Wasp watchers effective in ash borer search, study finds

A Cerceris fumipennis wasp brings a buprestid prey back to
the colony. Photo by Mioara Scott, Connecticut Agricultural
Experiment Station.

Posted by Glenn Rosenholm

Northeastern Area State & Private Forestry, U.S. Forest Service

Volunteer wasp watchers represent an effective force multiplier in the early detection of the ash-killing, invasive insect known as the emerald ash borer, according to “Qualitative Analysis of Wasp Watchers,” a study posted on the Social Science Research Network.

Forestry and agricultural agencies in five states -- Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and North Carolina -- collectively manage about 170 wasp watchers. A total of eight Eastern states use bio-surveillance to find the emerald ash borer.

Volunteer wasp watchers practice catching Cerceris
fumipennis wasps. Photo by Kate Forrer, University of
Vermont Cooperative Extension

It often takes only one training session to get a volunteer up to speed as a wasp watcher. Some volunteers are new to the program, while others have been wasp watching four years or more.

Wasp watchers range from young children to senior citizens. Retirees, master gardeners, scouts and 4-H Club members can make excellent wasp watchers. But anyone can participate.

The emerald ash borer is native to Asia and was first detected in North America near Detroit in 2002. Since then, the insect has killed tens of millions of ash trees across 17 states and two Canadian provinces.