As the only USDA ARS-operated laboratory outside the United States, EBCL develops biological control technologies which can be used to suppress invading weeds and insect pests of Eurasian origin. EBCL has a satellite laboratory in Thessaloniki, Greece. EBCL was created by the merger of the former European Parasite Laboratory, established in Paris in 1919, and the Biological Control of Weeds Laboratory in Rome. The European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL) was established in 1991 near Montpellier, France. Lepidapion argentatum (Photo by René Sforza) argentatum could be an efficient and safe candidate for the control of the invasive French Broom. These results, in addition to the double ability of L. argentatum to develop in stems and pods which increases its potential value as a biocontrol agent against French broom, indicate that L. Isolated fungi belong to fungal groups generally described as saprophytic fungi or opportunistic plant pathogens. Using microbial isolation and molecular methods, eight worldwide distributed fungal genera were identified and no insect pathogens. Thus, sampling seedpods, galls and adults from a native population in southern France was performed to check their sanitary status to make sure they are free from pathogens. The sanitary status of biocontrol agents must be investigated because they can carry plant and/or insect pathogens representing a risk to biodiversity and biological control success in the introduced range. However, several steps must be completed prior to release of an invasive weed biocontrol agent into an introduced range to guarantee its safety for the new environment: verification of the taxonomic status, study of the developmental and reproductive characteristics, host specificity tests, and determination of the sanitary status of biocontrol agents. As part of a biological control program in the U.S., the gall-forming and seedpod weevil Lepidapion argentatum is being evaluated as a biocontrol agent.ĭamages caused by Larvae in seedpod. This weed competes with native vegetation and increases the risk of wildfires. But it might make sense to wear these in a room kept clean with regular vacuuming and dusting.EBCL Investigates Microbial Safety of Lepidapion argentatumĪ Biocontrol Agent of the Invasive French Broomīy Mélanie Tannières and René Sforza, European Biological Control Laboratory (EBCL)įrench broom (Genista monspessulana Fabaceae) is a leguminous shrub that is an invasive alien weed in California and nearby US states, but also in South America, Australia and New Zealand. Scooting yourself along a wall or stretch-dancing your way into corners is also awkward. From our prior experience of owning a similar product, we found you can’t cover nearly enough ground to truly clean a floor before dust-mop slippers load up with debris. The bottom line? The shoes aren’t effective enough to replace a good dust mop, but they are fun to wear and will actually capture dust if you slide across the floor Risky Business–style. The bottoms of the shoes come off easily, and you can put them in the washer, like regular dust-mop pads. The ringlets are made of coral fleece (a heavier fabric than polar fleece) and chenille (a top choice for dust-mop material). We found that we loved shuffling around in the fluffy house shoes while picking up dust, and the floppy beige ringlets felt distinctly Muppet-like. While researching this guide, we discovered the Hanitom Lazy Mop Slippers and became obsessed. Also, the Casabella broom doesn’t come with a dustpan, but we have that covered. This broom doesn’t come with a warranty, but our long-term testers report that it’s still going strong. And the bristles are thinner than those on other brooms, so the head feels soft and pliable. The Casabella broom was also the most balanced, and its handle was the most comfortable to hold of any model we tested. This broom cleaned spills of cat litter, flour, rice, and diatomaceous earth (which we used to simulate dust particles of varying size) better than any other model we tested. The broom’s 2,548 bristles (by our count) are densely packed and distributed evenly, and they have flagged (split) tips, which excel at picking up fine, dusty debris. Since the 2014 version of this guide, Casabella has changed the model slightly (it hasn’t updated the online photos to reflect this), but the slightly smaller head isn’t any less powerful. After eight years as our top pick, the Casabella Wayclean Wide Angle Broom is still the single best sweeper we’ve tested, with a bristle quantity, design, texture, and density no other broom could match.
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