Assessing the feasibility of pre-emptive biological control against the emerald ash borer, Agrilus planipennis, an imminent biosecurity threat to Europe

Abstract

As the globalisation of trade increases, so does the spread of arthropod pests, leading to a growing focus on biosecurity preparedness. One approach to this is pre-emptive biological control, involving the importation of classical biological control (CBC) agents for risk assessments and acquiring approval for their release prior to the expected arrival of their target pests. This aims to mitigate the economic and/or environmental consequences of a delayed biological control response to pest invasions. Guidelines to assess the feasibility of pre-emptive biological control for high priority pests were recently developed. Emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, is an invasive woodboring pest of ash (Fraxinus spp.) in North America, European Russia and Ukraine, and is spreading westward into Europe, threatening the future of European ash (Fraxinus excelsior). We applied the aforementioned guidelines to assess the feasibility of pre-emptive biological control in Europe using four EAB parasitoids, already released in North America for CBC. Three of the parasitoids; Oobius agrili, Spathius galinae, and Tetrastichus planipennisi, were found suitable for pre-emptive biological control. The fourth parasitoid, Spathius agrili, was found to have limited establishment in new environmental conditions, and was therefore deemed less suitable for pre-emptive biological control of EAB in Europe. This assessment can inform scientists and regulators in Europe on the most promising EAB parasitoids that should be considered for pre-emptive applications for importation and risk assessment to acquire pre-approval for immediate release should the target pest subsequently be discovered. In turn, this study contributes to the development of biosecurity preparedness against EAB’s imminent spread throughout Europe.