Project Overview

S23-039

Project Type: IPM Centers Grant

Funds awarded in 2023: $40,000.00

Grant Recipient: University of Florida - Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory

Region: Southern

State: Florida

Cooperating States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia

Project Coordinator:

Yoosook Lee, Yoosook Lee

University of Florida - Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory

IPM Working Group: Mosquito BEACONS – Biodiversity Enhancement And Control of Non-native Species

Reports

Commodities

Animals: other

Community and Urban Pest Management: public health

Human Health: workers, residents, applicators

Target Pests

Target Pests: Asian tiger mosquito, insects

Practices

Pest Management: behavioral control, biological control, chemical control, decision support system, disease vectors, habitat modification, modeling, pesticide resistance management, traps

Natural Resources/Environment: biodiversity, wildlife

Sustainable Communities: public participation

Proposal abstract:

The problem or opportunity
In the southern 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 animals. 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 continuation of the working group - Mosquito BEACONS: Biodiversity Enhancement and Control of Non-native Species - with a goal of implementing an integrated pest management (IPM) approach for the monitoring and control of invasive mosquito species in the Southern Region. The objectives are to:
(1) Build capacity in IPM research and Extension priority areas through stakeholder meetings and collaborations.
(2) Build training and research resources on invasive mosquito species to fulfill the priority identified by stakeholders.
(3) Improve knowledge transfer through stakeholder engagement.
The approach
We will continue to bring leadership in the mosquito control communities together to build training and research resources to address priorities of stakeholder, expand multi-state and -county collaborations, and promote sustainable IPM infrastructure. Our past invasive mosquito species surveillance capacity survey identified online training resources as one of the top priorities for improving invasive mosquito surveillance and control in our region. For Year 3 continuing grant proposal, we plan to develop online training resources that can provide invasive species information as well as continuing education credits for mosquito control professionals. Training resources will be available in both English and Spanish and posted online via BEACONS Websites. We will continue data curation for our online dashboard for IPM decision support and research. Lastly, BEACONS PD and Co-PDs will travel to four state mosquito control association meetings to promote the use of invasive mosquito resources, networking, and working group participation.
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 direct engagement with state mosquito control association will be utilized to foster collaboration in research and extension on invasive mosquito issues. Resources developed during our past in-person workshops will be used to develop online training modules to provide continuing education credits which, in turn, will improve our capacity to provide training for a larger number of IPM professionals. Continuing data curation for invasive mosquito species surveillance and improving user interface will promote data sharing among stakeholders.

This project addresses critical IPM issues (SERA Priorities 2022):

Improve linkage and partnership among pest control associations, government agencies, and other non-governmental groups.
Strengthen the capacity and capability of IPM professionals at universities.
Support for training of private sector IPM professionals (e.g., pest control technicians)
Support for IPM training for county and regional extension personnel
Support for Spanish language IPM- training and materials development and distribution
Invasive pests
Host range expansion
Arthropods and Arthropod Issues of Animal/Human Health - Mosquitos (Aedes aegypti)
Diseases/Pathogens in Animals/Human Health: Arthropod-borne diseases, including Dengue Fever, Chikungunya, and West Nile Virus

Projects that improve delivery of IPM information by:

Creating new or updating existing resources to address stakeholder needs (pest management strategic plans, websites, webinars, and other training tools, pest ID guides, and infographics),
Developing and improving communication methods to educate a broad group of stakeholders on IPM practices for arthropods and diseases.
Developing new or improving/implementing existing programs (Real-time pest/disease monitoring and IPM decision support)

Project objectives from proposal:

Planned Outputs	Anticipated Outcomes
Organize four stakeholder meetings Participants: Mosquito Control Districts State Department of Agriculture Public Health Agencies Academic Stakeholders	Devise action plan to address identified priorities for invasive species surveillance, control, and research activities though stakeholder engagements Increased communication across stakeholders through progress updates and collaboration Improved linkages and partnerships Multi-state and -county collaborations influenced by stakeholder priorities and needs

Develop online training resources to address the knowledge gaps and deficiencies in coordinated invasive species surveillance efforts Participants: PD and co-PDs	Stakeholders use improved or optimized techniques to capture invasive mosquito species. Stakeholders improve in their recognition of invasive species in their jurisdiction and neighboring locations
Collect data from additional stakeholders from new and low participating states and write report analyzing the existing survey data Participants: Mosquito Control Districts Public Health Agencies PD and co-PDs	Describe gaps and barriers to invasive species surveillance Summarize invasive species surveillance efforts across the Southern region Identify priority areas for improved surveillance regimes
Written survey reports to be presented to the working group and published in reputable journals in the field. Participants: PD and co-PDs	Collaborative research to address the research priorities Collaborative extension activities to address the extension priorities
Educate participants on invasive mosquito and IPM issues (online training resources and EDDMaps) Participants: Mosquito Control Technicians Pest Management Technicians Public Health Professionals Graduate Students	Increased knowledge of invasive mosquito species awareness and identification Increased knowledge of data visualization and mapping techniques Increased knowledge of data management and organization tools available with Microsoft Excel Increased knowledge of on-line data management tools – ArcOnline, Ag Pest Monitor (powered by EDDMapS) – and the benefits of real-time data reporting.
Utilizing self-assessments, pre-test/post-test and follow-up measurement tools to assess changes in knowledge, attitudes, satisfaction, aspirations Participants: Mosquito Control Technicians Pest Management Technicians Public Health Professionals Graduate Students	Target audiences increase their knowledge in the workshop subject area Assessment of the pre- and post-survey will demonstrate knowledge gained for workshop participants and allow the working group to document and quantify impacts
Attend 4 state mosquito control association meetings and set up booth at the meeting with BEACONS training and research resources Participants: PD, Co-PDs Mosquito Control Districts Public Health Agencies	Direct and in-person engagement at the state mosquito control association meeting improves participation and collaboration to BEACONS activities (survey, data sharing, collaborations) Target audiences improve decision support capacity through data transparency, accessibility, and interactivity
Curate invasive mosquito surveillance data on on-line data reporting platform Participants: Students PD and co-PDs	Populate dashboards and EDDMaps with data to present to the stakeholders Provide a forum for real time pest/disease monitoring and IPM decision support
Extension Website and printed educational materials Participants: Mosquito Control Districts Public Health Agencies General Public	Provide resources for mosquito control and public health agencies to implement cost-effective and efficient mitigation strategies for invasive mosquito species Provide a forum for reporting findings from working group (meeting minutes, workshop information, pending grant submissions) Educate public on invasive mosquito bionomics Communicate with the National-level unit like Walter Reed Biosystems Unit (WRBU) for adding invasive species pages that are not currently available on their database