Avispas exóticas en la Patagonia: la importancia de la ecología de invasiones en el manejo de plagas

Abstract

Ecología Austral 24:154-161 (2014)Integrated pest management (IPM) relies on thorough ecological knowledge of the targeted pests. It has been suggested that when these are non-native species, information on their invasion ecology could improve our abilities to successfully manage pest populations. Our aim is to revise the invasion history of two exotic wasps that have invaded NW Patagonia, and critically review control actions that have been and are implemented to manage their populations. Some critical factor affecting invasion success of the wood-wasp Sirex noctilio and the German wasp Vespula germanica have been previously investigated. Here, we extend such work, and focus on those ecological and behavioural aspects, relevant to each of the different stages of the invasion process. While most activities carried out to manage woodwasp populations are held at a regional level (covering the invaded habitats) and as part of specific management plan for the German wasp, actions are local and lack any spatial or temporal coordination. In both cases, despite the control activities implemented, regional spreads of the species have increased and populations established in new areas. We suggest that the limited success in control of these wasps could have been circumvented by considering both species not only as pests but as successful invaders.