fall armyworm – Spodoptera frugiperda
The fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) arrived in Africa in 2016 and has since appeared in Asia, as well. The voracious pest of maize and other crops is a threat to the food supply of millions, and new integrated pest management methods will be needed. Researchers at Virginia Tech’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Integrated Pest Management are looking to biological control, with plans to deploy native, mass-reared parasitoid wasps in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, three countries the United States Agency for International Development funds the team to work in. (Photo credit: Clemson University – USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org)