0806 Scarabs without borders: Where are they now?

Monday, September 26, 2016: 1:30 PM
Room W222 B (Convention Center)
Trevor Jackson , AgResearch Ltd, Christchurch, New Zealand
The beetle Family Scarabaeidae is well known for its distinctive and sometimes spectacular members some of which have become important pests either as larval root feeders or adults consuming plant foliage.  The Scarabaeidae are highly diverse with a small percentage that have become pests which are difficult to control due to the cryptic position of the larvae in the soil and the usually nocturnal activity of the adults.  Within their natural environments, scarab species are usually held in check by predators or pathogens but when there is a chance to escape from these pressures, through extreme climatic events, major land use change or invasion of new land areas assisted by human transportation, populations can explode.  Spread between continents and islands has been assisted by transportation often as larvae in soil or adults in material transported by air. Pest species have spread around the Northern and Southern Hemispheres but not between hemispheres suggesting that seasonal matching will be an important factor in invasion success.  Once a scarab population is established, it is extremely difficult and costly to eradicate.  After a period of effective quarantine control, reports of invasive scarabs appear to be once again on the rise.   Reinforcement of quarantine measures, early detection and concerted action for eradication are necessary if the spread of scarab pests is to be contained.

doi: 10.1603/ICE.2016.94919