New Northeast RIPM Grant Projects for 2012

Close-up of a spotted wing drosophila on a raspberry.

Spotted wing drosophila attacks raspberry. Photo: Hannah Burrack, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org

The Northeast Regional IPM Competitive Grants Program funds projects that help to solve pest problems while reducing risks to human health and the environment. In 2012, the program has awarded approximately $570,000 to support nine projects:

Spotted wing drosophila management (Richard Cowles, Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station). Cowles and his team aim to reduce the total amount of insecticide used to manage spotted wing drosophila, a new invasive insect, by determining optimal management and trapping techniques.

Investigation and exploitation of light as a non-chemical means to manage powdery mildews (David Gadoury, Cornell University). This project aims to develop LED lights as a non-chemical means of controlling powdery mildew pests and diseases.

Implementing swallow-wort biocontrol (Richard Casagrande, University of Rhode Island). Casagrande and his team will raise, release, and monitor Hypena opulenta, a European leaf-feeding moth, for three years in North America, to assess the effectiveness of the insect in controlling European swallow-wort, a plant invasive in North America and toxic to mammals.

Developing an IPM program for western bean cutworm, a new corn and dry bean pest in the Northeast Region (John Tooker, Penn State). Tooker and his group plan to develop a monitoring network for western bean cutworm in the Northeast, and work on refining the pheromone formula used to attract WBC into monitoring traps.

Hand-held mobile application technology for pest identification and scouting in Christmas tree and conifer nursery production (Elizabeth Lamb, Cornell University). Lamb and her group will create and demonstrate an application for mobile hand-held devices to assist growers in identification and scouting for insect, disease, and weed pests of conifers.

Invasive insect and disease outreach, detection, and reporting (Mary Kay Malinoski, University of Maryland). Malinoski will expand and update an early-detection network for insect and plant diseases in the Northeast.

Diversified partnerships: building IPM programming within Latino communities (Edwin Rajotte, Penn State). Rajotte’s team will build partnerships and develop outreach, education, and training materials for Spanish-speaking audiences, reducing negative health effects due to pests and pesticide misuse.

Toward implementation of a novel fungal biopesticide for IPM of bed bugs (Nina Jenkins, Penn State). Jenkins will assess the effectiveness and safety for home use of a biopesticide against bed bugs based on a naturally-occurring fungus.

Northeast Bugwood node expansion to catalog images for use as reference tools by diagnosticians and extension personnel (Karen Snover-Clift, Cornell University). This project will develop Bugwood’s growing collection on plant pathogens in the Northeast, reaching out to scientists to develop and share the resource.

Find detailed descriptions of these projects by searching our database, NortheastIPM.org/ppms.


The Northeastern IPM Center promotes integrated pest management for reducing risks to human health and the environment. If republishing our news, please acknowledge the source (“From Northeast IPM Insights”) along with a link to our website.