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Video Q&A ViewAttendees 2

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

Section Symposium

IOBC-NRS Symposium: Diversity in Biocontrol: Scale, Systems, and Practitioners On-Demand Presentations

Raising the altitude of biological control: Release and monitoring by drone

On-Demand
On-Demand
Drones (unmanned aerial system, UAS) provide new opportunities to release biological control agents and monitor their impact. Drone releases can facilitate agent establishment in areas that are difficult for humans to access but must be accomplished without harming the agents. We conducted the first drone releases of larvae of Neomusotima conspurcatalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) a biological control agent of the invasive vine Lygodium microphyllum (Lygodiaceae; Old World climbing fern). Agent survival did not differ between the control, flight only, and flight and impact treatments. Once agents are released, arthropod damage can trigger changes in the host plant that may be exploited by novel remote sensing technology. Drone-based sensors can be used to assess the presence and efficacy of biological control agents, facilitate development of optimal release strategies, and guide management decisions. Pilot work was conducted in a laboratory to determine if sensing technology could detect damage of the biological control agent Pseudophilothrips ichini (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) on the invasive Schinus terebinthifolia (Anacardiaceae; Brazilian peppertree). Hyperspectral imaging combined with classification algorithms successfully detected thrips damage. The next step is to field test the classification algorithms with drone-based hyperspectral imaging at thrips release sites in Florida.