Wednesday, December 13, 2006
D0441

Status of the Japanese beetle parasitoid Tiphia vernalis Rohwer in Connecticut

Darryl Ramoutar and Ana Legrand, ana.legrand@uconn.edu. University of Connecticut, 1376 Storrs Road, U-4067, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT

During 1920’s and early 1930’s USDA entomologists imported Tiphia vernalis Rohwer (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae) from Korea for Japanese beetle control. Numerous wasp releases were made throughout the Northeast. In six of Connecticut’s eight counties, releases of T. vernalis were made between 1936 and 1949. Since 1950 the occurrence of T. vernalis in Connecticut had not been monitored and some literature had suggested that these wasps were rare in the state. This study was undertaken to determine the distribution and seasonal occurrence of T. vernalis in Connecticut. In 2004, at least one golf course in each county was surveyed in Spring. In 2005, golf courses in the north, central and south portions of the state were surveyed for six weeks to determine the seasonal occurrence of T. vernalis adults. T. vernalis wasps were found in every county of the state. The 2005 survey results indicate that T.vernalis adults are active from the first week in May to the beginning of June. The peak numbers were observed in the fourth week of May. There was substantial variation in the numbers of wasps observed at each site. For example, in Hunter Memorial Park (New Haven Co.) the peak number observed was 563 adults while only 28 were seen in Skunkgamaug Golf Course (Tolland Co). The results of this survey show that the wasps are not rare in Connecticut and that they should be integrated with other measures for Japanese beetle management.



Species 1: Coleoptera Scarabaeidae Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle)
Species 2: Hymenoptera Tiphiidae Tiphia vernalis