Protection of greenhouse-grown horticultural crops, including ornamentals and vegetables, from damage caused by insect pests involves implementing strategies such as insecticidal and/or biological control. However, cultural control may also mitigate plant damage caused by insect pests, as well as plant diseases including fungi and bacteria. An important cultural control is sanitation. Herein, we review the use and potential impact of sanitation practices as a part of an integrated pest management program for greenhouse production. These include removing weeds from inside and around the greenhouse perimeter, disposing of plant and growing medium debris from inside the greenhouse, and managing algae within the greenhouse. Weeds serve as alternate hosts for insects, such as aphids (Aphididae), whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), and thrips (Thripidae), that can spread plant viruses among greenhouse-grown horticultural crops. Sanitation practices that may reduce problems with weeds include installing geotextile fabric barriers underneath benches and on walkways, hand removal, mowing around greenhouse perimeters, and/or applying herbicides. Plant and growing medium debris serve as sources of insect pests, such as whiteflies, thrips, and fungus gnats (Sciaridae). Therefore, removal of plant and growing medium debris from within greenhouses and/or placement into refuse containers with tight-sealing lids before disposal may reduce problems with insect pests. Algae provides a habitat for fungus gnats and shore flies (Ephydridae) to breed. Overwatering and overfertilizing plants contributes to algae growth. Applying disinfectants or algaecides may mitigate problems with algae accumulating in greenhouses. In addition to reducing insect pest problems, sanitation practices may help reduce inputs from insecticide applications.

Native plants may coevolve with native arthropods and may be associated with greater arthropod diversity than non-native plants. Thompson Mills Forest, a state arboretum owned by the University of Georgia and located in Braselton, GA, is home to a variety of oak (Quercus L., Fagacaeae) species, both native and non-native to Georgia. Arthropods were sampled from 20 trees belonging to 12 species, 8 native and 4 non-native, using beat sheets for 10 consecutive weeks in 2018. More than 500 arthropods were collected, with Coleoptera, Araneae, and Psocodea comprising more than 70% of the arthropods collected. Neither abundance nor Shannon index varied among trees of native or non-native origin or among tree species, although both variables peaked during the middle of the sampling period. Multivariate analyses showed similar arthropod communities were associated with native and non-native oaks. The results suggest that non-native plants may naturalize and, if so, may interact with arthropod communities in similar ways as native congeners. Further research into the long-term ecological interactions with non-native plants is recommended.

Morphological and genetic characters of male and female adults of Batocera lineolata Chevrolat were studied to determine intraspecific sex differences. Morphologically, the 9th and 10th segments of the antennae of male adults have odontoid processes that the female lacks. The longitudinal stripes of each abdominal segment of female adults appear to be connected between each adjacent segment, but those of the male do not appear continuous. Female adults also have a narrow V-shaped longitudinal groove in the 5th abdominal segment, whereas males do not. Amplification of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II gene, cytochrome b gene, and ribosomal 16S rRNA gene of four mitochondrial DNA showed sequences that differed between male and female adults. The similarity of the four genes between male and female adults is 98.7%, 99.1%, 98.4%, and 98.8%, respectively. The A+T contents of the four genes in female adults were all higher than in male adults. The difference in content of A+T versus C+G base pairs in female adults was higher than in males. This method of combined morphological and genetic analysis appears to be an accurate and straightforward tool for distinguishing male and female adults of B. lineolata.

Feral swine, Sus scrofa L., have become a nuisance to landowners across the United States by damaging agriculture, property, and ecosystems. Additionally, these animals have been found to host various ixodid ticks including Amblyomma americanum (L.), Amblyomma maculatum Koch, Dermacentor variabilis (Say), and Ixodes scapularis Say, which can maintain and transmit several rickettsial pathogens to livestock, wildlife, and humans. Though previous research has identified the maintenance cycle of several rickettsial pathogens in ticks and native wildlife, little is known about the role S. scrofa plays in supporting ixodid ticks and the pathogens these ticks could be harboring. This study sought to identify rickettsial agents (Rickettsiales: Anaplasmataceae and Rickettsiaceae) in ticks collected from S. scrofa obtained in Florida and South Carolina. Overall, ticks from four species (A. americanum, D. variabilis, I. scapularis, and A. maculatum) totaling 258 collected individuals were obtained from S. scrofa (n = 45). We found an Ehrlichia chaffeensis Anderson et al. infection prevalence in A. americanum of 2.7% and 2.9% in Florida and South Carolina, respectively. A Rickettsia parkeri Lackman et al. prevalence of 100% and 33% was found in A. maculatum from Florida and South Carolina, respectively. Additionally, a 0.9% infection prevalence of R. parkeri was identified in A. americanum collected in South Carolina. A 1.9% Ehrlichia ewingii Anderson et al. infection prevalence was documented in collected A. americanum in South Carolina. Further studies are warranted to better understand the role S. scrofa plays in the natural maintenance of rickettsial agents in various regions of the United States.

The cereal aphids, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) and Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are serious pests of maize, Zea mays L., globally. Basic information about the genetic structure of these aphids is unknown. We, therefore, estimated the genetic diversity and genetic flow from partial fragments of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene collected from different geographic populations of aphids throughout the Songliao Plain of northeastern China. Our analysis of a 425-bp sequence on 297 R. maidis and 287 R. padi individuals revealed 17 and 3 variable sites, respectively. Fifteen haplotypes were obtained among the R. maidis populations, and only haplotype RM1 was shared. Three shared haplotypes were obtained among the R. padi populations. No obvious geographical trends were detected based on the haplotype network and neighbor-joining tree. Relatively low haplotype diversity indices were observed in the R. maidis populations (haplotype diversity [Hd] = 0.14207, average number of nucleotide differences [K] = 0.17340, and nucleotide diversity [Pi] = 0.00041), whereas relatively high haplotype diversity indices were observed in the R. padi populations (Hd = 0.53249, K = 1.46614, and Pi = 0.00345). There was moderate gene flow (number of migrants [Nm] = 2.33) among R. maidis populations, but there was low gene flow (Nm = 0.82) among R. padi populations. Analysis of molecular variance showed high genetic differentiation within populations. Genetic distance and geographic distance were not significantly associated according to the Mantel test. The results suggest that the difference in the aphids' existence strategies has resulted in a different mitochondrial evolution pattern in the Songliao Plain region, and they provide a foundation for accurately forecasting systems against this pest.

Ambrosia beetles, especially the granulate ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), are serious pests in ornamental nurseries in Georgia during the spring months. Growers spray pyrethroid insecticides to prevent ambrosia beetle attacks on the tree trunk around bud break. Repeated pyrethroid insecticide applications can harm beneficial arthropods and cause a resurgence of minor, secondary pests. Insect growth regulators (IGRs), such as novaluron and azadirachtin, have demonstrated transovarial activity on many insect pests, for which the viability of the eggs was reduced after adult exposure. IGRs, particularly azadirachtin, are also repellent to many insect pests. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the transovarial and repellent activity of IGRs on ambrosia beetles. Two experiments were conducted in ornamental nurseries in 2019 and 2021. In the first experiment, novaluron, azadirachtin, and permethrin were sprayed as stand-alone and combination treatments with permethrin on maple (Acer) tree bolts. The number of ambrosia beetle attacks was significantly lower in treatments with permethrin in both years. Novaluron and azadirachtin treatments neither reduced ambrosia beetle attacks on the ethanol-infused bolts nor suppressed the recovery of X. crassiusculus from the bolts, suggesting the lack of repellent and transovarial activity, respectively. For the second experiment, novaluron alone and in combination with 1×, 4×, and 8× bark penetrant at the label rate were sprayed on ethanol-infused bolts. None of the novaluron treatments with or without bark penetrant elicited transovarial activity in X. crassiusculus, as the beetle recovery was similar among treatments.

Compared to many other groups of parasitic insects, the chewing louse fauna of the Middle East remains poorly known. Our attempts to alleviate this data deficiency include this report of lice that we found on five species of raptors in Egypt. From a total of 12 birds, we recovered four new records of chewing lice for Egypt: Colpocephalum milvi Tendeiro, Restivo & Demartis; Laemobothrion maximum (Scopoli); Colpocephalum percnopteri Price & Beer; and Laemobothrion vulturis (F.). We also recovered additional records for Egypt of Degeeriella regalis (Giebel), Colpocephalum turbinatum Denny, and Strigiphilus cursitans (Nitzsch [in Giebel]). The record of S. cursitans constitutes a new host association, Bubo ascalaphus Savigny. We provide measurements, taxonomic and ecological notes for all identified chewing louse specimens.

Drastic changes in temperature can interfere with the normal physiological and biochemical activities of bees. Temperature stress affects the endocrine system of bees and induces a series of stress responses. However, the changes that occur in hormones in bees that are exposed to environmental stress are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed the expression patterns of four genes by quantitative real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in Apis mellifera L. and Apis cerana F. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) at different temperatures and different treatment times. The expression of juvenile hormone esterase, vitellogenin, corticotropin-releasing hormone binding protein, and adipokinetic hormone receptor genes was found to be increasingly affected by an increase in temperature and treatment time. Temperature stress affects the endocrine system of bees, and endogenous hormones in bees can respond to environmental stimuli. Our findings provide a basis for determining the mechanisms by which insect endocrine systems adapt to high temperatures.

Botanical extracts, including essential oils, are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides for pest control. In this study, we evaluated the fumigant toxicity of an essential oil extracted from Thymus capitatus (L.) Hoffmanns. & Link against the citrus mealybug, Planococcus citri Risso (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), and its coccinellid predator Cryptolaemus montrouzieri Mulsant (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) under laboratory conditions. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis indicated that the major chemical compounds identified from T. capitatus were carvacrol (65.15%), followed by p-cymene (11.79%) and γterpinene (7.48%). High mortality levels were registered for P. citri larvae (up to 100%) and adults (up to 96%) when exposed to the tested essential oil. The median lethal concentration values calculated for P. citri adults were higher than for larvae. Thymus capitatus essential oil applied at 10 and 20 µL/L_air showed high toxicity towards C. montrouzieri adults. These results highlighted the efficacy of T. capitatus essential oil as a promising tool to control P. citri in Tunisia. However, the adverse effects of this oil towards C. montrouzieri should be taken into consideration to enhance its practical implication in integrated pest management.