John Banask Email & Phone Number

Beneficial Insect Lab

I rear weevilles as a method of bio-control to combat the spread of the noxious weed "Mile-a-Minute" in the NC mountain, piedmont and coastal plain regions. MaM can grow up to 6 meters a growing season and has a seed bank life of 6+ years, but established populations of Rhinoncominus latipes can be used to hinder the growth. The weeville is host specific and requires the soft leaf nodes of MaM specifically for its larval stage, females laying eggs directly into the leaf nodes. Emerging larva consume the surrounding plant matter and sever connection to the above stems.

Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Area

Nursery staff worker responsible for plant identification, disease and pest identification, treatment recommendations for disease and pest, designing and maintaining customer landscapes, and identification of environmental factors that contribute to specific plant requirements (sun/shade, soil drainage and acidity, etc.)

Horticultural Science, Agricultural And Horticultural Plant Breeding

Associate Of Science - As, Science