Bugs serve as baseline in homeland security effort

As university insect collections are dismantled nationwide in response to budgetcuts and restructuring, the M.T. James entomological collection at Washington State University continues to grow in local and national importance, according to Entomology Chair John Brown.

“There are no immediate threats to the department or insect collection,” said Brown. “With over 1,400 visitors per year, the collection is considered one of the biggest regional outreach efforts at WSU.”

This is in contrast to regional changes such as the dissolution of the Department of Entomology at Oregon State University in July 2003 and the merging of University of Idaho’s Entomology Department into Plant, Soils and Entomological Sciences in the 1980s.

The James collection, which had its start at WSU in 1892, was originally intended to train agricultural students and farmers about good and bad insects, according to museum curator Rich Zack, associate professor of entomology. As the university grew, the exhibit developed into a more scientific collection useful for study in all areas of biology. Clientele and requests now encompass an international audience, he said.

Bioterrorism protection
The collection has taken on increased importance with the arrival of Jim Cook, interim dean of the College of Agriculture and Home Economics. Cook, who has worked with the National Academy of Sciences to identify areas of vulnerability to bioterrorism in our food and agricultural systems, is promoting a theme of Food and Community Security. The emphasis receives funding from federal authorities.

“This is a broad-scope program meant to protect against natural and accidental, as well as what might be deliberate, attempts to disrupt one of our commodities,” said Cook.

“With over 100 years of insect records, the James collection provides a valuable baseline for monitoring the introduction of any new or exotic invasive insect (pest) species,” said Cook.

“Scientifically, the WSU collection is very valuable, not only to the campus but all over the world,” agreed Zack. Because it is home to an exhaustive Pacific Northwest collection, WSU is primarily interested in collecting regional insects. But it also houses specimens from around the world. The university works cooperatively with other PNW universities, primarily the other land-grant institutions.

Serving on three levels
On a daily basis, Zack uses the collection’s repository of information to help serve public needs on three levels. Commonly he deals with people on an individual basis to help identify insects — a type of spider, for example. He also provides necessary information about how to then deal with the bug — i.e., is it poisonous or not?

Secondly, he works with businesses and organizations, such as exterminators, who may also need help identifying certain insects in order to use the correct pesticides.

On the state and national level, calls may come in with immediate demands from agricultural or commodity groups unable to unload produce until a particular insect is identified and explained to foreign officials.

“Recently, Washington shipped bushels of apples to Japan and, as they were unloading, insects were found,” said Zack. “The container remained hanging in the air until I could identify the insect and tell them if it was endemic in Japan and if it could cause problems or not,” said Zack. He reassured them within 15 minutes and the apples continued safely into the Japanese market.

A window into history
According to Zack, the collection is like a library, with many years of information written into the specimens.

“For example,” he said, “if you wanted to know what the water quality in Pullman was like in the past, you could compare insects from streams from 10, 20 or 50 years ago.”

Zack, who specifically researches the biological diversity of insects, did just that during a 10-year study on the Hanford site near the Tri-Cities. He surveyed land that had been fenced off in the 1940s before populations and agriculture grew in the area.

The goal was to discover whether or not the insects on the “untouched” land were different from outlying populations (as in original — not due to radiation damage). And indeed, the study did find that the Hanford site was home to some very specific insects and plants. The site has now been declared a national monument and carries protected status.

The future
As for the future, the James collection will definitely play a part in heightened forensic and national security duty. “We provide information to people who need to make decisions,” said Zack, “decisions that could involve many lives and large amounts of money.”

Zack teaches a class called “Insects and People” that includes lecture topics such as “Insects and War.”

“Either incidentally or intentionally, many devastating diseases worldwide are insect-borne,” he said. “Yes, many people are killed in wars, but more die from insect vector-caused diseases than from fighting.”

During the massive blackouts in the eastern United States this August, water and sewer systems were quickly threatened and thrown off track.

“We tend to become very complacent,” said Zack. “But the insects are just sitting and waiting to take advantage of this stuff …. So, from spiders in the kitchen to terrorist activities, we are here to provide the entomological information for people who need it quickly.”

The collection is available for tours or study sessions by arrangement with Zack at 335-3394 or zack@wsu.edu.

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