Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Coffee Berry Borer in Hawaii and Prospects for Control


The Pacific Branch of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) invites coffee growers, researchers, and regulators to attend a symposium in Waikoloa, Hawaii on the coffee berry borer, the most important insect pest on coffee worldwide which was recently discovered in the Kona District of Hawaii.

Industry leaders have been scrambling since September, 2010 to find ways of controlling this pest and preventing its spread. Keynote speakers at this symposium will include Dr. Fernando Vega, a USDA-ARS scientist from Beltsville, MD who specializes in the biological control of coffee berry borer, and Dr. Stefan Jaronski, a USDA-ARS entomologist based in Sydney, Montana who is an expert on the field use of entomopathogenic fungi.

The four-hour symposium, entitled “Invaded! Implications of coffee berry borer in Hawaii and prospects for control,” will be held Tuesday, March 29, 2011 from 1:40-5:40 PM.

Online registration is now open at http://www.acteva.com/booking.cfm?bevaid=204974. The cost is $50.00 per person for online registration using a credit card, or by cash or check on-site.online or on-site.

The symposium will be held in conjunction with the 95th Annual Meeting of ESA's Pacific Branch. The theme of this year’s meeting is “Invasive Species of the Pacific Region,” and it will take place at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, 69-425 Waikoloa Beach Dr., Waikoloa, HI 96738, March 27-30, 2011. Thirteen symposia are featured at the meeting, including:

• Hawaiian Insect Diversity: Evolutionary Biology Meets Conservation Management
• Prevention, Containment and Management of Invasive Ornamental Pests
• Major Pests in Minor Crops: Challenges and Strategies in Specialty Crops
• Population Perspectives in Insect Ecology: Models & Data
• What's New in Industry
• Monitoring and Management of the Spotted Wing Drosophila in Cherries and Berries
• Urban Pest Management: Foundations and Frontiers
• Our Contributions: How Graduate Student Research Is Improving Integrated Pest Management
• The Increasing Frequency of Tephritid Outbreaks in California: What Is Going on?
• Integrated Management Strategies for Alien Predators in Conservation Lands of the Pacific
• Lessons Learned with New Teaching and Research Experiences for Undergrads: What Worked and What Didn't
• New approaches assessing biological weed control agents pre- and post-release to meet changing regulatory requirements
• Invasive Species in the International Arena

For more information, contact Robert Hollingsworth at Robert.Hollingsworth@ARS.USDA.GOV or (808) 959-4349.

For more information about the ESA Pacific Branch meeting, visit http://entsoc.org/Pacific/meetings/archives/2011.

Founded in 1889, ESA is a non-profit organization committed to serving the scientific and professional needs of more than 6,000 entomologists and individuals in related disciplines. For more information visit http://www.entsoc.org.

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