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Areas of uncertainty in the assessment of risks and benefits in applications for new biological control agents submitted to the regulator for proposed introduction into New Zealand were identified. This was done with the aim of informing future research priorities which might be able to address and reduce these areas of uncertainty to assist decision-making in the future. A sample of 20 applications received by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) between 2009 and 2019 were selected, with examples from weed and insect targets. Expressions of uncertainty were identified by applicants as well as the EPA staff assessment report of the application, and the final decision document prepared by the Authority’s committee. The most common risk uncertainties expressed were potential direct non-target effects (85%), cultural risks (75%), and whether there were existing (and possibly effective) natural enemies of the target already present in the new range (70%). Food web indirect effects and adequacy of host range testing were also mentioned in more than half of the case study applications and associated documents. For uncertainty relating to benefits, 75% of case studies mentioned uncertainty about the efficacy of the proposed biological control agent, or if the agent would be successful by establishing and spreading (60%). For several of the case studies questions were raised about the method of cost: benefit analyses that had been presented in the application. Recommendations for future research are presented.

ObjectivesAbdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is an important cardiovascular health problem. Ultrasound screening is proven to reduce AAA-mortality and programmes have been implemented in some healthcare systems. Those who are identified as having a small AAA in screening enter into a surveillance programme to monitor AAA-size. Individuals in AAA-surveillance are at elevated risk of cardiovascular events, which is not currently addressed sufficiently. We aimed to develop a simple intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk, which could be embedded in AAA surveillance-pathways.DesignIntervention mapping methods were used to co-develop the interventionParticipantsIndividuals with AAA, families/carers, and healthcare staff.SettingAAA screening and surveillance programmes in the United KingdomOutcome measuresWe identified “targets for change” by synthesising research evidence and international guidelines and consulting with patients, caregivers and health service providers. We conducted a series of workshops to identify barriers to and facilitators of change, and used taxonomies of behaviour change theories and techniques to match intervention strategies to each target. Further stakeholder involvement work helped refine the intervention.ResultsThe developed intervention focusses on assessment and individually tailored discussion of risk factors, exchanging information, building motivation and action planning, followed by review of progress and problem-solving. Workbooks covering physical activity, diet, stress management, alcohol, smoking, blood pressure and mental health are provided to support behaviour change. The intervention is facilitated by trained healthcare professionals during the patient’s AAA screening appointment for the duration that they are in surveillance.ConclusionsThe developed intervention will now be tested to assess whether it can be integrated with the current AAA screening programme. The developed intervention is a novel approach to reducing cardiovascular disease in the AAA population, it is also the first intervention which tries to do this in this population.

A new large scale precision track sprayer has been developed and evaluated for spray deposition and pesticide application research under controlled conditions The spray room is fitted with a 4 m wide electrically driven boom suspended 4 m above ground running on a 12 m long Ibeam It is fitted with 9 independently controlled shut off valves and nozzles Sprays can be applied to live plant canopies up to 3 m tall within a 2 m times; 3 m sample area The number location and type of nozzle on the boom can be altered as can spray liquid pressure and boom speed in order to simulate a wide range of spray application scenarios Calibration of the largescale precision track sprayer has been undertaken for a range of droplet spectra from extremely coarse to very fine This paper documents the calibration results and discusses the potential use of this facility for pesticide application research

The movement of ovipositing female Hessian flies, Mayetiola destructor (Say), was investigated using 2 different field release techniques. The 1st technique (experiment 1) indirectly measured female movement between patches of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., by recording the spatial distribution of resulting larval infestations. Females laid eggs in wheat patches at all distances (1-27 m) from the release patch. The 2nd technique (experiments 2 and 3) directly measured movement of adult females and involved release of females into circular plant arrays of either host (wheat) or nonhost oat, Avena sativum L., and their recapture at different times after and at different distances from release. Recapture percentages decreased from 78 to 15% as the duration between release and recapture increased and were lower in the nonhost (oat) compared with host (wheat) arrays. The greater recapture of females from host arrays than from nonhost arrays indicate that females disperse at a greater rate through arrays of nonhost plants. Mathematical models were used to explore dispersal patterns of females in host and nonhost arrays over time. Simple random diffusion models did not describe the data adequately because a proportion of the released individuals dispersed farther than was predicted. An alternative model incorporating these faster dispersing individuals is proposed. Dispersal of females in field arrays supported predictions made from previous experiments in which female movement was quantified in smaller arrays in a greenhouse.

No-choice testing of insects for extended periods is considered by some weed biological control practitioners to be inappropriate for host range testing due to apparent acceptance of hosts that are not accepted in multiple choice tests. Multiple choice tests can however, produce misleading results if the most stimulating host plant is present in the cage. No-choice tests can yield valuable information on the extent to which food or oviposition site deprivation can induce broadening of host utilisation in the field. Examining the timing of feeding and oviposition in no-choice tests, in conjunction with other assays, is recommended to improve host testing methods.

The clutch size laid by Hessian flies (Mayetiola destructor Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) was manipulated over a range of 1 to 30 eggs on single wheat plants (Triticum aestivum, L.). Pupae developing from egg clutches were removed from plants, counted and reared through to adult eclosion. Wing lengths of adult males and females were recorded and used as an indicator of body size. Survival to pupal and adult stages, as well as mean wing length of resulting males and females, decreased as clutch size increased. Wing length of females from clutches showed a positive linear relationship with potential fecundity. The benefits of small clutches for a female Hessian fly's offspring are discussed in the context of the foraging behaviour of the ovipositing female. We predict that under high probabilities of survival and availability of host plants, females will lay smaller-sized clutches per plant. However when the probability of survival is low and host plants scare, the female will respond by laying larger-sized clutches.

The influence of wind velocity on the behavior of ovipositing female Hessian flies, Mayetiola destructor (Say), was examined in a wind tunnel. Females exposed to wind speeds ranging from 0 to 2.0 m/s, tended to stay for longer on wheat, Triticum aestivum L., plants when the wind speeds experienced were higher, than when they were lower. However, although flight departing from plants was suppressed at higher wind speeds, on-plant behavior was not suppressed under these conditions. Thus, females that stayed longer on plants because of higher wind speeds laid more eggs per visit than females at lower wind speeds. Flight direction upon leaving a host plant was also influenced by wind. As winds increased >0.9 m/s, females no longer exhibited flights to upwind groups of wheat plants and were more likely to land in downwind groups of plants or to be blown out the end of the wind tunnel. When groups of females were released into host plant patches in low (0.1 m/s) or high (0.7 or 1.2 m/s) wind speeds, females in higher winds laid most of their eggs in the patches they were released into and in patches downwind of release patches. Alternatively, females in low winds laid eggs in upwind as well as downwind patches. In this experiment, the total number of eggs laid during the test period was greater in lower versus higher winds. The effects of the above responses to the reproductive biology of Hessian flies are discussed.

The leaf skeletonizer Uraba lugens Walker (Lepidoptera: Nolidae), an Australian species, locally known as "gumleaf skeletonizer", is well established in New Zealand. This insect has the potential to become a serious pest of forestry and amenity eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.) and is the focus of a long-term management program. The use of synthetic chemical or biological insecticides is one possible control method within an integrated control program. A series of dose-response trials were conducted using laboratory bioassays to test the efficacy of several insecticides against U. lugens: pyrethroids, spinosad, Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki Berliner (Btk) and an insect growth regulator, Mimic. Pyrethroids and spinosad proved highly effective against U. lugens larvae, achieving 100% mortality after 3-6-d exposure. The performance of Btk was lower against gregarious skeletonizing larvae compared with solitary chewing larvae. When good coverage of the target foliage is achieved,90% mortality is possible with Btk. Mimic performed poorly against U. lugens compared with other insecticides tested (60% mortality). The Eucalyptus species on which larvae were feeding significantly altered insecticide efficacy. Treatments applied to Eucalyptus nitens (DeaneMaiden) Maiden had reduced efficacy compared with E. cinerea F. Muell. ex Benth. or E. fastigata DeaneMaiden. Cooler temperatures also reduced insecticide efficacy, presumably by decreasing movement and food consumption by U. lugens. Recommendations on spray applications to control U. lugens in New Zealand are given.

In Australia there is a clear legislative process controlling the deliberate introduction of insects as biological control agents. The current system has been reviewed in (1992) and described for weeds in (1998). We will describe how the biological control introduction process currently runs in Australia, and demonstrate how the system provides an excellent legislative framework to ensure nontarget impacts are minimized. The process will be illustrated using the biological control agent Carmenta nr ithacae Beutenmuller (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) as a case study. C. nr ithacae was recently approved for release against parthenium weed, Parthenium hysterophorus L., in Australia.