Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Animals: other

• Community and Urban Pest Management: public health

Target Pests

• Target Pests: insects

Practices

• Pest Management: decision support system, disease vectors, prevention, traps

1. The problem or opportunity
   In the southeastern United States, several mosquitoes of medical and veterinary importance are invasive mosquito species and their presence increases the risk of arbovirus transmission to humans and livestock. Uncoordinated surveillance and control efforts across districts or states can be costly, resulting in incomplete risk assessments, suboptimal use of insecticides, biased estimates of mosquito diversity and abundance, and missed opportunities to detect new threats to public health safety. Here, we propose the establishment of a working group - Mosquito BEACONS: Biodiversity Enhancement And Control of Non-native Species - with a goal of implementing an IPM approach for the monitoring and control of invasive mosquito species in the Southern Region. The objectives are to:
   (1) Identify IPM research and Extension priority areas through stakeholder meetings.
   (2) Describe the capacity for invasive species surveillance by surveying stakeholders.
   (3) Improve knowledge transfer through stakeholder engagement.
   
2. The approach in simple terms that can be understood by the general public, university personnel, private organizations, and budget staff
   We will bring leadership in the mosquito control communities together to identify priority areas for invasive species in research and Extension, build strong multi-state and -county collaborations, and promote sustainable IPM infrastructure. An invasive species surveillance capacity survey administered via Qualtrics will be utilized to directly engage mosquito control and pest management agencies to identify gaps in surveillance and knowledge. Extension websites will improve the efficiency of information transfer, while an invasive mosquito species dashboard will provide a forum for reporting findings in a timely and efficient manner. Lastly, a workshop will be held to fill gaps in knowledge identified in objectives 1 and 2, discuss emerging issues, and train mosquito control professionals on our database/dashboard.
3. The anticipated impact
   Through these objectives we will increase awareness of invasive mosquito issues and enhance surveillance and control capacity in the Southern Region. Stakeholder meetings and an invasive species surveillance capacity survey will be utilized to identify gaps in surveillance and knowledge. This critical information can then be used to develop targeted sampling regimes (i.e. utilizing trap types and sampling approaches that bias towards the target organism/s), diversified surveillance strategies (employing various methodologies to maximize effectiveness), and training modules. By implementing a Training of the Trainers approach the workshop will support the training and development of IPM professionals, providing representatives from each participating State with the tools required to efficiently disseminate information to stakeholders. Our dashboard capabilities will provide a forum for real time pest/disease/biocontrol monitoring and IPM decision support that will improve decision support capacity through data transparency, accessibility, and interactivity.
   
   This project addresses critical IPM issues (http://bit.ly/IPMpriorities, 2020, SERA 003) resulting from Invasive pests that could transmit arthropod-borne diseases detrimental to human and livestock health:
   (a) New, emerging, and important pests/issues–domestic or introduced invasive pests,
   (b) Chronic / Established IPM Problems, Mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti),
   IPM evaluation (http://bit.ly/IPMpriorities, 2020, SERA 003) will be facilitated through stakeholder engagement to identify gaps in knowledge and to promote Extension activities:
   (c) Creating new or updating existing resources to address stakeholder needs (Websites, webinars, and other online training tools),
   (d) Developing new or improving/implementing existing programs (Real time pest/disease/biocontrol monitoring and IPM decision support)