Research at the UF/IFAS Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory

The Norman C. Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory (BCRCL) is located in Fort Pierce, Florida. The laboratory is a unit of the Indian River Research and Education Center, University of Florida-Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Launched in 2004, the BCRCL conducts research in two main areas: invasive weed and invasive arthropod biological control. Exotic plants and insects pose a threat to Florida’s agriculture and unique natural ecosystems. Classical biological control is often the only economically and environmentally sustainable strategy to manage exotic pests once they have become established. The laboratory has both containment and non-containment areas to conduct research under highly secured quarantine conditions on invasive organisms. The facility is regulated by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, and certified for operation by the United States Department of Agriculture. This provides unique opportunities for state-wide and national collaborations on invasion biology. Activities at the BCRCL spans basic research on the chemical ecology of multi-species interactions to applied research on classical biological control. The infographic shows current and proposed research at BCRCL, including biological control of Brazilian peppertree, earleaf acacia, Asian citrus psyllid, ambrosia beetles and emerging hemp pests. Other areas of research will involve automated monitoring and predictive analytics for the spread of invasive species and establishment of biological control agents.