Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is the main borer of several pine species (e.g. Pinus massoniana Lamb) and is also the primary vector of the pest pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus (Steiner et Buhrer) Nickle (Aphelenchida: Parasitaphelenchidae). Dastarcus helophoroides (Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Bothrideridae) is a natural enemy and an ectoparasitoid of M. alternatus. We studied the effects of parasitism by D. helophoroides on the hemolymph saccharide content in parasitized M. alternatus larvae. Our results showed that hemolymph saccharide content was altered by parasitism. For example, in comparison to unparasitized insects, the total sugar content increased in larvae 12 h after parasitism, the reducing sugar content declined at 24 h after parasitism but increased at 72 h after parasitism, and the trehalose content was inhibited at 6 h and 24 h after parasitism. These results indicate that D. helophoroides larvae may regulate saccharide metabolism in M. alternatus larvae, resulting in the changes of saccharide content in host hemolymph.

The Asiatic rice borer, Chilo suppressalis (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is an important rice pest in East and Southeast Asia regions. We developed a simple technique for determining the mating status of C. suppressalis males. This technique involves examining the white secretion in the last segment of the primary simplex of the C. suppressalis male. The technique is easily used in either the field or the laboratory to confirm mating status. Examination of pheromone-trap-captured males showed that most were mated (∼85%). This high percentage of mated males indicates that proper pheromone density is necessary for the effective use of pheromone traps in C. suppressalis management.

The actinomycete Streptomyces vinaceusdrappus (S12-4) was isolated from soil samples collected from the Venganayakkan region in Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. The strain was identified using 16S rRNA sequencing, and a phylogenetic tree was constructed using MEGA4 software with sequences submitted to GenBank. In laboratory bioassays, crude extracts of secondary metabolites of the actinomycete demonstrated larvicidal and ovicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus Say and Anopheles stephensi Liston, but not against Aedes aegypti L. These results suggest that metabolites of S. vinaceusdrappus S12-4 may have value in development of alternatives to conventional chemical insecticides for control of mosquito populations.

The concentration–mortality response of Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) to nine insecticides, and the impacts of these insecticides on selected biological and biochemical parameters of the insect, were determined in laboratory assays. Adults displayed a concentration-dependent response for each insecticide. Median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) values in baits were: acetamiprid (0.39 μg/ml), bifenthrin (0.22 μg/ml), chlorpyriphos (0.21 μg/ml), deltamethrin (0.41 μg/ml), emamectin benzoate (0.001 μg/ml), fipronil (0.002 μg/ml), imidacloprid (0.27 μg/ml), profenophos (0.63 μg/ml), and lufenuron (0.001 μg/ml). Based on 95% confidence intervals, fipronil proved to be the most lethal of the insecticides tested. LC₁₀, LC₃₀, and LC₅₀ values of each of the insecticides were used to assess impacts on M. domestica longevity, fecundity, percentage eclosion, larval duration, percentage pupation, pupal weight, pupal duration, adult emergence, and sex ratio. In general, development parameters, with the exception of larval duration, were significantly (P > 0.05) altered in a concentration-dependent manner for each insecticide. Furthermore, enzymatic activity of total glutathione S-transferases, total esterases, acetylcholinesterase, and acid and alkaline phosphates was elevated at the LC₁₀, LC₃₀, and LC₅₀ levels of the nine insecticides, which may contribute to development of resistance to these insecticides.

The effects of field rates of selected insecticides on the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae), were evaluated in laboratory bioassays. In topical treatments with lufenuron, novaluron, pyrifluquinazon, and sulfoxaflor, 80–92% of P. persimilis adult females survived 168 h after exposure. Females exposed to these four insecticides produced 83–97% as many eggs as did the females in the controls, and eclosion of eggs was not affected. Moreover, the percentage of eggs that hatched and larval survival following direct exposure to these four insecticides were not seriously reduced. Immature P. persimilis survived on leaf discs with the residues of lufenuron, novaluron, pyrifluquinazon, and sulfoxaflor, with 86–94% reaching adulthood. Emamectin benzoate, lepimectin, and spirotetramat were highly toxic to P. persimilis adult females and larvae. Based on these results, lufenuron, novaluron, pyrifluquinazon, and sulfoxaflor are promising candidates for use in integrated pest management programs where P. persimilis is a natural enemy.

Culex pipiens pallens Coquillet is an important public health pest and can spread various mosquito-borne infectious diseases. To assess the cold resistance of Cx. pipiens pallens, the supercooling points (SCPs) and freezing points (FPs) of Cx. pipiens pallens, including 1st through 4th larval instars, pupae, and male and female adults, were identified in the laboratory. SCPs of Cx. pipiens pallens ranged from −18.0353 to −7.9854°C. SCPs differed significantly among larvae, pupae, and adults (F = 338.434, df = 170, P < 0.05), but did not differ significantly between male (−17.9173 °C) and female (−18.0353 °C) adults. The mean SCPs of the imaginal stage were much lower than those of larvae and pupae. Unlike SCPs, the FPs of Cx. pipiens pallens, ranging from −12.8777°C to −5.5550°C, were not significantly different from 1st instars through the pupal stage, but were much higher than those of the imaginal stage (F = 29.92, df = 170, P < 0.05). These results suggest that Cx. pipiens pallens has the potential to spread farther northward into higher-latitude regions in China.

The susceptibility of clearwing moth Paranthrene diaphana (Dalla Torre & Strand) last-instar larvae to the entomopathogenic nematodes Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev), Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser), and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Poinar) was determined in laboratory assays. Larval mortality was assessed at 0, 6, 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after exposure of the larvae to six concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800) of infective juveniles (IJs) per bioassay arena. The median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) for each nematode species was 35.97 IJ/ml for S. feltiae, 44.0 IJ/ml for S. carpocapsae, and 104.5 IJ/ml for H. bacteriophora. The median lethal time (LT₅₀) for each nematode species at the concentration of 100 IJ/ml was 43.94 h for S. feltiae, 60.88 h for S. carpocapsae, and 82.3 h for H. bacteriophora. Based on these and other results, we conclude that research should be expanded on the prospects for using entomopathogenic nematodes, especially S. feltiae, in managing P. diaphana.

There is limited knowledge regarding the biology of beetles in Cossoninae and Scolytinae (Curculionidae) in South Africa. It has recently been found that beetles in these two weevil subfamilies are associated with Euphorbia ingens E. Meyer: Boissier die-offs in the country. Lindgren traps baited with 95% ethanol were set at three sites in two provinces of South Africa to gain an understanding of the seasonal activity of the beetles that infest E. ingens. Temperature and relative humidity were monitored at each site to correlate environmental conditions with beetle flight patterns. Seven beetle species, of which six were in Scolytinae and one in Cossoninae, were captured in the traps over a period of 20 mo. Eccoptopterus spinosus Olivier, Premnobius cavipennis Eichhoff and Xyleborinus spinifer Eggers were the most commonly caught beetles. Ambrosiodmus natalensis Schedl, E. spinosus, P. cavipennis, and X. spinifer are reported from South Africa for the first time. Of the seven beetle species, two, Cyrtogenius africus Wood and a Stenoscelis sp. Wollaston, are known to colonize diseased and dying E. ingens trees, but these were trapped in low numbers, possibly due to the choice of bait used. The number of C. africus and Stenoscelis sp. caught varied with temperature and humidity, but only temperature had a significant effect on numbers captured. The number of C. africus and Stenoscelis sp. caught appeared to be a function of site and climatic conditions as opposed to E. ingens mortality levels.

Female Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), have the capacity to produce more than 1,000 eggs over their lifetime, but fertility of the eggs will depend on the female's capacity to store semen or to replenish semen through remating or both. The two parameters are interrelated in that sexual receptivity depends to a large degree on insemination status. In this controlled study, we measured sperm depletion in singly mated females with continuous access to oviposition substrates by using a squash technique. The spermathecae were sequentially emptied of sperm over the 3 weeks following copulation. Under laboratory conditions, sperm was always found in the ventral receptacle up to 4 weeks following copulation, but was empty in almost all females by the fifth week. These results mirrored previous measurements of egg fertility in singly mated females, which declines at 26–40 d postcopulation.