YHC Beetle Lab Update

January 17, 2007, Vol. 2, Num. 2

This is the second of our monthly updates on the progress of Sasajiscymnus beetle production in the Young Harris College Beetle Laboratory for the year 2007.  You are receiving this ãnewsletterä because you have shown an interest in our beetle production facility through phone calls, meetings, conversations, e-mail, or donations.  If you do not wish to receive any more updates, please let me know by replying to this e-mail indicating such, and I will drop your e-mail address from my list.  If you are aware of other individuals or organizations that may want to receive information about our facility, please let me know at ptarnold@yhc.edu.

I.  Brief Statement of Financial Condition

Income÷

Between December 11, 2006 and January 17, 2007 we have received 5 donations from individuals totaling $120.  Many of these donations have come from members of the Georgia Sierra Club in response to an article written by Larry Winslett in the Georgia Sierran.  Many thanks go out to these donors!  In addition to the monetary donations, 5 individuals (3 community people and 2 students) have donated a total of 12 hours of labor so far during the month of January.  These individuals have been involved with the collection of infested hemlock branches, preparation of hemlock ãbouquetsä for oviposition jars, and feeding and watering rearing and storage cages.

Expenses÷

Between December 11, 2006 and January 17, 2007 a total of $292 was expended.  Included in this amount is $92 for new oviposition jars, $86 for gauze and wet foam, and $114 for wages for my student worker (19 hrs at $6/hr).

Current Balance÷

As of January 17, 2007, we have a balance of $9,750.00 in our Hemlock Project restricted account. 

II.  Beetle Production Progress

We began setting up 30 oviposition jars on December 4, 2006, one month earlier than last yearâs start.  Each oviposition jar contains 10 female and 5 male Sasajiscymnus beetles (a total of 450 beetles in 30 jars), along with a ãbouquetä of infested hemlock branches and gauze squares.  Once a week, the branches and gauze squares are removed from each jar, and the total number of eggs produced by the beetles is determined.  These branches and gauze squares are then transferred to ãrearing cagesä, where the eggs on them can hatch into larvae, and eventually pupate and turn into new adults.  After 35 days each rearing cage is broken down and all of the adults are removed and either placed into storage or into release containers.

Egg production has risen steadily for the first 5 weeks of the current season:

                Week #1 ö 922 eggs

                Week #2 ö 3106 eggs

                Week #3 ö 4552 eggs

                Week #4 ö 6278 eggs

                Week #5 ö 11, 750 eggs

                Grand total so far this season:  26,608

We are just now beginning to have emerging adults from our rearing cages, so our current adult beetle total is only 951.  So far, these beetles are being kept in storage cages in order to build a pool of beetles that can be used to replace dead and missing adults in the breeding stock.  Soon, however, we expect a rapid acceleration of beetle production which will enable us to begin environmental releases of beetles by mid to late February.  As of today (January 17) we have 21 rearing cages set up, with an average of 1 or 2 new rearing cages being established each day.

In addition to the current production, other exciting things are beginning to happen in the laboratory.  Within a few months, an old faculty house on the Young Harris College campus will be converted into our new beetle-rearing facility.  The final approval by the members of the college Administrative Council occurred at a meeting held on January 8, 2007.  This house will more than triple our available rearing space, and should help contribute to an increase in beetle production numbers.  The house will need quite a bit of work to get it operational (adding insulation to exterior walls, rewiring, adding lights and timers, etc.), but in the mean time we will continue to use our old rearing facility in the Maxwell Center Science Building.  We are still trying to determine how much expense will be required to convert the house into a rearing lab, but we should have these figures within the next month or so.

Another exciting development is that the U.S. Forest Service is donating a walk-in cooler to Young Harris College which we will use in conjunction with the new rearing facility.  This cooler is currently at the old Brasstown Work Station on U.S. Highway 76 between Young Harris and Blairsville.  The cooler will be dismantled from its current location and moved to the new rearing facility on campus within the next few months.  A concrete slab will need to be poured to accommodate the cooler, and a protective roof will be constructed to cover it.  This cooler will be used to store collected infested hemlock for feeding beetles, as well as to keep beetles in their release containers prior to release.  Because of the central location of this cooler, beetles from other labs can also be kept there prior to release.

III.  Current Beetle Lab Needs.

As we get deeper and deeper into this project this year we realize we need help in certain areas:

1.  Volunteer labor.  This project runs primarily on volunteer labor.  I generally spend between 25 ö 35 hours per week on this project on top of my faculty load at the college.  In addition to this, I currently have one paid student worker who is working around 10 hours per week, and I have had a few hearty students and community individuals who have been working a few additional hours per week in the lab or out in the field.  Within a few weeks I anticipate having 1 or 2 additional paid student workers, and some additional student volunteer labor.  But with all of this volunteerism, one thing is abundantly clear ö we will not be able to significantly increase production without more volunteer hours.  Here are few ways that an individual can volunteer to help:

                a.  Collect infested hemlock to feed the beetles ö The laboratory is in constant need of new infested hemlock branches in order to feed the beetles.  Last year, most of the branches we used came from within 100 yards of our campus.  This year we realize that we will need to go further afield to collect food for the beetles.  If you are interested in helping us collect infested hemlock, please contact me and I will show you how to collect good quality beetle food from the field.

                b.  Work in the beetle lab ö There are many things you can do in the laboratory itself.  You can help set up oviposition jars, learn how to identify male beetles from female beetles, assemble hemlock ãbouquetsä, add infested hemlock twigs to rearing cages and storage cages, water rearing cages and storage cages, learn how to set up new rearing cages and how to ãbreak downä old rearing cages, collect adult beetles for storage or release, set up release containers, perform routine jar and cage maintenance, etc., etc.  One other way of helping in the beetle lab would be to ãadopt a jarä!  When you adopt a jar, you can set up your own oviposition jar which you can take care of during the production season.  Each jar should only require about one hour of work per week.  You will put 10 female and 5 male beetles in your jar along with a ãbouquetä that you assemble.  After one week, you will remove the ãbouquetä count the eggs and put the twigs and gauze into a rearing cage.  You will then add any new beetles that may be necessary to replace any that died or were missing during that week.  You can then repeat this for as many weeks as you would like.  The jar you create will stay in the laboratory along side of the other 30 jars that I maintain on a regular basis.  The great thing about ãadoptingä a jar is that it allows us to increase beetle production above and beyond our normal production.  You can adopt as many jars as you would like!  If you are interested in this or any other work in the lab, let me know. 

                c.  Monitoring in the field ö Once the beetles have been released in the field it is often helpful to see if they are still present at the release sites a few months to a few years after the release.  If you would like to take part in looking for beetles in the field, please let me know.  In addition, Dr. Culin at Clemson University is studying the effects of beetle predation on the adelgid in the field and could also use volunteers.  I have his contact information if anyone is interested in helping him.

2.  Monetary Donations.  Donations of money to this project are always well appreciated.  This money is deposited into a restricted account at Young Harris College, and 100% of the money is used toward raising and releasing Sasajiscymnus beetles.  We are anticipating increased expenses this year associated with the conversion of the faculty house to a new beetle rearing facility later this year.  Although we do not yet know how expensive this conversion will be, we do anticipate that it will cost us several thousand dollars.  Labor costs will be minimal, since the college maintenance team will do most of the work.  Most of the expense with this transition will go into supplies, equipment, lumber, electical supplies, lights, timers, supplemental heating & AC, etc.  Hence, any donation will be received with great appreciation, and will go a long way in helping us.  We also still have our dream of hiring a lab manager, but we are a long way financially from doing that at the moment.

III.  A Final Word

Once again, I would like to thank all of those who have been helping with this project.  I especially want to thank Jim Wentworth, Alan Polk, and the other folks at the Brasstown Ranger District of the USDA Forest Service for helping me with this project.  Also, a hearty thanks to Scott Griffin, James Johnson, and everyone at the Georgia Forestry Commission.  The above folks have been a tremendous support to this project thus far.  In addition, I have received much encouragement from many folks associated with Georgia ForestWatch, the Lumpkin Coalition, the Sierra Club, and many other community organizations.  Without your help and support, this project would not be possible.

Our current lab hours are:

                Monday, Wednesday & Friday ö 11 a.m. ö 12 noon & 1 p.m. ö 5 p.m.

                Tuesday & Thursday ö 10 a.m. ö 12 noon & 1 p.m. ö 2 p.m.

Feel free to come by any time and visit.  You may wish to call ahead since occasionally I will have meetings that may necessitate my absence.  I can always be contacted on my cell phone:  (706) 781-5946, or my office phone (706) 379-5131.

Anyone interested in helping us should contact me (706-379-5131 or 706-781-5946), Dr. John Wells, Interim President of Young Harris College (706-379-5111) or Bert Huffman, Advancement Director of Young Harris College (706-379-5112).

Respectfully,

Paul T. Arnold, Ph.D.

Professor of Biology & Director of the YHC Predatory Beetle Rearing Facility

Young Harris College