Speaker:
Ellie Groden, associate professor of entomology and associate chair
of the department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maine
in collaboration with:
Frank Drummond , professor of Insect Ecology in the Department of Biological
Sciences and the Blueberry Insect Extension Specialist at the University of
Maine
Abstract:
We have initiated studies on an introduced ant, Myrmica rubra, which because of its aggressive, stinging behavior, has been causing problems in some coastal communities in Maine. M. rubra nests and forages in people's yards and around buildings, where nest density can average more than one nest per m2 in heavily infested areas. M. rubra is native to Europe where it is widely distributed from the British Isles to Scandinavia and Siberia and south to the Medittarean. It was first reported in the United States in a 1908 (Wheeler, J. Econ. Entomol. Vol. 1) at the Arnold Arboretum in Forest Hills, Massachusetts. Samples collected at the Arboretum in 2001 revealed that the ant is still present, though it has not been successful in spreading and achieving the densities observed in coastal areas of Maine. The first catalogued collection of the ant in Maine was in 1952 from Eastport (specimen housed at the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology). Surveys conducted in 2001 revealed isolated M. rubra infestations from the southern most coastal community of Kittery to the northeastern most community of Eastport. One non-coastal infestation in the state has been located in the town of Wayne, ME. Research questions being addressed include: 1) what is this ant's potential for further spread; 2) what impact is M. rubra having on native ants, other arthropods, and vertebrates; and 3) how can infestations be managed?
Biography:
Dr. Ellie Groden is an associate professor of entomology and associate chair of the department of Biological Sciences at the University of Maine. She has worked in the area of IPM for the past 25 years with a particular emphasis on biological control and insect pathogens. Her current research program focuses on developing bio-based pest management strategies for the invasive European Fire Ant.
Dr. Drummond is a professor of Insect Ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Blueberry Insect Extension Specialist at the University of Maine. His research interests are bio-based pest management strategies for lowbush blueberry, pollination ecology, and ecology and population structure of the invasive European Fire Ant.