Biocontrols for Invasive Plants

Japanese stiltgrass leaf blight

Contact: Marc Imlay, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) | Chair, Bio-Control Working Group of the Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council (MAIPC) | Cell: (301) 442-5657 | ialm@erols.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2014) Our tool kit for successful control of non-native invasive plants includes preventing new invasive species from coming in from Europe, Asia, and other continents; manual […]

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Spotting the Spotted-Wing Drosophila

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Contact: Stanton Gill, IPM and Entomology Specialist, University of Maryland Extension | Sgill@umd.edu | http://extension.umd.edu/ipm ELLICOTT CITY, MD (October 1, 2013). Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii, is an invasive, destructive pest, originating from Southeast Asia. It has recently been found in Maryland infesting blackberries and raspberries. SWD’s appearance in Maryland is why the Maryland […]

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Zebra Mussel

zebra mussel hand

Contact: Ronald Klauda, Maryland DNR | 410-260-8615 | rklauda@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (April 15, 2013) – The zebra mussel, a small freshwater mollusk native to southern Russia and the Caspian Sea, was first discovered in North America in June 1988, in Lake St. Clair. Since this inadvertent introduction, zebra mussels have spread as far west in […]

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Exotic Snails

Maritime garden snail (Cernuella cisalpina). Photo: http://www.jaxshells.org/

Contact: Dick Bean, Maryland Department of Agriculture | dick.bean@maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (March 8, 2013) – Exotic and alien species arrive in the US daily. Whether they are brought in intentionally or accidentally makes little difference; the end result can be the same – new introduced pests with potential to cause serious impacts on agriculture, the […]

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Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease Map

Brian Eyler | Maryland DNR | beyler@dnr.state.md.us ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 1, 2013) – Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is one of several diseases classified as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, or TSE’s. Scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease (BSE), and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans, are also TSE’s. While humans can contract vCJD from eating BSE-infected beef, […]

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Classroom Pets and Projects

so leopard

Katie ten Hagen | kt10hagen@gmail.com ANNAPOLIS, MD (September 20, 2012) – Many people have fond memories of raising some sort of classroom “pet,” be it butterflies, frogs, fish, hermit crabs, or “regular” pets like hamsters or gerbils. Watching a plant or animal go through its entire lifecycle is incredibly fascinating and can be an invaluable […]

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Biological Control Agent for Mile-a-Minute Weed

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Contact: Robert Trumbule, Maryland Department of Agriculture | Robert.Trumbule@Maryland.gov ANNAPOLIS, MD (August 20, 2012) – Mile-a-minute weed, Persicaria perfoliata(L.) H. Gross, is an annual Asian vine that has invaded a variety of habitats in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. First discovered in southeastern Pennsylvania in the mid-1930’s, it has since spread to as many as […]

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Boxwood Blight

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Contacts:Karen Rane, University of Maryland Plant Diagnostic Lab | rane@umd.eduDave Clement, University of Maryland Extension | clement@umd.edu All boxwoods (Buxus species) are susceptible to boxwood blight, although some variation in disease severity among cultivars has been reported. In addition, Sarcococca (sweet box) and Japanese pachysandra (Pachysandra terminalis) have been infected under laboratory conditions. There are other boxwood diseases that might […]

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Kudzu Bug

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Contact: Mary Kay Malinoski, University of Maryland Extension | mkmal@umd.edu ANNAPOLIS, MD (May 14, 2012) – The kudzu bug, Megacopta cribraria, is also known as the bean plataspid, lablab bug, or globular stink bug. It was first discovered near Atlanta Georgia in 2009 and has since spread to South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and one county on […]

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