Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The University of Richmond received a $218,847 Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), awarded September 30, 2026, with an ultimate completion date of September 29, 2027. The agreement supports the development and improvement of artificial diet-based rearing systems for the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) and parasitoid biological control agents used to manage EAB infestations. Under this cooperative agreement, the university will provide three technicians (two full-time and one part-time) to conduct research at two primary locations: two technicians will work at the APHIS EAB Biocontrol Rearing Facility in Brighton, Michigan, while one full-time technician will operate an extruder at the Forest Pest Methods Laboratory to produce extruded diets for testing.

The key deliverables include a twin-screw extruded diet rearing method to produce adult EAB and a testable protocol for evaluating parasitism rates of diet-reared EAB larvae. The project aims to increase larval survival on extruded diet, develop methods for adult EAB rearing on artificial diet, and improve parasitism success rates of parasitoid wasps—ultimately reducing reliance on live wood and foliage for maintaining laboratory rearing operations. These improvements are expected to enhance the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of producing hundreds of thousands of parasitoid wasps for release in EAB-infested areas across the United States to support ash tree restoration and forest ecosystem maintenance. The Principal Investigator will oversee technicians, coordinate with the APHIS Project Manager, manage procurement, and prepare progress reports throughout the project period.