We conducted studies with the native woodwasp Sirex nigricornis F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) in Louisiana to identify host-associated olfactory stimulants that may include attractive semiochemicals for this species as well as Sirex noctilio F., an invasive species that can attack healthy trees. Loblolly pines (Pinus taeda L.) treated with a stressing agent were felled and chipped 1–2 mo after treatment, and the chips were steam–water distilled in a Clevenger apparatus to extract volatile compounds. Using coupled gas chromatography–electroantennographic detection, we analyzed the distillates with antennae of both S. nigricornis and the Sirex parasitoid Ibalia leucospoides (Hochenwarth) (Hymenoptera: Ibaliidae) to identify olfactory stimulants. In addition, we assayed S. nigricornis antennae with synthetic mixtures containing 23 volatile compounds associated with stressed and dying pines, including pheromones of bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) that also use these hosts. Antennae of both male and female S. nigricornis responded to 29 identifiable volatiles in the distillates, whereas I. leucospoides responded to 23 volatiles. Eighteen compounds in the synthetic mixtures were olfactory stimulants for S. nigricornis. Olfactory stimulants in the woodchip distillates were predominantly hydrocarbon and oxygenated monoterpenes, and the strongest antennal stimulants among compounds in the synthetic mixtures were oxygenated monoterpenes associated with pine death and early decay (e.g., verbenone, fenchone, and terpinen-4-ol). Bark beetle pheromones (frontalin, endo-brevicomin, ipsenol, and ipsdienol) also stimulated S. nigricornis antennae. The very large number of host-associated olfactory stimulants for S. nigricornis implies that our data may offer limited assistance in targeting individual compounds for investigation as possible attractants and components for a Sirex lure.

An annotated checklist of the jewel beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) of Doña Ana County, New Mexico is provided. Records compiled from museum specimens, available literature, and field collections yielded 79 species representing 21 genera and 4 subfamilies. The greatest number of species were recorded from the subfamilies Polycestinae (31 species) and Buprestinae (25 species). Acmaeodera yuccavora Knull (Polycestinae) and Agrilus fisherellus Obenberger (Agrilinae) represent two new state records in New Mexico.

Trifluralin is a preemergent herbicide that is applied to soil to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds. It is widely used in cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., production in China; however, the ecological safety of its continued use is a controversial issue. We studied the interaction of trifluralin and earthworms, Eisenia foetide Savigny (Annelida: Lumbricidae), to provide additional information for assessing the risk of trifluralin to ecological safety in soils. Contact toxicity assays established median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀) of 726.298 µg/L at 24 h, 418.783 µg/L at 48 h, and 82.007 µg/L at 72 h of exposure to trifluralin. Within 24 to 48 h of exposure to trifluralin, antioxidant activity (e.g., superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxidase) increased in vivo, but by 72 h of exposure the activity was inhibited and, at high concentrations of trifluralin, death occurred. Based on the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST) and multifunction oxidase (MFO), it appears that GSTs may be involved in the detoxification of trifluralin in vivo, and that MFOs may be the key detoxification enzymes involved. Earthworm degradation of trifluralin shortened the half-life of trifluralin in soil by as much as 1.78 d. These results provide useful information on the toxicity mechanism of trifluralin in earthworms, the role of earthworms in trifluralin degradation, as well as the ecological safety of trifluralin.

Aphis gossypii Glover and Acyrthosiphon gossypii Mordvilko (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are key pests of cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., known to induce cotton host plant defense responses. Deep RNA sequencing of the cotton transcriptome followed by differential expression analyses were performed to clarify the molecular mechanisms of cotton defense in response to feeding by these aphid pests. We found 6,565 genes were differentially expressed in cotton in response to feeding by Ac. gossypii and 823 genes that were differentially expressed in response to feeding by A. gossypii, while 2,379 genes were differentially expressed in response to simultaneous feeding by both species. Pathway enrichment analysis showed that the differentially expressed genes associated with Ac. gossypii feeding were enriched for metabolic pathways, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, biosynthesis of carotenoids, and the pentose phosphate pathway. The enriched pathways in cotton fed on by A. gossypii were thiamine metabolism, glutathione metabolism, plant–pathogen interaction, and sesquiterpene and triterpenoid biosynthesis. The differentially expressed genes in cotton induced by simultaneous feeding of both species were primarily related to circadian rhythm regulation, photosynthesis, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, galactose metabolism, and flavonoid biosynthesis.

Concentration-mortality response bioassays were conducted in 2021 to define the toxicity of afidopyropen to field populations of cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), in Xinjiang region, China. Levels of activity of selected enzymes also were measured. Varying levels of resistance to afidopyropen were detected among aphids from nine major cotton-growing areas in the region. Higher resistance levels were detected in aphids collected from Tumshuk, Alar, and Kurle, with resistance ratios of 4.570, 2.058, and 1.565, respectively. Lower resistance ratios of 0.506, 0.632, and 0.775 were detected in aphids collected from Yinli, Wujiaqu, and Hami, respectively. Biochemical assays showed a highly significant positive correlation of the detoxifying enzymes carboxylesterase and multifunctional oxidase with the level of tolerance, with enzyme activity increasing with the level of tolerance. Glutathione S-transferases and acetylcholinesterase activity in field-collected aphids differed significantly from laboratory colony populations, but their activity did not differ among the field populations. We concluded that cotton aphids in major cotton areas of Xinjiang have not yet developed resistance to afidopyropen and remain sensitive to afidopyropen as indicated by resistance ratios of <5; however, resistance of cotton aphids to afidopyropen in southern Xinjiang is higher than that detected in cotton aphid populations in northern Xinjiang.

Black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) are reemerging as biting and nuisance pests in many southern states, presumably from improving water quality in creeks and rivers. Since 2009, entomologists at Mississippi State University and the Mississippi Department of Health have conducted surveys to ascertain what black fly species are present in the state as well as their geographic distribution and seasonality. These surveys revealed what appears to be a recurring, significant emergence of black flies every year around 25 December at one site in southern Mississippi. In this study, adult black flies were collected from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021 by hand netting in the exact same way each time at Okatoma Creek, Seminary, MS. Forty-eight collecting trips to the site over the 4-yr period yielded a total of 176 black flies, all morphologically identified as Simulium jenningsi Group Malloch. Molecular identification was successfully performed on 17 specimens collected during the December outbreaks. Of the 17 specimens analyzed, 10 and 7 specimens grouped with 100% bootstrap confidence inside clades comprising S. jenningsi or S. podostemi, respectively.

Information on insect phototaxis can be applied to the collection, monitoring, and management of insects. This study investigated the phototaxis of three species of Cryptolestes (Coleoptera: Laemophloeidae)—Cryptolestes pusillus (Oliver), Cryptolestes turccus (Grouvelle), and Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens)—to light-emitting diode (LED) lights with six wavelengths. The three species had different responses to the different wavelengths, with C. pusillus displaying the strongest phototaxis. The taxis of the three species exhibited the same tendency across light waves of different lengths. All showed positive taxis to 450-, 390-, and 530-nm wavelengths, and their highest taxis indices occurred with 450 nm. The taxis indices of all three Cryptolestes species were positively correlated to light intensity.

Heat stress elicits the expression of various antistress proteins (e.g., heat shock proteins [HSPs] and antioxidase enzymes) in honeybees (Hymenoptera: Apidae), which are important in protecting cells from heat-induced stresses. In this study, we used real-time quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction to analyze the expression patterns of the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), heat shock protein 70Ab (Hsp70Ab), peroxidase (Pod), and cytochrome P450 (Cyp450) in response of Apis cerana cerana F. to different temperatures and different heat exposure times. We observed that, with the increase of temperature and exposure time, the expression of the four genes also increased, thus confirming that heat stress can activate heat-resistant mechanisms of A. cerana cerana and that temperature and exposure time are key factors affecting the accumulation of HSPs. Our results provide information on the expression patterns of four genes during heat stress to serve as a basis for determining the mechanisms by which A. cerana cerana adapts to thermal stress.

Many aromatic herbs in the family Apiaceae produce essential oils that are used on an industrial scale for medicinal, cosmetic, and food purposes. Essential oils from plants that show insecticidal activity can be substituted for synthetic insecticides to reduce environmental pollution or harmful toxicity to humans. Insecticidal activity of essential oil from seeds of coriander, Foeniculum vulgare Miller (Apiales: Apiaceae), on maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), and its effects on seed germination of three major economic crops were investigated. Essential oil from F. vulgare seeds was analyzed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and found to contain 25 components, with anethole (43.78%) as the main constituent. Other basic compounds were estragole (28.33%), fenchone (16.68%), d-limonene (2.62%), alpha-pinene (1.84%), and p-cymene (1.28%). Foeniculum vulgare essential oil was toxic to maize weevil when used as a fumigant with a median lethal concentration at 48 h of 10.42 µL/L air. A concentration of 64 µL/L air was most effective, killing 100% of maize weevil within 24 h. The repellent effect on maize weevil increased to 75% at 24 h at a concentration of 16 µL/L air. Rice (Oryza sativa L.) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L.] Moench) seeds fumigated with 32 µL/L air of F. vulgare essential oil exhibited a slight decrease in germination rate (germination >90%). Our results indicate that essential oil from F. vulgare seeds have potential for application in the management of maize weevil in stored products.