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Menu Agricultural Research Service
						
                    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 Invasive Insect Biocontrol & Behavior Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
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We study native and invasive insect pests such as the kudzu bug (*Megacopta cribraria*, bottom right) and beneficial predatory and parasitic insects that can be used to suppress pest populations, including the spined soldier bug (*Podisus maculiventris*, top center) and parasitoid wasps (emerging from a squash bug egg, left; and from a brown marmorated stink bug egg, top right).
 We identify insect pheromones and other attractants that can be synthesized and deployed against insect pests.  Pictured is the hypothesized biosynthetic pathway for the two components (SSRS, SSRR) of the harlequin bug (*Murgantia histrionica*) aggregation pheromone.
 We are working on ways to reduce populations of Lyme disease-transmitting ticks. Left: IIBBL staff check mice for tick infestation. Right: Capillary feeding of a tick.
 We identify and test insect-specific microbial organisms for insect pest control. Left: Section through an occlusion body of a virus that kills the winter moth (*Operophtera brumata*), an invasive insect pest. Right: Colonies of the insect-pathogenic bacterium *Chromobacterium subtsugae*


Mission


People Beimfohr-Griffing, Laura Blackburn, Michael
                                            *- Mike* Fair, Monica Gundersen-Rindal, Dawn Guzman, Filadelfo Harrison, Robert
                                            *- Bob* Herlihy-Adams, Megan Hu, Jing
                                            *- Hu* Kuhar, Daniel Li, Andrew Mitchell, Ashaki
                                            *- Teddi* Novak, Nicole Rowley, Daniel Scoles, Glen Sparks, Michael Webb, Meiling Weber, Donald Zhang, Aijun


Northeast Area   dawn.gundersen-rindal@usda.gov


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