Background

The crane fly turf pest known as the European crane fly in the Pacific Northwest, Tipula paludosa Meigan, is an introduced exotic pest first found in the region in 1965 in British Columbia, Canada. Since then, it has gradually spread into Washington State, Western Oregon and Northern California, and has become the most serious economic pest of lawns, pastures and hayfields in the region.

In 1998, a second, closely related crane fly species from Europe was found in the Pacific Northwest. Bob Costello, an entomologist with the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Food, noted unusually early spring crane fly development in areas near Vancouver, Canada, and submitted specimens subsequently identified by the Biosystematics Research Institute in Ottawa as a European species new to North America (Costello, 1998). The new species, Tipula oleracea L. ,(Fig. 1) is almost identical in appearance to T. paludosa and is similar biologically. However, T. oleracea can complete two generations per year (European crane fly has one) and adult T. oleracea emerge in the spring as well as the fall, when most European crane flies emerge. T. oleracea is also considered a serious pest of turf and other plants in its native Europe. In response to the detection of T. oleracea in B.C., this survey was developed and funded in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture / Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) to determine the presence and/or distribution of T. oleracea in Washington State. Funds for field activities were provided through a Western Region USDA APHIS Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) grant, to detect or delimit an exotic pest species new to the United States.

1999 Project Objectives

1. Determine survey methods
   • Acquire or identify physical characters, if possible, for species level identification of larval and/or adult crane flies and evaluate their utility for this survey.
   • Determine suitable field collection or trapping methods to conduct larval and/or adult survey.
2. Detect or delimit T. oleracea distribution in Washington State.
• Conduct surveys to detect or delimit T. oleracea in as large an area of Western Washington as resources allow.
3. Collect biological data to begin characterizing T. oleracea biology, phenology, and impacts in Washington State.