Invasive insects causing damage to urban area

1. IMPACT OF INVASIVE INSECT
PESTS ON URBAN AREA
Jawwad Hassan Mirza
Student ID# 435108485
Ph.D. Scholar (Acarology Laboratory)
Department of Plant Protection
King Saud University, AlRiyadh, KSA

2. CONTENTS
• Introduction
• Objectives
• Defining Concepts
• Characteristics of Invasive Insect Species
• Characteristics of Invaded Environment
• Ways/Methods of Invasion
• Factors Promoting Invasion
• Effects of Invasive Insect Pests on Urban Area along with some case studies
• Some other case studies
• Damage Assessment Tools
• Prevention and Management of Invasive Insect Species
• Some other tools to deal with invasion
• Take Home Message
• References

3. Introduction
• Half of world population in Urban areas
• Increased human activity resulted in degraded/fragmented
environment
• Health risks and damage to man-made structures
• Biodiversity loss and native specie extinction
• Economical and Ecological damage
(Petrić et al., 2014)

4. Objectives
• To understand the problem of Invasive Insect Species
• To characterize Invasive Insect Species
• To define the ways of Invasion
• To discuss some of the worst Invasive Insect Species
• To determine inter-relation between Invasive Insect Species with
Native Flora/Fauna
• To estimate the damage caused by Invasive Insects to Urban Area
• To evaluate proper prevention and management strategies

5. Defining Concepts
• 1Urban:
• a geographic region with defined boundaries, contains areas for businesses, housing,
paved streets and roads; with a high population density and agriculture and with a total
population size that exceeds 15,000 people.
• 2Pest:
• A living organism competing with humans for food, shelter and space and causes
economic damage.
• 2Exotic Insect:
• Species which has been introduced as a result of human assistance, either accidentally
or deliberately, to an area it could not have reached on its own.
• 2Invasive Insect:
• Alien species whose introduction and/or spread threaten biological diversity.
(1. De Castro et al., 2004; 2. Petrić et al., 2014)

6. Characteristics of Invasive Insect Species
• History of Invasiveness Outside Natural Range
• Wide Distribution in Different Habitats
• Fast Growth, short life cycle
• High Reproduction
• Parasitism
• Ability to live without Food/Water for prolonged periods
• Efficient Means of Spread
• Aggressive Behavior
• Close Association with Humans

7. Characteristics of Invaded Environment
• Ecological Similarities Between Native and New Ecosystems
• Lack of Co-evolved Predators and Parasites
• Other IAS already Established
• High Degree of Disturbance
• Secondary Pathways and Vectors for Further Spread

8. Ways/Methods of Invasion
• Intentional Introductions
• Introductions that became invasive
• Introduced as biological control agents (e.g. Asian Lady beetle etc.)
• Introduced for inter-breeding with native species (e.g. Gypsy Moth etc.)
• Unauthorized Intentional Introductions
• Introduced because of personal interests
• Unintentional Introductions
• Introduced with animals (e.g. Dog Ticks etc.)
• Introduced along with dead insects (e.g. Khapra Beetle etc.)
• Introduced along with food items (e.g. Stored Grain Insects Pests etc.)
• Introduced along with contaminated human clothing/belongings (e.g. lice, bed bugs etc.)
• Introduced with plant materials, old used tires, soil samples etc. (e.g. Mosquitoes etc.)

9. Factors Promoting Invasion
• Habitat Fragmentation and Degradation
• Build up Green house Gases
• Air and Water Pollution
• Human activities, development, settlements, impediments
• Changes in Land Use
• Extensive Transportation

10. Effects of Invasive Insect Pests on Urban Area
along with particular case studies

11. 1. Socio-Economic Effects
I. Horticultural/Agricultural Effects
II. Stored Product and Infrastructure Effects
III. Urban Tree Effects
IV. Human and Animal Health Effects
2. Environmental Effects
I. Impact of Herbivores
II. Impact of predators/parasitoids
III. Impact by pollinators
Effects of Invasive Insect Pests on Urban Area

12. 1. Socio-Economic Effects
• 1DAISIE database = 24.2% of the alien invertebrates in Europe have an
economic impact
• 2Insect pests destroy approx. 14% of all potential food production globally.
• 330% and 45% of the insect pests in agriculture and forestry worldwide are of
alien origin, respectively.
(1. Vilà et al., 2010; 2. Pimentel, 2007; 3. Pimentel et al., 2002)

13. I. Horticultural/Agricultural Effects
• 1British Isles = 30% invasive insect pests cause yield losses of $960 million per year.
• 2American vine phylloxera = Late 19th century completely destroyed nearly one-third of
the French vineyards= > 1 mha.
• 2Eastern USA = Colorado potato beetle, the cost of controlling infestations averages
between US$138 and $368 per hectare.
• 3,4Corn rootworm beetle = Losses in Maize fields 30%, 147 million €/year.
• 5Mediterranean Fruit fly = In Israel, Palestine and Jordan, fruit losses about U.S. $365
million.
(1. Pimentel et al., 2002; 2. CABI, 2007; 3. Sivcev and Tomasev ,2002; 4. Baufeld and Enzian, 2005; 5. Enkerlin and Mumford 1997)

14. II. Stored Product Effects
• 1,2In Europe = 113 alien insect species are pests of stored products, 1 billion €/year.
• 2In Germany:
• Saw toothed Grain beetle & False Powderpost Beelte = 11.2 to 35.3 million €
• Mediterranean Flour Moth = 4.6 to 12.3 million €
(1. Rees, 2004; 2. Reinhardt et al., 2003)

15. III. Urban Tree Effects
• 1438 alien insects of woody plants, 28.7% of all European alien species
• 2In Southern Spain = Long horned borer in 1981, tree loss 6,207 ha/2 years
• 2Eucalyptus weevil = Cause tree growth losses of up to 30% in Spain.
• 4In the British Isles = Losses in forestry products $2 million per year.
• 5The Horse-Chestnut leaf miner = In Germany, cost 10.02 to 33.8 millions € per
year.
(1. Roques, 2010; 2. Gonzalez Tirado, 1986; 3. ; 4. Pimentel, 2002; 5. Reinhardt et al. 2003)

16. IV. Human and Animal Health Effects
• 1 Asian Tiger Mosquito vector of an infectious disease, the Chikungunya virus, in
Europe (2007)
• 2The DAISIE database:
• 6 fleas
• 27 sucking louses
• 20 mites
• 2Ticks and Rat flea causing Rickettsia disease and Bubonic Plague respectively.
(1. Enserink, 2007; 2. Roques et al., 2009 )

17. 2. Environmental Effects
• Effect native biodiversity and ecosystem processes by mechanism:
• Herbivores feeding on native plants
• Can have a direct effect on host plant populations.
• Alien species may hybridize with native species, causing disturbances in native genetic
resources.
• By carrying diseases
• Competing for food or space.
• DAISIE database = 13.8% alien terrestrial invertebrates having an ecological
impact in Europe.
(Vilà et al., 2010)

18. I. Impact of Herbivores
• 1Introduction of Cabbage butterfly brought a different strain of the granulosis
virus for which the native butterfly had no resistance.
• 2The Emerald Ash Borer = Detected in North America in 2002, killed over 15
million ash trees
• 3The Citrus longhorned beetle = In urban areas in Northern Italy, destroyed
large number of tree and shrub species and modify natural ecosystems.
• 3The Chestnut gall wasp = Damaging chestnut invasive to Italy, causing great
loss.
(1. Gardiner, 2003; 2. Poland and McCullough, 2006; 3. Quacchia et al., 2008 )

19. II. Impact of Predators/Parasitoides
• In some cases Bio-agents become pests themselves.
• 1Harlequin ladybird:
• used in biological control programmes against aphids on greenhouse and field crops
since the 1980s.
• The first populations found in Germany in 1999, displace native ladybirds through
predation and competition for food.
• 2Cales noacki:
• In Italy, to control the whitefly, displaced the indigenous parasitoid Encarsia
margaritiventris.
• 3The Asian Tiger Mosquito:
• In Italy with the native Culex pipiens, competitively superior in resource competition
resulting specie displacement.
(1. Brown et al., 2008; 2. Viggiani, 1994; 3. Carrieri et al., 2003)

20. III. Impact on Pollinators
• 1The parasitic mite, Varroa destructor = from the Far East, accidentally
introduced into most continents since the 1950s, decline of cultivated
Honeybee.
• 2Asian Hornet = introduced in south-western France, imported from China,
important predator domestic honeybees in France, displace the European
hornet.
(1. Sammataro et al., 2000; 2. Villemant et al., 2006)

21. GLOBALY IMPORTANT INVASIVE
INSECT PESTS

22. 1. YELLOW CRAZY ANTS
• 1930 – Introduced to Christmas Island
• 1990s – Population Exploded
• Forms Multi-Queen Super Colonies
• Up to 700 ha in Size
• Overwhelms and Kills Native Species
• Red Land Crabs
• 1995-2002 - 10-20 Million Killed
• Robber Crabs, Native Reptiles
• Native Invertebrates

23. 2. ARGENTINE ANTS
• First reported in California in 1907
• Infest homes and cause damage to structures
• Habitats of indigenous insects have continuously
been affected
• Invasion caused decline in abundance of local
ants species and other soil dwelling insects
Sander et al., 2001

24. 3. SEED WEEVIL
• Released in US in 1969
• Introduced as bio-agents had played pivotal role in extinction of native
plant species
• Seed weevil (Rhynocyllus conicus) was used to control introduced thistle
species but it started to attack native thistle species.
• Seed production by native thistle reduced to 86% in 1996
• Density of Native thistle reduced to zero till 2000
Louda, 1998

25. 4. ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO
• Invasive insect pests
pose threat to human
health.
• In Europe, Asian Tiger
mosquito was
introduced through tires
by trade carrying about
22 lethal viruses
including Dengue fever.
EC, 2009

26. 5. ASIAN LONG HORN BEETLE
• Asian long horn beetle is causing serious threat to urban forests in
Canada.
• This beetle was first found in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1996, and is now found in
the greater New York City area, New Jersey, Chicago.
• Through transportation of hard wood made crates and other structures,
this pest was imported from Asia.
• This beetle attacks healthy and stressed hardwood trees, like maple,
birch, horse chestnut, poplar, willow, elm and ash.
Quacchia et al., 2008

27. 6. Emerald Ash Borer
• Found in Michigan in 2002 infesting ash trees.
• Spread throughout the mid-western and
eastern U.S. and Canada.
• Not only stressed trees are infested but even
healthy trees in woodlots and urban settings
have been killed.
• The total losses for Ohio communities,
including ash landscape losses, tree removal
and replacements= $1.8 and $7.6 billion for a
single insect pest in a single state.
Settele et al., 2005

28. 7. GRANULATE EMBROSIA BEETLE
• Granulate Ambrosia beetle is invasive to South Carolina (1970) and infested
barked woody ornamental trees in Arkansas (2002).
• The beetle significantly damages a wide range of ornamental and fruit trees.
• Adult females are attracted to damaged, stressed or transplanted trees but
will also attack healthy trees.
• Also pathogenic fungi kills the infected plant which is transmitted by this
beetle.
Settele et al., 2005

29. 8. FORMOSAN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE
• Economically important invasive insect pest
• Accidentally introduced into southern port cities,
USA – mid 1900s.
• Infestations from California, Hawaii and many other.
• Spread by:
• used railroad wooden planks and landscaping timbers that were brought from infested areas.
• The large colony size, more structural damage to occur in a shorter time
• In New Orleans, 30-50% of the city's 4,000 historic live Oak trees
• Total damage costing the city $300 million a year.
• Cost consumers over US $1 billion annually for preventative and remedial treatment
and to repair damage caused by this pest.
Pimentel et al., 2002

30. 9. IMPORTED FIRE ANTS
• Imported fire ants were unintentionally imported into the U.S. from South
America about 70 years ago and were first found in Arkansas in 1958.
• Not only damaging structures, being very aggressive, fire ants can cause
severe pain by biting and localized lesion and pustules are formed which
remain for days.
• In case of severe allergic reactions, serious life issues can be raised.
• $6.7 billion in annual losses in the United States.
Anonymous, 2010

31. Damage Assessment Tools
• DAISIE (Delivering Alien Invasive Species Inventories for Europe )
• Supported by EU
• Details about 10,877 invaders in Europe
• 1,657 experts update the information
• Information of 100 worst invaders location based
• ALARM (Assessing Large Scale Environmental Risks for Biodiversity with Tested
Methods )
• Information on how habitats give way to invasion
• Predicting future threat areas
• Describing pathways of invasion
• NOBANIS (The North European and Baltic Network on Invasive Alien Species )
• Invasive species of Northern Europe
• 18 partner countries within and beyond Europe
• Connects networks and projects on invasive species

32. Prevention and Management of Invasive Insect
Species
• Public information.
• "Early warning", the capability to predict potential new invasion sites for an
invasive species, and/or predict potential new invasive species for a region or
site.
• Risk assessments and environmental impact assessments.
• National and international regulations on prevention measures and their
enforcement with inspections and fees.
• Treatment of imported commodities, including through fumigation, immersion,
spraying, heat and cold treatment, and pressure.
• As a last resort, trade restriction or prohibition consistent with the WTO
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement.

33. • Listing of species is one effective tool for dealing with IAS issues. Such lists
can include:
• Black lists: species known to be invasive and so destructive that their
introduction should be prohibited.
• White lists: species known on the basis of stringent criteria to have such a
low probability of invasion that they can be introduced.
• Grey lists: the great majority of species whose probability of becoming
invasive is unknown

34. • Mechanical control:
• Involves directly removing the species by hand or with appropriate machines or firearms or
traps.
• Chemical control:
• Involves the use of insecticides that primarily affect the target species
• Delivered in a way that avoids the potential problem of resistance developing over time
• Do not accumulate in the food chain.
• Biological control:
• Involves the intentional use of populations of natural enemies of the target invasive alien
species
• Mass release of sterile males of the target species
• Inducing resistance in the host against the IAS that is attacking it
• Releasing a natural enemy to control the IAS
• Habitat management:
• Involves measures such as prescribed burning, grazing, and other activities.
• Integrated pest management (IPM):
• Involves a combination of the methods described above, based on ecological research, regular
monitoring, and careful coordination. IPM is likely to achieve the best results in many
situations.

35. Some Other Tools To Deal With Invasion
• Precaution
• Prevention
• Permit system
• Polluter Pays Principle (Cost Recovery)
• Public participation and access to information
• Risk analysis processes
• Environmental impact assessment

36. TAKE HOME MESSAGE
• Invasive Insect Pests: Neglected but Growing Issue
• Humans are populating urban areas and their activities resulting in
increased habitat degradation and fragmentation.
• Invasion of alien insect pests dates back with the start of Human civilization.
• Invasive alien species cause huge economic, social, ecological losses and also
detrimental to human health, infrastructure and stored commodities.
• Early detection and Proper dissemination of knowledge to general public is
the key factor to slow down the process of invasion
• Combining multiple management strategies could prove fruitful

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