Jacobiasca lybica (Bergevin & Zanon) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) is a polyphagous pest that damages grapevines in Europe and citrus fruits in Morocco. Management of this insect is based mainly on chemical control, but there is an urgent need to develop an alternative management tool, such as biological control. In this study, we evaluated the predation rate of the first-to third-instar Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) on J. lybica under laboratory conditions. The predation rate of each lacewing instar was determined 24 h after placing an individual lacewing larva in a Petri dish containing a freshly detached grape leaf with 15 adult and five immature leafhoppers. The average predation rate by the third instar was 47.8%, which was significantly higher than that of the second instar (31.1%). The predation rate was not different between the first (21.7%) and second instars. The predation rates for leafhopper nymphs (46.7%) were significantly higher than for the adults (29.1%).

High populations of pest flies on swine facilities can be detrimental to the animals and producers. The purpose of this study was to identify the distribution pattern and the influence of habitats on distribution of adult biting flies surrounding commercial swine production barns in North Carolina. In this study, fly surveillance was conducted on four swine facilities in Bladen County, North Carolina, U.S.A., from January to October 2019. Biting flies typically associated with livestock were passively collected weekly on sticky traps, which were placed in three concentric circles surrounding swine barns, and then counted and identified. Stable flies [Stomoxys calcitrans (L.); Diptera: Muscidae] were most abundant on swine facilities that were mixed-use with pastured beef cattle. However, swine producers with no pastured cattle should be aware of the potential for stable flies to disperse from off-property larval development sites. Therefore, adult fly management may be necessary if populations reach nuisance levels. Horse and deer fly (Diptera: Tabanidae) captures were not related to trap proximity to water. Differences in horse and deer fly trap captures was likely less of a reflection of differences in potential fly development habitat quality (e.g., water) and more related to adult fly habitat selection.

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), is a vector of the bacterium causing Huanglongbing and responsible for substantial productivity loss in the Florida citrus industry. In this study, the effect of different concentrations of nitrogen fertilizer applied to orange, Citrus × sinensis (L.) Osbeck (Rutaceae), seedlings on biological parameters of the Asian citrus psyllid was evaluated. Nitrogen was applied at 0, 7.5, 15 and 30 mg/L which represented 0%, 50%, 100%, and 200% of the recommended levels for seedlings, while holding the doses of micronutrients, potassium, and phosphate constant. Females produced 138% more eggs from the 50% treatment compared to the 200% treatment and there was no difference between the 0%, 50%, and 100% nitrogen treatments. Nymphal development time did not differ among nitrogen doses. Nymphal survival was reduced dramatically at 200% nitrogen treatment. Morphometric analysis revealed that female wings were longest with the 100% nitrogen treatment and shortest with 0%. Shape of wings differed significantly with the 200% nitrogen treatment distinct from all other treatments, and the 50% treatment differed from the 100%. Application of the 200% nitrogen treatment negatively impacted psyllids likely due to the detrimental effect of excess nitrogen on the plants. Chlorophyll content of newly flushed leaves did not differ among treatments before nitrogen treatment, but chlorophyll content in plants receiving 50% nitrogen levels was significantly greater than other treatments at the end of the study.

The boll-feeding complex of phytophagous stink bugs (Pentatomidae), leaffooted bugs (Coreidae), and plant bugs (Miridae) is the number one insect pest group of cotton in the southeastern United States. We examined the residual control of two widely used classes of insecticides (pyrethroids and organophosphates) in controlling three important species, the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), and the eastern leaffooted bug, Leptoglossus phyllopus (L.). The organophosphate dicrotophos provided excellent control of E. servus, N. viridula, and L. phyllopus at <1 and 24 h after insecticide application, and fair-to-good control up to 48 h. The pyrethroid lambda-cyhalothrin provided limited immediate and residual control of E. servus but excellent control of N. viridula and L. phyllopus out to 7 d after insecticide application, with the pyrethroid deltamethrin performing similarly on N. viridula. Subtle declines in mortality from 2008 (97%) to 2021 (82%) were noted with exposures of E. servus to dicrotophos 24 h after application, but mortalities at longer exposures seemed comparable across the 13-year span. Mortality of E. servus exposed to residues of lambda-cyhalothrin remained minimal and unchanged from 2008 to 2021. Mortality of N. viridula to lambda-cyhalothrin remained extremely high (100%) at 7 d after spraying in 2008 but decreased to 40% in 2021. Because these observations suggest a reduction in susceptibility of stink bugs to lambda-cyhalothrin and dicrotophos, efforts to monitor insecticide resistance in stink bugs are essential.

Understanding the ecology and spatio-temporal distribution of mosquitoes is essential to the implementation of management programs. Periodic spatial investigations of mosquito species are critical for vector-borne disease monitoring. Bimonthly collections of immature mosquitoes from sixteen habitats in four districts of Tébessa Province (Northeast Algeria) were reared to the fourth instar or adult stage for identification during June 2019 to May 2020. Ten species were identified from 69,974 specimens, belonging to the genera Culex, Culiseta, Aedes, and Anopheles. The most dominant genus was Culex (73.9% of specimens), with the highest species richness [C. pipiens (L.), C. hortensis (Ficalbi), C. theileri (Theobald), C. laticinctus (Edwards), and C. brumpti (Galliard)]. The genus Culiseta composed 25.1% of the specimens [C. annulata (Schrank) and C. longiareolata (Macquart)]. Anopheles (0.1%) was represented by A. labranchiae (Falleroni), and Aedes (0.9%) was represented by A. caspius (Pallas) and A. geniculatus (Olivier). Anopheles labranchiae, A. geniculatus, and C. brumpti were reported for the first time in Tébessa Province. The most abundant species was C. pipiens (57.7%). Temperature was positively correlated with mosquito abundance in Tébessa Province, but rainfall was not. Water temperature, conductivity, total dissolved solids, and dissolved oxygen were associated with larval abundance. Tébessa and Bekkaria Districts had the highest Shannon-Wiener index value (H' = 1.29) and species richness (seven species). The spread of new vectors increases the risks of diseases emergence.