Coccinellids are common predators of aphids, including Aphis nerii, Diuraphis noxia and Lipaphis erysimi. The zigzag ladybird beetle, Menochilus sexmaculatus, is an effective predator against various aphid species. In the present study, different stages of M. sexmaculatus were evaluated for their functional response against A. nerii, D. noxia, and L. erysimi. Functional response at different densities of aphids was calculated over a period of 24h at 25 ± 5 °C and 65 ± 5% RH. Roger's Random Predator equation was used to calculate the parameters of a functional response. All the predatory stages showed Type II functional response. Attack rate was highest in the fourth instar for all aphid species (4.5171, 2.5894 and 2.8853, respectively), while the shortest handling time of the fourth instar was recorded for A. nerii (0.0175h) and L. erysimi (0.0159h). In the case of D. noxia, the shortest handling time was observed in the first instar (0.0175h). The fourth instar of M. sexmaculatus consumed more prey, followed by the third instar. These results indicate that the fourth instar of M. sexmaculatus was the most effective stage against its prey, followed by the third instar, adult females and males. Further field experiments must be carried out to corroborate the efficacy of these predatory beetles under natural conditions.

Gut bacterium Enterococcus mundtii is one of the predominant bacterial species in the larval gut of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. Probiotic characterization in auto-aggregation and hydrophobicity, carbon use ability, and pH and osmotic environment adaptability of this bacterium were analyzed. Results exhibited that E. mundtii showed inhibition against Micrococcus luteus, Bacillus thuringiensis and Escherichia coli. It revealed a high auto-aggregation score and a hydrophilic cell surface. It metabolized 24.21% of the tested carbon sources with informative utilization patterns in organic acids and carbohydrates. It had a wide range of adaptabilities, and could still metabolize in osmolytes with up to 6% potassium chloride, 6% sodium chloride, 20% ethylene glycol, 5% sodium sulfate, 2% sodium lactate, 7% urea, 200 mM sodium phosphate (pH 7.0), 20 mM sodium benzoate (pH 5.2), 100 mM ammonium sulfate (pH 8.0), and 100 mM sodium nitrate; while it could not metabolize sodium lactate ranging from 3% to 12%, sodium formate ranging from 1% to 6%, or sodium nitrite ranging from 10 to 100 mM. Enterococcus mundtii exhibited active metabolism under pH values between 5 and 10, active deaminase activity but no decarboxylase activity. The probiotic characterization of E. mundtii increased our knowledge of adaptability in gut environments.

Bees serve an important role as pollinators and are a fundamental part of an ecosystem's biodiversity. However, the current conservation status of many bee species is largely unknown. We surveyed the wild bee species in and around Thunder Bay, a city in northwestern Ontario, Canada. The wild bee species in this region have not been fully documented but are necessary to fill gaps in many bee species ranges. We surveyed three representative flower-rich habitats of the area (an agricultural field, a tree plantation, and a wildflower meadow) throughout the summer of 2019 and collected 64 wild bee species from 17 genera and 5 families. Many species were newly documented to northwestern Ontario and one, Nomada alpha, was a newly documented species to Canada. Floral associations by all bees collected were made along with a phenology of each species found throughout the survey. The data collected allow for a better understanding of the local species that inhabit this area of Canada and provide information that would better target local conservation efforts for wild bees in the future.

Scorpion venom is being used for many biomedical applications. In the present study, venom components of Hottentota tamulus (Fabricius, 1798) and Androctonus finitimus (Pocock, 1897) were characterized. Venom was extracted using the electrical stimulation method and subjected to High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for characterization of its components from which dominant fractions were collected and dried in a concentrator. Crude venom and selected fractions were further analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) to obtain mass fingerprint data. Over 100 components ranging from 3,000 – 8,000 m/z in molecular masses were detected in the venom of both scorpion species. Some of them were analogous to a short chain and long chain toxins, which act on potassium and sodium ion channels, respectively. The venom components may be used for the development of novel drugs, e.g. drugs for neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, analgesics and cancer.

Amblyomma americanum (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is Missouri's most common tick species and a carrier of bacterial pathogens. The objectives of this study were to analyze tick abundance and seasonality in two locations in central Missouri, to compare the effectiveness of dragging and dry ice trap sampling methods for collecting A. americanum in the field, and to analyze tick developmental stage collection pattern. We collected ticks from Knob Noster State Park, in Johnson County, Missouri and Mark Twain National Forest, in Boone County, Missouri. On eight dates from May to November, we collected ticks simultaneously at both locations, using dry ice traps and drag sampling. Of the 7,475 collected ticks, 99.7% were A. americanum. We found the most larvae in August and September, the most nymphs in June and July, and the most adults in June. Drag sampling collected more nymphs at Columbia than Knob Noster on one sampling date in the late summer. Abundance did not differ between locations at any other time point, regardless of developmental stage or sampling method. Compared to the drag method, significantly more nymphs and adults were identified using the dry ice trap sampling method. Additionally, we found that nymphs and adults were more likely to be found in the same areas of the sampling locations, but neither larvae and adults nor nymphs and larvae followed this relationship. Our findings demonstrate a strong seasonality of A. americanum in Missouri and support dry ice trapping as an effective sampling method for collecting all of its life stages.

Laboratory reared predaceous lady beetles (Coccinellidae) have applications in many experiments, but can be challenging to rear optimally, especially since production of aphid prey can be time and space intensive. Alternatively, frozen Ephestia kuehniella Zeller (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) eggs can be purchased and used to rear larvae. This study compared larval development, survival and adult size of six species of coccinellids on diets of Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and E. kuehniella eggs. Larvae reared from field-collected adults were assigned to either A. pisum or E. kuehniella egg diets and fed ad libitum until pupation. Both diets were sufficient for development and did not impact survival for the six species. Coccinella Septempunctata L. developed faster and produced larger adults when fed A. pisum. Harmonia axyridis Pallas, Hippodamia Convergens Guerin and Coleomegilla maculata De Geer performed slightly better on E. kuehniella eggs. Based on these results, E. kuehniella eggs would be a suitable larval diet for all of the species tested, except for Coc. septempunctata.

Adult flies of Conioscinella nuda (Adams) were collected from four native grass species, big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash], sand bluestem (Andropogon hallii Hack), and Indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash] to determine the insect's preference among these species. The mean number of insects collected varied from 9.7 to 27.0 adults per 15 plants, and the order of preference of C. nuda was big bluestem, little bluestem, sand bluestem, and Indiangrass. Differences did occur among plant species for C. nuda preference (P < 0.05) where big and little bluestem were different from sand bluestem and Indiangrass (P < 0.05). The observed differences between the species may be related to spikelet pubescent hairs. The spikelets of big bluestem and little bluestem are mostly glabrous compared to those of sand bluestem and Indiangrass which are covered with conspicuous hairs. Host plant resistance may offer the best approach for controlling C. nuda.