Surveys of baseball and softball diamonds for nests of the ground-nesting wasp Cerceris fumipennis were conducted between 2008 and 2011 in three states: Connecticut, Maine and North Carolina. A total of 1398 ball fields were surveyed, with roughly 22% of these positive for nests of the wasp. Nine percent of the fields had ≥15 nests and were therefore of practical use in a biosurveillance program for buprestid pests. Connecticut had the highest proportion of both positive fields and of fields useful for biosurveillance. Among fields with any number of nests, the two northern states had a significantly higher proportion with ≥15 nests. Characteristics of ball diamonds associated with the presence of C. fumipennis are discussed, and the advantages and disadvantages of using ball diamonds in a biosurveillance program addressed.
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Agrilus
biosurveillance
Buprestidae
emerald ash borer