Surveys for Insects that Feed on Eurasian Watermilfoil, Myriophyllum spicatum, and Hydrilla, Hydrilla verticillata, in the People's Republic of China, Japan, and Korea

摘要

Many of the most important aquatic nuisance plants are immigrants that arrived in the United States without their respective natural enemies. These include, among others, alligatorweed, water hyacinth, water lettuce, water chestnut, hydrilla, and Eurasian watermilfoil. The first two species have been controlled at many sites and reduced throughout much of their range by insects imported from their native homes and released into the environment. This method of control is called classical biological control. The objectives of this study were (a) to identify and visit diverse regions of P. R. China, Japan, and Korea that had hydrilla and Eurasian watermilfoil, (b)to collect herbivorous insects on the target species and on related species, (c) to note the life cycles and types of damage for the insects, (d) to carry living specimens of promising species to the Gainesville, FL, quarantine facility, and (e) to establish colonies of the insects in quarantine for companion biology and host range studies.