The Gulf Coast tick (Amblyomma maculatum Koch), a known vector of medical and veterinary concern, is well established in Mississippi. Although seasonality and distribution patterns of this species of adults have been documented, those of immatures (larvae and nymphs) have not. In this study, a review of literature was combined with new and unpublished data to identify trends in immature A. maculatum activity. Compiled data from dates ranging from 1920–2014 consisted of 2,368 total specimens of A. maculatum collected in Mississippi, some published and some not. Of those, 2,295 (96.92%) were adults while only 27 (1.14%) were nymphs and 46 (1.94%) were larvae. Only four larval collections have been recorded (one each in June and November and two in October). Seventeen nymphal collections were recorded with peaks in March and August, roughly corresponding to the bimodal distribution observed in larval records. This bimodal distribution suggests that there may be two cohorts of A. maculatum per year or that immatures go through a stage of inactivity during periods of both winter and summer months. As expected, these data show that nymphs were collected earliest in the southern portions of Mississippi but, unexpectedly, adults were collected even earlier further north. Surprisingly, it was noted that larvae were collected progressively later in the year further south.

Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman, are a quarantine issue for nursery shipments to certain U.S. states. The Domestic Japanese Beetle Harmonization Plan (DJHP) allows balled and burlapped (B&B) root ball immersion in chlorpyrifos or bifenthrin for P. japonica certification. Study objectives were: (a) to evaluate multiple insecticides as potential regulatory dips against third-instar P. japonica in 30-cm B&B, and (b) to determine the lowest effective rates. Tests were performed fall and spring from 2003 to 2007. All insecticide treatments reduced larval numbers compared with the untreated check treatment, with the exception of chlorantraniliprole and the lowest rate of trichlorfon in a fall test. Bifenthrin, carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, clothianidin, and trichlorfon and bifenthrin imidacloprid were the most effective insecticides. Larval numbers in acephate, deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin, imidacloprid, and cyfluthrin imidacloprid treatments exceeded DJHP requirements at rates evaluated. Carbaryl, chlorantraniliprole, dinotefuran, thiamethoxam, trichlorfon, and cyfluthrin imidacloprid dips were more effective in spring than fall tests. The only insecticide that caused significant plant mortality was trichlorfon (rates ≥119.8 g active ingredient/100 L). Several insecticides not currently approved for use in the DJHP and reduced rates of DJHP-approved active ingredients, bifenthrin and chlorpyrifos, demonstrated suitability for regulatory programs against P. japonica.

Laricobius nigrinus Fender (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) is a specialist predator of the hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae Annand (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), native to the Pacific Northwest. It has been introduced into the eastern United States for biological control of exotic hemlock woolly adelgid populations that threaten native hemlock. The possible role of olfactory cues in host finding by this predator has received little study. We used gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection (GC-EAD) to test adult L. nigrinus olfactory sensitivity to volatiles from foliage of both adelgid-infested and uninfested eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] and western hemlock [Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.], and two hemlock woolly adelgid nonhost species (eastern white pine, Pinus strobus L., and western white pine, Pinus monticola Douglas ex D. Don). Adelgid infestation did not alter L. nigrinus EAD response profiles to volatiles from either hemlock species. In total, antennal preparations detected only two compounds in samples of foliage volatiles: myrcene in all four tree species and nonanal in eastern hemlock alone. However, in GC-EAD tests with synthetic blends of common conifer volatiles presented at higher concentrations than in our foliage samples, we additionally recorded responses to (−)-limonene, terpinolene, alpha-p-dimethylstyrene, linalool, (−)-bornyl acetate, 4-allylanisole, and alpha-humulene. The apparent absence of olfactory stimulants specific to adelgid-infested foliage is consistent with published ambulatory olfactometer tests in which L. nigrinus adults were not more attracted to infested than uninfested foliage. Myrcene and nonanal should be further explored as compounds produced by hemlock woolly adelgid host trees that may influence L. nigrinus prey-finding efficiency.

The sublethal effects of the entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (strain GHA) and Metarhizium brunneum Petch (strain F-52), on larval weight gain, adult longevity, oviposition, pupation, and eclosion success were investigated in the southern masked chafer, Cyclocephala lurida Bland. Neither M. brunneum nor B. bassiana had a significant effect in reducing larval weight gains in body mass or interfering with the developmental growth of C. lurida. The fungi did not significantly decrease the adult longevity of either male or female chafers. Oviposition in this insect was strongly correlated with the time duration of male companion and female longevity, but neither fungal species had a significant impact. Pupation rate for the treatment with M. brunneum was significantly lower than that with B. bassiana, but neither treatment showed a significant difference from the control. Also, adult eclosion in this insect was not significantly affected by either M. brunneum or B. bassiana. Overall, no significant sublethal effect was detected in M. brunneum or B. bassiana by interference with the larval growth, adult longevity, oviposition, pupation, or eclosion success in C. lurida. This indicates little or no potential for the fungi in providing sublethal suppression of the pest population other than causing direct mortality of the insect.

Grape root borer, Vitacea polistiformis (Harris), is an economically important and potentially destructive pest of grape vines in portions of the eastern United States. Its oligophagous larvae feed on the roots of cultivated and wild Vitis species. In commercial vineyards, adult females oviposit on aboveground parts of vines and other vegetation in vine rows. The loosely attached eggs are thought to drop to the ground and, upon eclosion, neonates quickly burrow into the soil to search for grape roots. Although vineyard infestation by grape root borer is ultimately dependent upon larval success at finding and establishing on vine roots, little is known about larval movement capabilities in the soil. In this study, soil column bioassays were used to evaluate neonate movement in the horizontal and vertical dimensions, the influence of grape root stimuli on the rate and frequency of food-finding, and the distance over which the neonates responded to these stimuli. Grape root borer neonates moved both horizontally and vertically in the soil. In vertical columns, larvae located pieces of grape root over distances up to 120 cm, although the presence of food at the bottom of columns did not affect the frequency or rate of movement to the bottom. Larvae appeared to respond to fresh grape root pieces over a distance of 5 cm in soil. Results are discussed in relation to the utility of these soil column assays for potential future studies of grape root borer food-finding and management in vineyards.

The black soybean weevil, Rhyssomatus subtilis (Fiedler), is an important but infrequently studied insect pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, in South America. Severe crop damage occurs when the adult weevils attack soybean seedlings, resulting in reduced plant stands, and when weevils feed on and oviposit in seedpods. The objectives of this 3-yr study were to quantify early-season damage caused by R. subtilis to terminal buds and plant stands in soybean and evaluate insecticide seed treatments under field conditions relative to this damage. Terminal bud damage is the most consistent criteria for determining early-season damage by R. subtilis to soybean. The results indicated that R. subtilis can cause as much as 36% plant stand loss in soybean. Thiamethoxam and a mixture of ethiprole fipronil provided significant levels of control of R. subtilis damage, with the higher doses of each product tending to provide longer-lasting protection.

Protaphorura fimata Gisin (Collembola: Poduromorpha: Onychiuridae) feeds on the germinating seeds of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), causing severe stand losses in the northern Salinas Valley of California. Because there is no grower-friendly tool available to monitor P. fimata in the commercial lettuce fields to guide management decisions, we examined the potential utility of potato slices (Solanum tuberosum L.), typically used to monitor garden symphylan, Scutigerella immaculata Newport, and beet slices (Beta vulgaris L.) as baits for P. fimata capture and compared them with P. fimata extracted from the soil using the Berlese funnel method. Results suggest that both potato and beet slices were attractive to P. fimata as they captured greater numbers of P. fimata when deployed in the soil than were extracted using a Berlese funnel. Between beet and potato, beet slices captured significantly greater numbers of P. fimata than potato slices in both years. In addition, two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of extended exposure of beet slices on P. fimata captures. Data suggest that greater numbers of P. fimata were captured with 1-d than 5-d exposure periods. However, there was no difference among 1- to 4-d exposures of beet in the soil.

Epigeal arthropods constitute the bulk of herbivore, predator, and decomposer species in soil and litter ecosystems. Being small and difficult to observe within these sometimes densely vegetated habitats, they are inherently difficult to sample quantitatively. Further, most methods have inherent taxon, life-stage, and habitat biases, making biodiversity and other community-wide sampling problematic. Quadrat methods can be quantitative but may undercount active taxa and only work in the structurally simplest habitats. Mark-and-recapture and trapping-out methods can yield defensible quantitative estimates but are not practicable for multispecies sampling. This leaves only flooding the habitat and collecting every animal thus dislodged, an expensive and difficult expedient. Pitfall traps are inexpensive and easily deployed, but they are not quantitative. When used intensively for a sufficiently long period of time, however, they can support reliable estimates of the total number of species and other biodiversity indices. Nevertheless there are technical problems associated with the use of pitfalls, including susceptibility to precipitation and flooding, lack of simple methods to close the traps between collecting intervals, and threats to the integrity of the trapping site. Described herein is an inexpensive, permanent pitfall station that shelters the trap from precipitation and flooding, can be securely closed during inactive periods, and can remain in place indefinitely without damage to the site.