YHC beetle lab update
By: Dr. Paul Arnold

This is the second of our monthly updates on the progress of Sasajiscymnus beetle production in the Young Harris College Beetle Laboratory for the year 2008.

I. Brief Statement of Financial Condition

As of February 22, 2008, we have a balance of $35,019 in our Hemlock Project restricted account. We have received $405 in new donations over the past month from 6 private individuals, and one $200 donation from the Atlanta Audubon Society, for a grand total of $605. I heartily thank all of you who have given to our laboratory. Know that every penny of this money will go toward expenses related to raising biopredatory beetles. In addition to the monetary donations, we also had 20 total volunteer hours this month from three individuals (two of them YHC students). The balance shown above does not reflect expenses from the past month as of yet, as the expenses were not posted to the account by the date of this newsletter. Those expenses consisted of supplies (wet foam, gauze, towels) and student wages for the end of January and most of the month of February (6 students, $7/hr, 40 - 50 total student hrs/wk). Total expenses for the past month barely exceeded $300. Joining our student workforce over this past month is Grady Garner, who now joins Thomas Caudell, Angee DelConte, Alan Guilfoyle, Jonathan May and Emily Parker to form our "beetle brigade". This is a great bunch to work with, and I'm proud of their achievements!

II. Beetle Production Progress

As of today (February 26, 2008), a total of 2024 adult beetles have been produced this rearing season in our lab. We are a bit behind last year (we had 3000 beetles by mid- February in 2007) due to a pesticide kill early in the season, but we are making every effort to "catch up". We currently have 26 rearing cages (compared to 52 rearing cages this time last year), but we have increased our number of oviposition jars (egg-laying chambers) by 17% in the hopes that our numbers will increase at a greater rate. Our greater student work-force has made this possible, and I can't help but imagine what position we would be in if we hadn't had our initial rearing set-backs. Our beetle numbers were also bolstered by eggs and larvae that were sent to us on two separate occasions by the UGA rearing lab while we were still in the throes of our early-season pesticide kill. I owe a debt of gratitude to the UGA lab for their help!

We will probably begin field releases of beetles within the first week or so of March. We are keeping our beetles at least 3 weeks after they emerge in order to ensure their sexual maturity, so we will not have as many "early season" releases as we had last year. Our release strategy, as usual, will be to release beetles mainly on the leading edge of the HWA infestation in order to hopefully establish a good equilibrium between our beetles and the HWAparasite. This strategy, as always, will be coordinated by the U.S. Forest Service & Georgia Forestry Commission. Although most of our beetles in past years have gone to forests in Towns and Union counties, it is quite likely that the surrounding counties will receive more attention as the adelgid continues its "march through Georgia". We are also revisiting other aspects of how releases were performed in the past. On 22 February 2008 representatives from each rearing lab in Georgia (NGCSU, UGA & YHC) met in Athens with Rusty Rhea (U.S. Forest Service Forest Health), along with members of Georgia ForestWatch, the Georgia Sierra Club, and representatives from the U.S. Forest Service Brasstown District and Georgia Forestry Commission. One of the most important topics covered at this meeting was that of release strategy. In light of successes and failures of beetles in other parts of the country, it was generally thought that continuing a "multipredator" release approach is a good idea, and that we will make every effort to overlap different predatory beetle species, especially "piggybacking" Sasajiscymnus tsugae beetles (the type that NGCSU & YHC are producing) and Laricobius (which are being produced for release in Georgia by UGA and Clemson). These beetles complement each other, and because they are not active at the same time of year they do not directly compete with each other, thus offering a possible "one-two punch" against the adelgid. We may also adjust our release strategy by releasing fewer beetles in more locations.

In addition to the above concerns, another concern about our beetle is inbreeding. The Sasajiscymnus tsugae beetles being raised in our laboratory, and in other laboratories in the U.S., are descended from a few beetles that were imported from Japan in the early 1990s. Although we haven't seen any reduction in reproductive potential in these beetles (which is usually the first sign of "inbreeding problems"), it is our hope that we can increase the genetic diversity of this beetle in the U.S. Sarah Osicka at the NGCSU lab has made a concerted effort to obtain beetles from other laboratories with the hope that we can "mix up" the genetics a bit. Of course, the best solution will be to import more of these beetles from their natural habitat in Japan, which may happen in the foreseeable future. Sarah has given our lab Sasajiscymnus beetles obtained from North Carolina. We have, in turn, given Sarah's lab approximately 400 of our beetles that we have produced this year. We hope to continue this "beetle swapping" in order to increase genetic diversity in our populations.

III. A Final Word

As we continue through this rearing season, with all of its ups and downs, I am continually grateful for my colleagues at the other southeastern beetle- rearing labs. We, at YHC, are continually indebted to Joe Culin and LayLa Burgess at Clemson University for their great help over the past couple of years, and for the original "starter" beetles whose line we continue to propagate. Also, I am very grateful for the UGA laboratory for helping us during our earlier pesticide crisis. I especially want to thank Wayne Berisford and Mark Dalusky for their collegiality and support, and Tom Coleman for his work while he was at UGA. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Sarah Osicka and Robert Fuller for all of the good work that they are starting at North Georgia College & State University. I am looking forward to much more collaboration.

Two more items of interest:

We are currently in the planning stages of our "Open House" for our new beetle facility. It will probably be some time in April.

Also, Dale Cochran, one of our local artists and wildlife enthusiasts (and adjunct art professor at YHC) has designed a marvelous T-shirt for our Predatory Beetle Laboratory. The shirt will be given to folks who make a $25 (or greater) donation to the YHC Beetle lab. Our laboratory hours are Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 1:30 - 4 p.m.