George Heimpel participated in a workshop on the U of MN campus on the potential link between soybean aphids and 2 endangered prairie butterfly species in Minnesota – the Poweshiek Skipperling and the Dakota Skipper. The workshop was sponsored by the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plant and Pest Center (MITPPC) and the Institute on the Environment (I on E) and it was moderated by Jessica Hellman, director of I on E. It brought together scientists at the Minnesota Zoo, U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency and the University of Minnesota to address the question of whether drift associated with spraying against soybean aphids has been contributed to declines of two endangered skipper species. George Heimpel gave a presentation on how biological control of soybean aphid – especially by Aphelinus certus – could reduce spraying and therefore protect endangered skippers.
Presentations can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOFwfPyncFh3zPnJkLQk36w