Advances in control technologies for wood-boring invasive insects

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Wood-boring insects have gained pre-eminence as the most threatening biotic agents to the health of Canadian forests. Exemplified by species such as the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB), the Asian long horned beetle (ALB), the Brown Spruce long horned beetle (BSLB) and the Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB), these insects pose a formidable challenge for the pest management industry. The cryptic lifestyle of immature stages, spent under the bark, makes surface application of pesticides ineffective. Adult stages are likewise unsuitable for control due to their dispersal ability or lack of feeding. In practice, the control of some of these species (e.g. EAB) is possible only in high value trees by the delivery of insecticide formulations via trunk injection. Such insecticides then systemically distribute within the tree and kill insect larvae that ingest them. The current project seeks to evaluate the commercial potential of a novel class of active ingredient, known as double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) against wood-boring insects. DsRNA molecules act by reducing gene expression in a sequence-specific manner. Lab tests using model insects (Drosophila) or insects attacking crops have demonstrated the highly species-specific activity of dsRNA. Translated to the context of insecticide use in forestry, where environmental safety is paramount, this would place dsRNA molecules at an advantage versus other compounds that are less specific. In partnership with BioForest Technologies Inc. we will test several parameters to evaluate the efficacy of dsRNA molecules against wood borers, including dsRNA sequence, dose, formulation, tree translocation and compatibility with existing delivery systems. This research will provide BioForest Technologies Inc. with an assessment of the potential of dsRNAs to serve as a new generation of environmentally-safe, species-specific insecticides, which could help protect Canadian forest and parkland trees from some of our most damaging pest insects.