Ecological impact of the horse-chestnut leaf miner

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So what's the problem?

The horse-chestnut leaf miner, Cameraria ohridella, is a gracillariid moth that was first observed in Macedonia in 1984. It has now invaded most of Europe, where it causes severe aesthetic damage to horse-chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum, an important ornamental and amenity tree throughout most of the continent.

At CABI, we started working on C. ohridella in 2000, as part of the EU-funded project CONTROCAM, in which we searched for the area of origin of the moth and studied mortality factors affecting populations of C. ohridella in Europe. Since 2006, we are conducting research on the ecological impact of C. ohridella on the native flora and fauna. CABI is also involved in a collaborative project on the impact and control of C. ohridella in Sweden, with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

What is this project doing?

The main objectives of our studies on C. ohridella in recent years have been, firstly, to assess the present and potential ecological impact of the moth on the native flora and fauna in Europe. We are also using this leaf miner as a model to develop methods for predicting the potential impact of invasive leaf miners. In our project in collaboration with the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, we are providing expertise on parasitoid identification and host-screening observations.

Project manager: Marc Kenis
Start date: 01 January 2006
End date: 31 December 2009
Location: Bulgaria, France, Sweden, Switzerland
Sponsors:
European Commission
Loterie Romande
Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning in Sweden
University of Neuchâtel
Partners:
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp (SLU)
Unité de Zoologie Forestière, Orléans, France (INAR)
University of Forestry
University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland

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