Invasive Insect Webinars

Invasive Insect Webinar Series

January 25, February 8, and Feb. 22, 2023
9:00 AM – 11:45 AM Live via GotoWebinar

UMass Extension’s Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program and UMass Extension’s Fruit Program presents a series of FREE webinars focusing on the impact, monitoring, and management of invasive insects in Massachusetts and the nation! Scroll to the bottom of the page for recordings of previous webinars in this series.

Note: Much of the material presented in these webinars is specific to Massachusetts and New England.

To be notified of upcoming webinar dates and topics, join our e-mail list at: https://ag.umass.edu/landscape/email-list. 

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To print a copy of the entire 2023 schedule, click here.

Click here to register for and join this webinar on Jan. 25 (webinar ID: 823-284-347).

9:00 AM – Forest Pest Risk is Heating Up with Climate Change
Audrey Barker-Plotkin, Senior Scientist and Site & Research Manager, Harvard Forest
Insect pests and pathogens, and climate change, each threaten forest health. But what happens when the two are combined? Climate change brings pests to new areas, makes pests more damaging, reduces trees’ defenses to pests, and can alter how forests recover after pest disturbance. Strategies for managing the combined impacts of forest pests and climate change include preventing new pest introductions, resisting pest spread by treating individual trees and diversifying forest stands, promoting more resilient forests that can rebound from pests, and helping forests transition to a state better adapted to our future climate.

10:30 AM – Spotted Lanternfly Updates for Massachusetts from MDAR
Elizabeth Barnes, Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, MA Department of Agricultural Resources
The MA Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) will provide updates on the current status of the invasive spotted lanternfly in Massachusetts. A brief review of the biology, hosts, and identification of this insect will be discussed. Presenters will also discuss the established populations of this insect in MA along with MDAR survey and response efforts. 

Click here to register for and join this webinar on Feb. 8 (webinar ID: 252-644-443).

9:00 AM – Spotted Lanternfly Management in the Landscape
Brian Walsh, Extension Educator, Ornamentals, PennState Extension
Managing spotted lanternfly in locations where this insect has become established and damaging populations are seen in Massachusetts will be important. Learn from the experience of PennState Extension, who have been dealing with this pest since 2014, about best management practices for this insect. An integrated pest management (IPM) approach to dealing with the spotted lanternfly is recommended. 

10:30 AM - Entomopathogens of Spotted Lanternfly, Biopesticides, & Scouting Egg Masses in Vineyards
Dr. Eric Clifton, Research Scientist, BioWorks
This presentation will discuss recent research of epizootics (outbreaks of disease) from entomopathogens (insect killing fungi) on spotted lanternfly populations in Pennsylvania. This presentation will also cover lab and field trials using biopesticides (Beauvaria bassiana and Isaria fumosorosea) on spotted lanternfly nymphs and adults. The talk will also provide some insight on scouting for egg masses in vineyards. 

Click here to register for and join this webinar on Feb. 22 (webinar ID: 161-413-083).

9:00 AM - Beech Leaf Disease: and the Newly Described Nematode That Causes It
Dr. Robert Marra, Associate Agricultural Scientist, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
While not an insect, this presentation will discuss what is currently known about the biology of the foliar nematode (Litylenchus crenatae, subspecies mccannii) causing beech leaf disease (BLD). This disease, which impacts both American and European beech, was first observed in Ohio in 2012, though the nematode was not confirmed as the cause until 2019. First detected in MA in 2020, BLD is now found as far south as VA and north to ME. Common misconceptions and the latest science to be discussed. Studies looking for effective management techniques are underway and will be briefly summarized.
   
10:30 AM – Invasive Forest Insects in Massachusetts
Nicole Keleher, Director, MA Dept. of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), Forest Health Program
Join to hear about the current status of invasive insects in our forests. We will discuss what we saw in 2022, what to expect in 2023, and some of the projects the DCR Forest Health Program has been focusing on. Learn how to identify common forest pests and what steps you can take to protect our trees.

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Archived Recordings

2022 Invasive Insect Webinars (Pesticide contact hours and ISA credits are not available for viewing these recordings.)

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/P7bNf76JKLs.

  • Browntail Moth in Maine and What You Should Know
    Tom Schmeelk, Entomologist 2, Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry, Maine Forest Service Insect and Disease Lab

  • Invasive Forests Insects in Massachusetts: Past, Present, and Future
    Nicole Keleher, Forest Health Program Director, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/XEZtxOE5jkE.

  • Research Updates on Emerald Ash Borer Biocontrol
    Dr. Joseph Elkinton, Professor of Entomology, Dept. of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Murdering the Hornets – An Overview of Eradication Actions in Washington State to Prevent the Establishment of Vespa mandarinia
    Dr. Chris Looney, Entomology Laboratory, Washington State Department of Agriculture 

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/JbX6tal4JDQ.

  • Spotted Lanternfly Update from the Massachusetts Dept. of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)
    Dr. Jennifer Forman Orth, Environmental Biologist, and Astra Perkins, Spotted Lanternfly Survey Lead, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources 

  • Invasive Agricultural Pest Update from MDAR
    Dr. Jennifer Forman Orth, Environmental Biologist, Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources

2021 Invasive Insect Webinars (Pesticide contact hours and ISA credits are not available for viewing these recordings.)

Spotted Lanternfly Trapping Update from UMass!

Join UMass Extension for an update regarding the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula; SLF) and trapping research and monitoring from: Dr. Joseph Elkinton and Dr. Jeremy Andersen, Department of Environmental Conservation, Dr. Miriam Cooperband, Forest Pest Methods Laboratory USDA-APHIS-PPQ-CPHST, Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension’s Landscape, Nursery and Urban Forestry Program, and Dr. Jaime Pinero, UMass Extension’s Fruit Program and the Stockbridge School of Agriculture. A brief discussion of the biology, host plants, and identification of the spotted lanternfly will be followed by updates from the Elkinton and Pinero Labs at UMass Amherst. Dr. Elkinton and Dr. Andersen are currently trapping for spotted lanternfly in locations in Massachusetts and Connecticut and testing newly developed lures from Dr. Cooperband. Dr. Pinero is monitoring for SLF at orchards and vineyards across Massachusetts. Watch the recorded webinar at https://youtu.be/VUR-dZzt_Wc.

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/wiWKn08x7tU.

  • Invasive Earthworms in Massachusetts - Biology, Impacts, and Research Updates
    Dr. Olga Kostromytska, Extension Assistant Professor and Turf Entomologist, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture
    Audience questions and answers from this presentation.

  • 2021 Forest Health Updates for Massachusetts
    Nicole Keleher, Forest Health Program Director, MA Department of Conservation and Recreation

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/XwJRnzO2alE.

  • Spotted lanternfly in Massachusetts and the US
    Joshua Bruckner, Forest Pest Outreach Coordinator, MA Department of Agricultural Resources

  • Successful Biological Control of Winter Moth in Eastern New England
    Dr. Joseph Elkinton, Professor of Entomology, Dept. of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/dvSnjO1925U.

  • 2021 Updates from the MA Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program
    Ryan Vazquez, Program Director, USDA APHIS PPQ-Asian Longhorned Beetle Cooperative Eradication Program- Massachusetts 

  • Trapping for New Invasives in MA – 2021 Updates & APHIS Update for MA 
    Kate Aitkenhead, State Plant Health Director for CT/MA/RI, USDA APHIS PPQ

• Watch the recorded webinar of these two topics at https://youtu.be/li8CD3Dgttk.

  • Approach For Spotted-Wing Drosophila and Brown Marmorated Stink Bug Integrated Pest Management in Small Farms
    Dr. Jaime Pinero, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Extension Fruit Program

  • Spotted Lanternfly Monitoring in Massachusetts: Testing Airborne Attractants for Early Detection
    Dr. Jaime Pinero, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Extension Fruit Program; Tawny Simisky, UMass Extension Entomologist; Dr. Jeremy C. Andersen, UMass Amherst; and Dr. Miriam Cooperband, APHIS

2020 Invasive Insect Webinars (Pesticide contact hours and ISA credits are not available for viewing these recordings.)

Scroll to the bottom of the page to view these archived webinars.

• Research Updates: Chemical Management of the Spotted Lanternfly
  Dr. Phil Lewis, Project Leader with the APHIS Otis Laboratory

• Overview of Spotted Wing Drosophila Monitoring and Management Options 
  Dr. Jaime Pinero, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture and Extension Fruit Program

• Spotted Lanternfly and Environmental DNA: Insect Monitoring of the Future
  Dr. Julie Lockwood, Professor and Chair, Ecology, Evolution and Natural Resources, Rutgers University

• Green Industry and Homeowner Response to the Spotted Lanternfly in Pennsylvania
  Emelie Swackhamer, Horticultural Educator, Penn State Extension 

• The Invasive Pest Brown Marmorated Stink Bug in Massachusetts: Biology, Monitoring, and Management
  Elizabeth Garofalo, UMass Extension Fruit Program), and Dr. Jaime Pinero, UMass Stockbridge School of Agriculture and UMass Extension Fruit Program

• Progress towards Controlling the Emerald Ash Borer with Biological Control
  Dr. Juli Gould, Entomologist, USDA-APHIS-PPQ 
  Handout from Dr. Gould's Webinar: Emerald Ash Borer Biological Control Release and Recovery Guidelines

• Invasive Insects of Trees & Shrubs in Massachusetts: 2020 Updates 
  Tawny Simisky, Entomologist, UMass Extension Landscape, Nursery, and Urban Forestry Program