“Many types of native lady beetles are declining in Ohio,” says CFAES scientist Mary Gardiner, “while the introductions of exotic non-native species of lady beetles are increasing. Lady beetles are a beneficial insect for gardeners and farmers because they provide natural pest control.” Here’s how you can pitch in to help Gardiner, native lady beetles, and the plants you grow. (Photo by Stu Phillips via Wikimedia Commons.)
invasive species
May 17: These not so little invasive piggies are looming on the horizon (as are others)
People who manage parks, farms, trees, wildlife, landscape plants, commercial nurseries, and more for a living can get a detailed look at Ohio’s invasive species, including the possible new threats, at a workshop May 17. There’s an early registration discount if you sign up by May 3. The Ohio Woodland Stewards Program, which is part of OSU Extension, which is the statewide outreach arm of CFAES, is the sponsor. Get the workshop brochure here (pdf). Feral pigs like the ones shown here are now in southeast Ohio.
See one? Whip out your iPhone
Your Apple mobile devices can now fight invasive species (such as the Asian longhorned beetle shown here; not actual size). CFAES’s outreach arm, OSU Extension, has released an iPhone and iPad version of its Great Lakes Early Detection Network (GLEDN) app. (Photo: USDA-APHIS.)
Biological beetle battle
Jon Lelito presents “From 1 to 100,000: Building a Biological Control Program for Emerald Ash Borer in Four Years” from 3:30-4:30 p.m. tomorrow (4/10) in 121 Fisher Auditorium on OARDC’s Wooster campus, 1680 Madison Ave., with a video link to 244 Kottman Hall at Ohio State in Columbus, 2021 Coffey Rd. Free. Sponsored by CFAES’s Department of Entomology. Lelito manages USDA’s Emerald Ash Borer Biological Control facility in Brighton, Mich. A story in SUNY Fredonia’s online alumni magazine looks at his work there. Emerald ash borer is an invasive insect species that has killed millions of North America’s and Ohio’s native ash trees and threatens to wipe them all out.
You guys are guests in my corn. And there’s nothing in it for me
In northern Ohio, what used to be only a minor pest in lawns is now threatening to become a major problem in corn. And it, too, is an invasive species (pdf).
Invasive species awareness: Beasts of the southern (Ohio) wild
Feral pigs such as this one have come to southern Ohio. The problem: They root up crops, erode soil, and muddy streams through their wallowing. (An ODNR Web page calls them “living rototillers.”) Also: They eat the eggs and young of ground-nesting song- and game birds, the young of deer and livestock, and the acorns that deer, squirrels, and wild turkeys require. And they carry pseudorabies and swine brucellosis, diseases that livestock, wildlife, and pets can catch. Read more on Ohio’s invasive species. (Photo by Makro Freak via Wikimedia Commons.)
Invasive species awareness: A face you don’t want to see
The bighead carp, shown here, which can grow to be larger than a beagle, is one of four species of Asian carps that threaten to invade the Great Lakes, including Lake Erie. Scientists say the fish, if they get in, could do significant damage. “Once an aquatic invasive species becomes established, eradication ranges from difficult and costly to impossible,” says Eugene Braig, aquatic ecosystems program director for OSU Extension. “Prevention is key.” Read more. (Photo: Asian Carp Regional Coordinating Committee.)
Watch: Awareness week focuses on environmental, economic impacts
Invasive species awareness: Use this app to report invaders
Check out the new Great Lakes Early Detection Network smartphone app, which lets you join the fight against invasive species. By using it, you can help scientists control invasive species earlier, when it’s easier, rather than later, when it’s harder (and costs more money) (and might even be impossible). Co-developers were specialists with CFAES’s outreach arm, OSU Extension. National Invasive Species Awareness Week is March 3-8.
Invasive species awareness: (Hope you don’t) meet this beetle!
Say hello to the tree-killing, size-of-an-almond Asian longhorned beetle. It’s the first in a series of profiles tied to the observance of National Invasive Species Awareness Week, March 3-8, in Ohio.