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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Is there any update on biological control of Wintercreeper since 2009?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Marc Imlay, PhD, <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif'>Chair, MAIPC Biological Control Working Group </span></b><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'><a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html">https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Biological control: Biological control of invasive species has a long history that indicates many factors must be considered before using biological controls. Refer to these sources: [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#71"><span style='color:blue'>71</span></a>,<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#75"><span style='color:blue'>75</span></a>] and the <a href="http://www.invasive.org/gist/handbook.html"><span style='color:blue'>Weed control methods handbook</span></a> [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#65"><span style='color:blue'>65</span></a>] for background information and important considerations for developing and implementing biological control programs.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>As of this writing (2009), no effective biological controls were known for winter creeper. However, winter creeper is one of the top 10 invasive plants of Asian origin in the United States that is being studied for future biological control opportunities, and scientists are looking for host-specific natural enemies in China [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#16"><span style='color:blue'>16</span></a>]. Dirr [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#17"><span style='color:blue'>17</span></a>] lists several diseases and insects that impact winter creeper in North America. It is especially susceptible to damage and mortality from the Asian euonymus scale (<i>Unaspis euonymi</i>), which is not native to but does occur in North America [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#70"><span style='color:blue'>70</span></a>]. The euonymus scale has been lethal to winter creeper on many plantings, especially those containing the cultivars 'Vegetus', 'Coloratus', and <i>Euonymus</i> tree species such as European spindletree (<i>E. europaeus</i>), winterberry euonymus (<i>E. bungeanus</i>), and Hamilton's spindletree (<i>E.</i> <i>hamiltonianus</i> subsp. <i>sieboldianus</i>) (review by [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#17"><span style='color:blue'>17</span></a>]). This same scale is also showing up on native <i>Euonymus</i> species, burningbush (<i>E. atropurpurea</i>) and bursting-heart (<i>E. americanus</i>), and it is causing mortality in populations of Canby's mountain-lover (<i>Paxistima canbyi</i>), a rare subshrub, in Kentucky (personal communication [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#63"><span style='color:blue'>63</span></a>]). At least 5 organisms (2 insect predators and 3 aphelinid parasitoids) have been collected in Asia and released in southern New England as biological control agents against the euonymus scale. Releases were made in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island on winter creeper and European spindletree plants infested with medium to large populations of euonymus scale in urban and suburban locations from 1991 to 1995 [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#70"><span style='color:blue'>70</span></a>].<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><b><span style='font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black'>Intense seasonal browsing with domestic goats and/or sheep is being investigated as a potential control for winter creeper in Kentucky. This approach shows some promise because winter creeper is reportedly a frequent favorite for most livestock under the right conditions, and it is much browsed by white-tailed deer in the winter (personal communication [<a href="https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/vine/euofor/all.html#9"><span style='color:blue'>9</span></a>]).<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto'><span style='font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br />
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