
beetles representing 11 species captured (and no EAB).

As part of Connecticut’s statewide EAB surveillance efforts, USDA-APHIS-PPQ
purple-prism traps were deployed around the state in 2011 (940 traps) and 2012 (544

First detection of Agrilus planipennis in Connecticut... i)

Table 2A. Colonies within New Haven County with 50+ beetles collected and/or colonies at which
emerald ash borer was collected.

City # EAB

Cheshire 18-Jul 100+ 76 0
Middlebury 0
North Branford 0
Orange 50 59 0
Prospect 2 50 42 3

Table 2B. Number of Cerceris fumipennis colonies per county in Connecticut at which 50+ buprestids
were collected in 2012, but at which no emerald ash borer was found.

Coun # Colonies
Fairfield 1
Hartford 3
Litchfield 11
Middlesex 2
New London 1
Tolland p
Windham 1

traps) by the University of Connecticut with support from APHIS-PPQ. During routine
trap monitoring, suspect specimens were collected from traps in Prospect on June 29",
2012 and Naugatuck on July 9", 2012 but had not yet been processed when EAB was
first collected from Cerceris fumipennis. After confirmation of EAB was received from
SEL, the EAB from the Prospect trap was identified by Claire Rutledge, the designated
state-identifier, on July 18". During the week following the initial find in Prospect,
the purple-prism traps in the area were re-checked and additional suspect specimens
were collected in Prospect, Naugatuck and Bethany (all New Haven County). Because
Bethany and Naugatuck would represent new towns for EAB, the specimens collected
from those traps were sent to PPQ identifier Bobby Brown for confirmation of identity,
which was received on July 20". An additional 29 traps were deployed in Prospect,
Cheshire, Naugatuck and Bethany to help further define the extant of the infestation.
One of these subsequently deployed traps, across the road from the second positive C.
fumipennis colony in Prospect, also captured an EAB (Table 2A, B).

No purple-prism traps outside of the four towns mentioned above captured an em-
erald ash borer (Table 3). Ash trees with heavy EAB infestations were subsequently found
in the Town of Prospect and a state quarantine for New Haven County was established
on August 9, 2012 followed by a parallel federal quarantine on September 12, 2012.

Together, biosurveillance with Cerceris fumipennis and use of purple-prism traps
provided the first detection of an EAB infestation in Connecticut. Subsequent C.

80 Claire E. Rutledge et al. / Journal of Hymenoptera Research 32: 75-81 (2013)

Table 3. Summary of purple prism traps in Connecticut in2012.

Coun # EAB captured

Fairfield ae: | a eT 0
Hartford 2 Sa 0
Litchfield —EE——E— a | 0
Middlesex 39 0 0
New Haven 49 4 38
New London 43 0 0
Tolland 83 0 0
Windham 43 0 0

fumipennis colony identification and biosurveillance also provided an initial estimate
of its extent. Delimitation surveys for infested trees will continue over the winter by
peeling bolts. In summer 2013, multiple C. fumipennis colonies at the known limits of
the infestation will be surveyed to further delimit the infestation.

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the Wasp Watchers who volunteered their time and energy to moni-
tor C. fumipennis nests this summer. In particular J. Kasinskas, who caught an EAB
on his first outing. Thanks also to M. Scott, who caught the first recognized EAB in
Connecticut, and to S. Ng. N. Carrier and E. Chamberlin of USDA PPQ carried out
surveys in Connecticut, S. Blackwood, R. Van Duzor and T. Buck of APHIS-PPQ
conducted the Illinois surveys. F. Afelumo collected the EAB in NY. This paper was
greatly improved by the comments of K. Stafford, and L. Magnarelli and by an anony-
mous reviewer. This work was partly funded by grants from the USDA Forest Service
#09-DG-11420004-175 and #10-DG-11420004-285.

References

Careless PD (2009) Biosurveillance: utilizing a beetle hunting wasp (Cerceris fumipennis, Hy-
menoptera: Crabronidae) to detect infestations of emerald ash borers (Agrilus planipennis,
Coleoptera: Buprestidae). MS University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario.

Careless PD, Marshall SA (2010) Working with the smoky-winged beetle bandit. Entomological
Society of Canada Bulletin 42(1): 25-29.

Carrier N, Jackson LD (2012) Cerceris wasp survey protocol. Edited by USDA-APHIS-PPQ. 8 pp.

Crook DJ, Francese JA, Zylstra KE, Fraser I, Sawyer AJ, Bartels DW, Lance DR, Mastro VC
(2009) Laboratory and field response of the emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae),
to selected regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Journal of Economic Entomology

102(6): 2160-2169. doi: 10.1603/029.102.0620

First detection of Agrilus planipennis in Connecticut... 81

Francese JA, Fraser I, Lance DR, Mastro VC (2011) Efficacy of multifunnel traps for capturing
emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): effect of color, glue, and other trap coatings.
Journal of Economic Entomology 104(3): 901-908. doi: 10.1603/ec11038

Francese JA, Fraser I, Oliver JE, Youssef N, Lance DR, Mastro VC (2006) Effects of trap
height, location and design on capture of the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis Faim-
aire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Entomology Society of America Annual Conference, Indi-
anapolis IN.

Grant GG, Poland TM, Ciaramitaro T, Lyons DB, Jones GC (2011) Comparison of male and
female emerald ash borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) responses to phoebe oil and (Z)-3-hex-
enol lures in light green prism traps. Journal of Economic Entomology 104(1): 173-179.
doi: 10.1603/ec10197

Marshall SA, Paiero SM, Buck M (2005) Buprestid sampling at nests of Cerceris fumipennis
(Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) in Southern Ontario: The first Canadian records of three
buprestids (Coleoptera: Buprestidae). Canadian Entomologist 137(4): 416-419. doi:
10.4039/n05-016

McCullough DG, Siegert NW, Poland TM, Pierce SJ, Ahn SZ (2011) Effects of trap type,
placement and ash distribution on emerald ash borer captures in a low density site. Envi-
ronmental Entomology 40(5): 1239-1252. doi: 10.1603/en11099

Poland TM, Pureswaran D, McCullough DG, De Groot P, Grant GG (2006) Emerald ash
borer, Agrilus planipennis, attraction in field trapping experiments employing combinations
of visual, olfactory, tactile, and canopy position cues. Entomological Society of America
Annual Conference, Indianapolis, IN.

Rebek EJ, Herms DA, Smitley DR (2008) Interspecific variation in resistance to emerald ash
borer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) among North American and Asian ash (Fraxinus spp.).
Environmental Entomology 37(1): 242-246. doi: 10.1603/0046-225X(2008)37[242:IV
IRTE]20:C@O;2

Rosenholm GE (2012) Qualitative analysis of wasp watchers. Social Science Research Net-
work. doi: 10.2139/ssrn.2181538

Rutledge CE, Hellman W, Teerling C, Fierke MK (2011) Two novel prey families for the
buprestid-hunting wasp Cerceris fumipennis Say (Hymenoptera: Crabonidae). Coleopter-
ists Bulletin 65(2): 194-196. doi: 10.1649/072.065.0223

Ryall KL, Silk PJ, Mayo P, Crook D, Khrimian A, Cosse AA, Sweeney J, Scarr T (2012) Attrac-
tion of Agrilus planipennis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) to a volatile pheromone: Effects of re-
lease rate, host volatile, and trap placement. Environmental Entomology 41(3): 648-656.
doi: 10.1603/en11312

Teerling C (2012) Information for Volunteers. [online] Available from http://www.maine.gov/

doc/mfs/fhm/pages/CercerisVolunteers.htm [accessed December 19, 2012].