Project Overview

Reports

Commodities

• Community and Urban Pest Management: residential/housing

• Human Health: workers, residents, applicators

• Pollinators: other

Target Pests

Practices

• Pest Management: chemical control, mechanical control, prevention, traps

• Sustainable Communities: public participation

The eastern carpenter bee (Xylocopa virginica) is both a pollinator and a pest. Its habit of excavating nest tunnels in sound wood renders it a wood-destroying insect pest throughout its range in the eastern United States and southern Canada. Despite anecdotal evidence of widespread concern and pesticide use among homeowners and property managers, the prevalence and economic importance of this pest are poorly documented. There is no empirical information about current management practices or their efficacy. The problem addressed by this proposal is that there is insufficient information to develop and evaluate an IPM program for carpenter bees.

During the seed project, we will conduct online and face-to-face surveys to assess prevalence of perceived carpenter bee damage and current practices, motivations, expenses, and preferred responses to carpenter bees among homeowners and property managers in the southern region. The online survey will cover multiple states in the southern region (at least NC, SC, FL, and LA). The face-to-face survey will cover four demographically representative neighborhoods in Raleigh, NC, allowing us to estimate bias in online survey responses. In the short term, results will increase knowledge of the baseline situation and inform future research directions in carpenter bee IPM. In the longer term, these results will ensure that new IPM strategies are adopted because they match user priorities, and will provide a baseline for future evaluation.

We will also conduct a preliminary assessment of a novel mechanical insecticide derived from volcanic rock, currently being registered for mosquito control. We will assess adult and larval knockdown and mortality using standard procedures, including a WHO cone test and topical applications. Future work after the seed project will address formulation and field efficacy. If effective for carpenter bees, this mechanical insecticide would improve human and environmental safety over the active ingredients currently recommended for carpenter bee management.

The proposal addresses the purpose of the RFA by promoting development of an IPM framework for carpenter bees, and by providing baseline information for future evaluation. It addresses documented stakeholder priorities in community IPM and least-toxic alternatives that reduce human and non-target insect exposure to toxic insecticides. In the long term, we envision an applied research and extension program that measures the pollination benefits of carpenter bees and weighs them against structural, aesthetic, or psychological costs; establishes economic thresholds for interventions; and provides evidence-based education and guidance for prevention and suppression of pestiferous populations. The long-term impact of such a program will be reduced use of toxic insecticides in community settings, including homes, schools, and other structures; and reduced expense and anxiety among homeowners and property managers when interacting with and making management decisions about this common species.

Planned outputs

Online and face-to-face survey documenting homeowner/ property manager experiences, motivations, and expenses related to carpenter bees

Choice experiment documenting relative importance of safety, efficacy, cost, and ease of application for homeowners and property managers making carpenter bee management decisions

Laboratory bioassays of adult and larval carpenter bee susceptibility to a novel mechanical insecticide derived from powdered & processed volcanic rock (MI_VR) that is environmentally inert and nontoxic to humans

Anticipated outcomes

New knowledge of:

prevalence of perceived damage and pest status of carpenter bees in the south

homeowners’ and property managers’ current practices and expenses

homeowners’ and property managers’ motivations for managing carpenter bees

homeowners’ and property managers’ priorities when seeking carpenter bee management options

carpenter bee larval and adult knockdown and mortality upon exposure to MI_VR