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Funded Project

Funding Program: IPM Enhancement Grants

Project Title: Invasive Conehead Termite IPM Working Group

Project Director (PD):

Sue Alspach [1]

Lead State: FL

Lead Organization: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

Undesignated Funding: $9,910

Start Date: Mar-01-2017

End Date: Feb-28-2018

Pests Involved: Conehead Termite (Nasutitermes corniger)

Site/Commodity: Fruit groves, tree farms, natural areas, structures

Area of Emphasis: Working Group

Summary: Stakeholders interacting collaboratively in an Invasive Conehead Termite IPM Working Group will raise awareness about the importance, impacts, and containment / control / eradication of conehead termite infestations. Specifically, objectives of the Working Group would be to widen the knowledge base on effective IPM strategies, to identify stakeholders’ priorities, and to collectively pursue partnerships to mobilize coordinated containment, control, and outreach efforts before this destructive pest spreads further to impact agriculture, structures, and natural landscapes in Florida and the southern United States.

To date, two small populations of exotic conehead termites (Nasutitermes corniger) are established in the United States, one in Dania Beach, FL (first discovered in 2001), the other 13 miles north in Pompano Beach, FL. The two sites, totaling approximately 55 acres, include infested forested natural areas, landscapes, fruit trees (orange, mango, avocado, papaya), native grasses, and residential and commercial structures.

Since conehead termites are a significant pest of agricultural crops and orchards, natural landscapes, native and ornamental plants, and structures in their native range, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) created the Conehead Termite Program to prevent this pest from becoming permanently established and spreading farther in Florida and to other vulnerable southern states. If this invasive species disperses much further in Florida, agricultural operations including fruit groves, tree farms, plant nurseries, and sugar cane fields, will be at risk. Additionally, infestations in Florida prove that live trees, shrubs, and grasses can be heavily damaged and, therefore, protected natural areas including Everglades National Park are vulnerable.

FDACS’ Conehead Termite Program uses IPM techniques including visual surveys to locate activity, physical removal and destruction of nests, focused applications of pesticides where live coneheads are found, site cleanups to reduce foraging opportunities and improve efficacy of inspections and treatments, and outreach to educate the public and train pest management professionals on conehead identification, reporting, risk minimization, and control.

Although some key stakeholders have been involved with the conehead effort on specific properties or circumstances, collaborative implementation of IPM strategies does not currently exist. Conehead containment / control / eradication efforts could be substantially escalated once stakeholders are educated on the broad risks of expanding populations, informed about IPM strategies for addressing and minimizing risk of infestations, assist in developing new IPM approaches, and encouraged to develop collaborations focusing current personnel and equipment resources to more efficiently and effectively address those risks.

The Invasive Conehead Termite IPM Working Group will improve partnerships for implementing and more broadly funding IPM projects, resulting in a long-term reduction in impacts including resource investment, through effective containment and possible eradication of invasive conehead termites.

Objectives: Planned Output – develop stakeholder Working Group. Anticipated outcomes – improved communication sharing; networking; expand government, community, professional, and media contacts; address conehead termite presence and best practices collaboratively.

Planned Output – hold teleconferences and meetings. Anticipated outcomes - build stakeholder alliances and partnerships fostering efficiencies using current resources; share information; define Working Group mission and priorities; identify program areas in which attendees might collaborate.

Planned Output – training. Anticipated outcomes – improved understanding of pest, its risk, known effective IPM strategies, continued improvement of best practice IPM approaches to address particular issues.

Planned Output – establish priorities. Anticipated outcomes – maximize resources through efficiencies of coordinated efforts; assistance with implementation of IPM strategies by Working Group member organizations.

Final Report:

Outputs
*Develop Stakeholder Working Group
FDACS developed the Working Group to unite stakeholders, educate them on the risks of conehead termite infestations, and establish collaborations to address non-native and destructive conehead termite populations in Florida before they spread widely throughout the United States.

*Hold teleconferences and meetings
Two meetings of the Working Group were held—November 29, 2017 and February 6, 2018. Additionally, many phone calls between Working Group members took place to establish collaborations and implement recommendations to address conehead termites.

*Define mission
The Working Group defined its mission as: to raise awareness about the importance, impacts, and control/eradication of conehead termite infestations and to facilitate partnerships for implementing IPM projects to address conehead termites.

*Establish priorities and outreach resources
During the meetings, Working Group members identified issues that conehead termite infestations pose for themselves and/or their constituents and provided recommendations on how to address those concerns. These were compiled in the Issues and Recommended Actions Implementation Chart.

*Training in recognizing the species, its prevention, and known effective IPM strategies
Presentations and a field demonstration to further Working Group members’ knowledge were provided on conehead termite impacts and risks, the possibility for spread and human transport of the pest to new locations, and existing IPM strategies used in the current eradication program.

*Survey on Working Group effectiveness
After the February 6th meeting and field trip, a survey was emailed to the Working Group members to determine the extent to which their awareness, knowledge, and motivation regarding the risks of expanding conehead termite populations was affected by their participation.

*The “Invasive Conehead Termites” YouTube video
This video was one of the Recommended Actions identified by the Working Group meeting and was created to help expand the knowledge base on conehead termite impacts and help locate possible undiscovered colonies by educating the public.

*Conehead Termite Train-the-Trainer Program
This PowerPoint presentation was developed to expand the information network and to train other agency field staff on how to identify and where to report a possible infestation. The program will be provided to Working Group members, their staff, and other interested organizations.

*Property cleanup funded by City of Dania Beach
As a result of the Working Group, the City of Dania Beach financed the extensive cleanup of a privately owned, vacant, and heavily overgrown property. This cleanup improved visibility and access for a thorough survey and is a significant step in the eradication of conehead termites from this property.

Outcomes
*Increase stakeholder working group awareness, knowledge, and motivation regarding economic and environmental risks of expanding conehead termite populations
The results of a survey showed that Working Group member knowledge of the basic biology and impacts of conehead termites was improved by their participation in the Working Group; that they support the eradication of conehead termites before the pest spreads farther; that they feel the issue is great enough to share within their agencies; and that they are willing to collaborate with others to help in addressing the conehead termite issue.

*Collaborations of working group members on broadening knowledge/outreach to outside individuals or entities on risk of further spread.
Results of a survey indicated that members have, as an outcome of the Working Group, raised or discussed the conehead termite issue within their organization. Additionally, numerous collaborations among stakeholders were established through the Working Group process. See Issues and Recommended Actions Implementation Chart attached as an Appendix.

*Development of a strategic plan that identifies working group supported output-based activities.
The Working Group developed the Issues and Recommended Actions document and the Issues and Recommended Actions Implementation Chart (attached as Appendices) which identified working group supported output-based activities.

Report Appendices

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