The Family Tachinidae is one of the most speciose families in the Order Diptera with approximately 1300 species occurring in North America alone. Research on the species Ormia ochracea (Bigot) (Diptera: Tachinidae) has largely focused on the problems incurred by their hosts as a result of parasitism or on the mechanics of their hearing. Little research effort has been devoted to the behavior or life history of these flies. Part of the reason they have remained lightly researched is the difficultly in maintaining a laboratory culture. Herein, we provide a detailed guide to collecting O. ochracea in the field, culturing them in the laboratory, and maintaining stock populations for multiple generations. We also provide data on the effectiveness of capturing O. ochracea in wooded versus open field areas, as well as data on the effectiveness of manually parasitizing crickets with O. ochracea larvae to propagate stock fly populations in the laboratory. Our results suggest that during field collection, traps should broadcast calls in wooded areas; and that manual parasitization is an effective way of culturing small colonies of O. ochracea in the laboratory.

The microstructure of the digestive and excretory systems of the adult female mealybug, Phenacoccus fraxinus Tang (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Pseudococcidae), was examined using light and scanning electron microscopy. Results revealed that the digestive system consisted of a distinct foregut, midgut and hindgut. The foregut is short, membranous and subdivided into a pharynx and an esophagus. A pair of salivary glands, well-developed and racemous in appearance, are situated on both sides of the pharynx. The midgut is elongated and loop-shaped with epithelial tissues protruded into the enteric cavity. The gastric caeca are blind lateral diverticulum of the midgut. The hindgut possesses an enlarged enteric cavity with small epithelial cells. The filter chamber is well-developed, but the epithelia are reduced in size. The surface of the gut is innervated with tracheoles, nerve fibers and fat body. The Malpighian tubules, numbering two, are brownish-yellow, moniliform, with the interior appearing faviform in structure.

Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, and annual bluegrass weevil, Listronotus maculicollis Kirby, larvae damage turfgrasses in the northeastern U.S. from April to October. Insecticides from several classes are extensively used to manage both species; however, inappropriate use has led to the development of insecticide resistance in both species and has negatively impacted nontarget predators of P. japonica, thus warranting research on alternative insect control options. We studied the effects of liquid and granular formulations of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin strain F52 against P. japonica and L. maculicollis larvae under field conditions. The liquid formulation provided 31 - 46% control of L. maculicollis larvae, but did not control P. japonica larvae. The granular formulation provided 49% control of P. japonica larvae on aerated turf, but did not control these larvae in nonaerated turf nor did it control L. maculicollis larvae. Whereas the overall effectiveness of M. anisopliae F52 for controlling turfgrass–infesting larvae of P. japonica and L. maculicollis ranged from none to moderate, it may be useful in areas where insecticide use is restricted.

The regulation of the soldier caste in termites involves a self-regulatory mechanism of negative feedback once a specific proportion is achieved. In this process, juvenile hormone (JH) plays an important role. Two groups of compounds with known JH regulatory functions in insects were tested for their effects on Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki soldier caste formation. One group was the antijuvenile hormone agents precocene I and precocene II. The other group was biogenic amines including dopamine, octopamine, serotonin and tyramine. Filter paper bioassays in Petri dishes showed that precocene I at 100 μg/dish significantly delayed the formation of the first presoldier and the first soldier. Additionally, precocene I significantly reduced the soldier proportion at 40 d after treatment as compared with controls. Precocene II had no effect. We also found no biogenic amine effect on termite soldier formation. These results may reflect the importance of precocene I in caste control and a reduced importance in biogenic amines to the synthesis or suppression of JH in termites.

Dogwood borer, Synanthedon scitula (Harris), infestation of burrknot tissue on apple dwarfing rootstocks is an increasing problem throughout the northeastern United States. One insecticide, chlorpyrifos, is currently the only efficient chemical control available for dogwood borer. Because of scrutiny of chlorpyrifos under the US EPA's Food Quality Protection Act policy and the desire to increase options available to growers, we investigated other dogwood borer control options. Barriers to dogwood borer oviposition may offer an effective, efficient physical control. We tested 4 types of barriers including white latex paint, trunk wraps of spunbonded polyethylene fabric Tyvek® HomeWrap® (E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Wilmington, DE) and self-adhesive veterinary gauze, and a sprayable, nonwoven ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA). These were compared with chlorpyrifos and an untreated check starting in late spring of 2006. All barriers were effective in preventing dogwood borer infestation and remained intact throughout the first growing season. The paint and EVA treatments persisted longer than other treatments. However, by March 2007, the paint treatment was beginning to fade and flake off. By May 2007 the EVA treatment was ≈ 95% (± 9.4%) intact, and trees were significantly less infested than trees in the paint treatment or an untreated check in September 2007. Whereas barriers were significantly less intact in the Tyvek and gauze treatments than in the EVA treatment in 2007, borer infestations were equivalent among treatments. EVA was the least costly of the barriers and its cost may be competitive with conventional chemical control.

Clear Choice® (Petro-Canada, Calgary, Canada) is an environmentally-friendly herbicide for broad-leaf weed control in turfgrasses. However, our laboratory and field data show that the herbicide also will help control tropical sod webworm, Herpetogramma phaeopteralis Guenee, populations in St. Augustinegrass. We believe this is the first report of an herbicide helping to control a pest insect in any turfgrass. Mortality is primarily caused in small and medium-sized larvae by a feeding response (starvation or toxicity via ingestion) rather than direct contact or volatilization. Future research will be needed to determine the specific chemical(s) responsible for the larval mortality and if the herbicide may also help control other insect pests of turfgrasses.