1. Pheromones: chemical scent signals

2. Aphthona Photos

3. Aphthona Collection

4. Leafy spurge flea beetle collection

5. Leafy spurge flea beetle collection

6. Flea Beetle “Bomb Shell” Effect
-flea beetles release attractant pheromone
-stay together and spread outwards from initial release site causing larger area of damage each year.

8. Before And After Photos

9. Oberea – spurge root boring beetle
adults: late May – July
rapidly disperse by flying
lay eggs on large spurge stems
larvae bore down stem to root
over winter in root as larvae
pupate early spring
nice combo w/ flea beetles
sweep net
hand pick from net.

10. Oberea Collections

11. Mecinus janthinus – toadflax stem boring weevil
-Too new, not available from us yet
-ask County and/or purchase.

12. Release Site Location
Use newspaper articles,phone calls and word of mouth to find suitable sites
Have list of potential release sites and landowners
Weed present
Must fit the insects ecological needs
Must fit land owners needs
Fit w/in spacing of your plan
Guaranteed undisturbed for 5, preferably 10 years
Contiguous to other weed patches so bioagent can spread
Easy to access for monitoring and future collections
Will not flood.

13. Store and Transport
Store insects in refrigerator or cooler with ice pack. KEEP FROM FREEZING!
Transport in cooler with ice pack separated from insect container by paper/packing material
Moths: last 1-3 days
Beetles tougher!: last 3-7 days.