Wax moth larvae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) are serious pests on wax combs outside and inside of beehives. Management of wax moths is particularly difficult inside hive bodies housing weak colonies. In this study, five traps were designed and evaluated for their efficacy to attract mature larvae inside beehives. These traps were: (1) mesh envelope trap (MET), (2) cup trap (CT), (3) corrugated sheet (CS), (4) wooden sheet trap (WST), and (5) frame trap (FT). The traps were designed to take advantage of the behavior of mature larvae seeking protected locations for pupation. The numbers of larvae fluctuated during the study with a major peak at the end of June. MET attracted the greatest numbers of larvae, followed by CS, CT and FT, whereas WST did not attract any larvae. The internal traps, particularly MET, may reduce the damage from wax moth larvae by reducing existing moth populations inside the beehives, and therefore, prevent additional infestation.

The resistance of some indigenous types of tree species to attack by termites (Blattodea: Termitidae) was investigated in Ondo State, Nigeria. Indigenous trees of different bulk densities used for this study were Celtis zenkeri Engl. (Cannabaceae), Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth. (Fabaceae), Terminalia superba Engl. & Diels (Combretaceae), Cola gigantia A. Chev. (Malvaceae), and Terminalia ivorensis A. Chev. (Combretaceae). The three locations used for the study were Okitipupa, Akure, and Akungba-Akoko, representing lowland rainforest, tropical rainforest, and savannah regions, respectively. The primary termite species recovered were Macrotermes bellicosus (Smeathman), Macrotermes sybhylinus (Rambur), and Odontotermes horni (Wasmann) for Okitipupa, Akure, and Akungba-Akoko, respectively. Field-exposure tests for each of the locations suggested that density affected the resistance of the wood samples to termite attack. Wood in the high density class had a better resistance to attack by termites compared with low density wood. The severity of attack was highest in Akure and least in the Okitipupa location. Irrespective of wood density and location in Ondo State, Nigerian lumber should be treated before installation to ensure protection.

Ticks are vectors that pose a threat to public health. N,N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (DEET) is commonly applied as a repellent to prevent attachment of ticks to humans and animals. Typical commercially available repellents contain between 5–100% DEET. Lower concentrations of DEET may be necessary to minimize potential health risks associated with DEET. To characterize the repellency of low concentrations of DEET, we performed an in vitro vertical bioassay, and developed a novel ex vivo vertical bioassay using porcine skin for use with the adult brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) (Acari: Ixodidae). DEET applied at concentrations of 0.19% in vitro and 12.5% ex vivo immediately after application, and at 0.38% in vitro and 40% ex vivo at 4 h after application, repelled over 90% of ticks. In both in vitro and ex vivo assessments, and at both 0 and 4 h post application, the repellency against female ticks was similar to that against male ticks. This study demonstrates that concentrations of DEET lower than those in commercial repellents may provide sufficient repellency when potential tick exposure occurs shortly after application. Additionally, the development of a porcine ex vivo bioassay provides an alternative assessment tool for future repellency studies.

The increased use of thiamethoxam seed treatments for controlling pests such as the bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Forster) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), suggests the need for methods to measure and monitor the development of resistance to thiamethoxam. The objectives of this study were to develop a bioassay method that can be used to monitor bean leaf beetle susceptibility to thiamethoxam, and to quantify the relative concentrations of thiamethoxam and clothianidin in early growth stage soybean tissue treated with thiamethoxam as a seed treatment. Overwintered and F1 bean leaf beetles were collected from alfalfa and soybean fields and used in excised soybean leaf laboratory bioassays to measure susceptibility to thiamethoxam. Petioles of excised leaves were immersed in 0, 10, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 ng a.i./ml thiamethoxam solutions, beetles were placed on the leaves, and beetle mortality and defoliation levels were recorded. The bioassay method proved adequate to calculate an LC₅₀ and LC₉₀, and an EC₅₀ based on defoliation level. The quantification of insecticide residues in soybean leaves from different vegetative stages indicates that the thiamethoxam concentration declines rapidly as the plant grows, and concentrations are at lethal levels for bean leaf beetles through V2. These results provide a method for monitoring bean leaf beetle susceptibility to thiamethoxam that is more representative of the pathway of exposure encountered by beetles in the field, particularly with respect to seed treatments, and provides an estimate of baseline susceptibility for future thiamethoxam resistance monitoring efforts.

In recent years, Helopeltis theivora Waterhouse (Hemiptera: Miridae) has emerged as an important pest of tea, Camellia sinensis L.O. (Kuntze) (Theaceae), in southern India. We are currently developing an ecologically and economically viable integrated pest management (IPM) program against H. theivora. In this study, we documented the biology, life table parameters, and functional response of Epidaus bicolor Distant and Sycanus collaris F. (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). Sycanus collaris produced greater numbers of eggs, required a longer incubation period, and had greater adult longevity than E. bicolor. The innate capacities of natural increase (rc) were 0.091 and 0.192 females/female/day, and the gross reproduction (mx) rates were 69.3 and 145.2 females/female, for E. bicolor and S. collaris, respectively. Both reduviid species exhibited Type II functional response. Mass rearing of S. collaris was more successful than E. bicolor, and no cannibalism was observed during rearing. We concluded that S. collaris is a promising natural enemy for H. theivora and could be incorporated into IPM programs in tea plantations.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive vinegar fly that attacks a large variety of soft fruits including wild blueberries in Maine. Wild blueberry fields in Maine are commonly surrounded by woodland edges that contain wild fruit. These edges are important refugia as they provide the fly with needed shade and moisture during the hottest parts of the day. The wild fruit in these wooded edges are also potential alternative hosts for D. suzukii. We surveyed wild fruit along blueberry fields to determine the types of fruit present and measured D. suzukii infestation levels in surveyed fruit. We also measured the number of adult D. suzukii along field edges and the level of infestation in the wild blueberry crop. Drosophila suzukii was found in nine out of seventeen surveyed wild fruit species along field edges. Our results suggest a correlation between wild fruit infestation levels and adult fly densities in the crop fields. Blueberry fields with higher levels of wild fruit infestation also showed higher levels of adult D. suzukii trap captures in the commercial blueberry fields. These wild fruit hosts may allow D. suzukii to increase its population abundance prior to moving into commercial blueberry fields.

Wild bees are essential to the functioning of both agricultural and natural ecosystems, yet these pollinator communities are declining worldwide. Agricultural intensification by means of habitat and floral resource loss is thought to be one of the leading causes of wild bee population deterioration. This study examined multiple agricultural land use systems in New Hampshire to determine how wild bee biodiversity and community interactions are affected by different land use practices. A total of 2292 wild bees were collected during these surveys, representing 112 species. A high species overlap was found at all land use systems, although all sites had some species exclusivity. Land use significantly affected species abundance and richness. The moderately managed sites supported both the greatest pollinator abundance and species richness, while the low management sites had the smallest abundance and the same level of richness as the high management sites. The findings of this study support the importance of floral landscape diversity in bee conservation efforts and suggest that not all agricultural practices negatively affect the pollinator community.

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii Matsumura; Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a recently established invasive insect pest of berries and stone fruits. We tested the susceptibility of adult D. suzukii to infection by four species of entomopathogenic fungi: Beauveria bassiana (Bals.) Vuill., strains GHA and HF-23; Isaria fumosorosea Wize, strains FE-9901 and Apopka 97; Metarhizium anisopliae var anisopliae (Metschn.), strain F-52; and Metarhizium robertsii, strain DW-346; in laboratory bioassays. Scanning electron micrographs confirmed germination of conidia on D. suzukii integument. Exposure to conidia of all fungal isolates significantly increased mortality rates in comparison to untreated flies. In a subsequent bioassay of the two most virulent isolates, increasing pathogen dose from 0–16,000 conidia mm⁻² of B. bassiana strain GHA increased fly mortality and proportion of sporulating cadavers. While fly inoculations with M. anisopliae at 0–4000 conidia mm⁻² did not yield any measurable mortality response, a positive correlation was observed between dose and frequency of sporulating cadavers. In addition, we found that oocyte maturation rates were curtailed through one week of adulthood development after sub-lethal exposure to B. bassiana conidia. Despite promising laboratory results, a field cage experiment demonstrated that application of B. bassiana did not protect fruit from infestation. Taken together, these results show that entomopathogenic fungi are virulent against D. suzukii in the laboratory, but application in the field did not show promise.

The soybean aphid (SA), Aphis glycines Matsumura, is a major pest of soybean in the north-central United States and south-central Canada. It is controlled primarily with insecticides, but the development of aphid-resistant soybean cultivars may provide an alternative management tactic. The viability of this management tactic depends on a diverse set of resistance sources in order to counter various resistance-breaking biotypes of SA, and the identification of new sources of resistance necessitates additional testing of soybean germplasm. The current study used no-choice tests to identify SA resistance in seven early maturing (maturity group I) soybean plant introductions (PIs) that had been advanced from free-choice screening trials. The tests showed PI 437353 and PI 612759 C had an intermediate level of resistance against avirulent SA, whereas PI 437282, PI 437658, PI 437733, PI 548417, and PI 548530 exhibited no significant resistance. Additional research is needed to determine if the source of resistance in PI 437353 and PI 612759 C is due to novel resistant genes, which would help diversify resistance to SA in soybean. Screening and follow-up tests of additional soybean germplasm is warranted in order to ensure the development of durable, SA-resistant cultivars.

The papaya mealybug, Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), a serious invasive pest affecting horticultural crops, was first reported in Kenya in 2016 at Kwale, Mombasa, and Kilifi Counties of the coastal region. A study was conducted to establish its identification, distribution and host ranges at the coastal region. This is the first report of P. marginatus distribution and crops attacked in Kenya. The papaya mealybug was found to infest papaya (Carica papaya), cassava (Manihot esculenta), chili pepper (Capsicum annuum), guava (Psidium guajava), mango (Mangifera indica), and eggplant (Solanum melongena) in this study. An average yield loss of 91% on papaya crop was reported in the affected farms. Only 7.2% of the farms surveyed were found to have management strategies in place against the papaya mealybug. Additional surveys should be conducted to determine pest migration and potential endemic or unintentionally introduced natural enemies.