Summary of Grant Activity

Summary of 2021-2024 LCCMR for Biocontrol in Bee Lawns and Parklands. Download the PDF here.

Table summarizing the LCCMR Grant Activity

Summary of Research Activity

A PDF of the summary of our research program can be found here.

There was an average of 434 beetles across all sites and sampling times for all 44 sites sampled in 2022. Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board (MPRB) sites are summarized below, with average beetle numbers listed.

Table 1: Highest number of beetles at each site. Greatest number of beetles are in bold font.

Site

Date

Peak number of beetles

Mean number of beetles/MPRB sites (434 mean beetles for the entire metro area)

Theodore Wirth

7/19

285

89

Columbia

7/12

453

193

Fort Snelling

7/22

3697

974

Hiawatha

7/22

3559

1037

Meadowbrook

7/19

1784

564

Francis Gross

7/12

3360

1501

Lyndale Park

7/22

423

121

Thomas Sadler

7/22

147

44

Peace Garden

7/22

423

161

Longfellow Gardens

7/22

254

110

Loring Park

7/19

147

49

Sculpture Garden

7/19

208

60

1. Theodore Wirth Golf Course maintenance shed

Graph with Date on the X-axis and Number of Beetles on the Y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 19 (about 300)
Figure 1: Theodore Wirth GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 89 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
Aerial map view of the Theodore Wirth Golf Course Maintenance Shed
Figure 2: Aerial view of Theodore Wirth GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Columbia Golf Course Maintenance Shed

A bar graph with date on the x-axis and number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 12 (about 500).
Figure 3: Columbia GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 193 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
Aerial view of the Columbia Gold Course maintenance shed
Figure 4: Aerial view of Columbia GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3. Fort Snelling Golf Course Maintenance Shed

A bar graph with date on the x-axis and number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 22 (about 4000 beetles)
Figure 5: Fort Snelling GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 974 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were more beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Fort Snelling golf course maintenance shed
Figure 6: Aerial view of Fort Snelling GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. Hiawatha Golf Course Maintenance Shed

A graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 22 (about 3900 beetles)
Figure 7: Hiawatha GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 1037 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were more beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Hiawatha golf course maintenance shed
Figure 8: Aerial view of Hiawatha GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Meadowbrook Golf Course Maintenance Shed

A graph with the date on the x-axis and number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 19th (about 2000 beetles)
Figure 9: Meadowbrook GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 564 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were more beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Meadowbrook golf course maintenance shed
Figure 10: Aerial view of Meadowbrook GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6. Francis Gross Golf Course maintenance Shed

A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 12 (about 3500 beetles)
Figure 11: Francis Gross GC number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 1501 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were more beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Francis Golf Course maintenance shed
Figure 12: Aerial view of Francis Gross GC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Lyndale Park Rose Garden Maintenance Shed

A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were caught on July 22 (about 500 beetles)
Figure 13: Lyndale Park Rose Garden number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 121 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Lyndale Park rose garden maintenance shed
Figure 14: Aerial view of Lyndale Park Rose Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8. Thomas Sadler Roberts Bird Sanctuary and Peace Garden

A graph with the date on the x-axis and number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 22 (about 200)
Figure 15: Thomas Sadler Bird Sanctuary number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 44 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 22 (about 500)
Figure 16: Peace Garden number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 161 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An aerial view of the Thomas Sadler Bird Sanctuary and Peace Garden
Figure 17: Aerial view of Thomas Sadler Bird Sanctuary and Peace Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Longfellow Garden Shed

A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 22 (about 200)
Figure 18: Longfellow Garden number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 110 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Longfellow Gardens Maintenance Shed
Figure 19: Aerial view of Longfellow Gardens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Loring Park Garden Shed

A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles collected on the y-axis. The most beetles were collected on July 19 (about 150)
Figure 20: Loring Park Garden number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 49 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Loring Park Garden shed
Figure 21: Aerial view of Loring Park.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Maintenance Building

A bar graph with the date on the x-axis and the number of beetles on the y-axis. The most beetles collected was on July 19 (about 200)
Figure 22: Sculpture Garden number of Japanese beetles at 4 sampling times. There was an average of 60 beetles across the 4 sampling times. There were less beetles than the overall average (434).
An aerial view of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Maintenance building
Figure 23: Aerial view of Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Outreach Activity 

A PDF of the summary of our outreach program can be found here.

At the beginning of the project, an invitation to collaborate and handout on bee lawns were created to begin recruiting sites to aid in Japanese beetle collection as well as outreach centers.

2022 LCCMR Japanese Beetle (JB) Biocontrol Table at Minneapolis Monarch Festival, Lake Nokomis (09/10/22)

For this event we put together a table displaying bulletins & “Think IPM” posters that identified ongoing research on JB and informed the public about pollinator conservation, integrated pest management (IPM), and natural biocontrol methods. The large double-sided posters included a QR code for a direct link to further in-depth information included on our lab’s website. JB trap displays and additional information were also made available for viewing/reading. Krischik Lab Director Dr. Vera Krischik, Post-doc Researcher Dr. Carrie Deans, Lab Supervisor Cody Prouty, and UG Researcher Kyle Murley were present to answer community questions and increase the accessibility of our research. We’d like to acknowledge MaryLynn Pulscher, Manager of Environmental Education for MPRB, for providing the connection to tabling at the Minneapolis Monarch Festival.

table with informational booklets on it and two IPM posters behind it

Double-sided “Think IPM” poster displayed at Lyndale Park Gardens

Installation of our “Think IPM” poster provided public learning opportunities outside of our in-person demonstrations. Our goal here was again to increase overall awareness of IPM and best management practices (BMP) to emphasize the importance of our current research on JB. This includes informing the public of notable problems caused by the presence and chemical treatment of invasive species such as JB. Many are unaware of the non-target effects on beneficial species that can lead to both higher invasive species populations and lower overall biodiversity. Successful IPM includes cultural change as a factor in maintaining biodiversity and decreasing non-target effects of pest management, making increasing public awareness/knowledge crucial for a systemic shift in favor of natural biocontrol methods and biorational pesticides over traditional chemical pesticides. We’d like to acknowledge MPRB staff Robin Smothers, Media Relations and Social Media Manager, and Kaitlin Ryan, Horticulture Supervisor, for their assistance in the creation and display of the “Think IPM” poster.

IPM Poster standing in front of a garden bed

 

Special Thanks and Acknowledgements

We’d like to extend our gratitude once more to MPRB staff Robin Smothers - Media Relations and Social Media Manager, Kaitlin Ryan - Horticulture Supervisor, and MaryLynn Pulscher - Manager of Environmental Education for their work in assisting the facilitation and completion of our 2022 outreach events with Minneapolis Parks. Their contributions and commitment to this partnership have been greatly appreciated by our team.