Micro-managing arthropod invasions: eradication and control of invasive arthropods with microbes

摘要

Non-indigenous arthropods are increas-ingly being introduced into new areas worldwide andoccasionally they cause considerable ecological andeconomic harm. Many invasive arthropods particu-larly pose problems to areas of human habitationand native ecosystems. In these cases, the use ofenvironmentally benign materials, such as host-spe-cific entomopathogens, can be more desirable thanbroader spectrum control tactics that tend to causegreater non-target effects. The majority of successfuleradication programs using arthropod pathogens havetargeted invasive Lepidoptera with Bacillus thurin-giensis kurstaki (Btk), such as eradication effortsagainst the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), inNorth America and New Zealand. Both Btk andLymantria dispar nucleopolyhedrovirus have beensuccessfully used in efforts to limit the spread ofL. dispar in the United States. For invasive arthropodspecies that are well established, suppression pro-grams have successfully used arthropod-pathogenicviruses, bacteria, fungi and nematodes for eithershort- or long-term management. We will summarizethe use of pathogens and nematodes in invasive arthropod management programs within a generalcontext, and compare the use of microbes in gypsymoth management with diverse microbes beingdeveloped for use against other invasive arthropods.