Entomology Commons^™

Regional Assemblages Of Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) In Montana Canola Fields, Sue Blodgett, R. A. Ritter, A. W. Lenssen, M. L. Taper

Sue Blodgett

Sweep net sampling of canola (Brassica napus L.) was conducted in 2002 and 2003 to determine Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) species composition and parasitism levels in four regions of Montana. Regardless of region or seasonal change, Lygus elisus (Van Duzee) was the dominant species in all canola fields sampled, averaging 60–99% of the total adult populations. Lygus borealis (Kelton), Lygus keltoni (Schwartz) and Lygus lineolaris (Palisot) were detected at much lower levels. Total lygus population density was greatest in the southwest and central regions. The northeast and southwest regions had the greatest lygus species diversity. The proportion of L. elisus increased …

Cat-Facing Insects, Diane Alston, Michael Reding, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

There are a number of insects with the piercing-sucking feeding habit that can cause deformity and catfacing type injury to pome and stone fruits, including lygus bug, stink bug, and boxelder bug. Cat-facing injury is caused by puncture feeding in flower buds and fruit. The result is unsightly dimpling, deformity, and scarring of fruit. The name “cat facing” comes from the distorted fruit shape that resembles the puckered cheeks of a cat. In addition to the insects discussed in this section, some aphids and the campylomma bug can inflict similar injury.

Insect-Damaged Corn Stalks Decompose At Rates Similar To Bt-Protected, Non-Damaged Corn Stalks, R. Michael Lehman, Shannon L. Osborne, Deirdre A. Prischmann-Voldseth, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

The relative decomposability of corn (Zea mays L.) residues from insect (Bt)-protected hybrids and conventional hybrids cultivated under insect pressure was investigated in two studies. Above-ground biomass, residue macromolecular composition, and stalk physical strength were also measured. In the first decomposition study, chopped residues (stalks and leaves) were used from a corn rootworm-protected (Cry3Bb1) hybrid and its non-Bt near isoline that were grown in replicated plots infested with corn rootworms (Diabrotica spp.). In the second study, residue (intact stalk sections) was used from three European corn borer (ECB, Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner)-resistant (Cry1Ab) hybrids representing different seed manufacturer/maturity date series, their …

Molecular Evidence For A Functional Ecdysone Signaling System In Brugia Malayi, George Tzertzinis, Ana L. Egaña, Subba Reddy Palli, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Chris R. Gissendanner, Canhui Liu, Thomas R. Unnasch, Claude V. Maina

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Filarial nematodes, including Brugia malayi, the causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, undergo molting in both arthropod and mammalian hosts to complete their life cycles. An understanding of how these parasites cross developmental checkpoints may reveal potential targets for intervention. Pharmacological evidence suggests that ecdysteroids play a role in parasitic nematode molting and fertility although their specific function remains unknown. In insects, ecdysone triggers molting through the activation of the ecdysone receptor: a heterodimer of EcR (ecdysone receptor) and USP (Ultraspiracle).

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We report the cloning and characterization of a B. malayi EcR homologue (Bma-EcR). Bma-EcR dimerizes with …

Efficacies Of Habitat Management Techniques In Managing Maize Stem Borers In Ethiopia, Difabachew K. Belay, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Habitat management techniques to control maize stem borers were tested in eastern (Melkassa and Mieso) and western (Sibu-Sire) Ethiopia. These techniques consisted of using mixed cropping of maize with haricot beans at different maize:bean ratios and a ‘‘push–pull’’ (PP) strategy utilizing Napier grass as a trap plant around maize plots as the ‘‘pull’’ and Desmodium in between maize rows as a deterrent or ‘‘push’’. In Melkassa, pest infestations were too low for the cropping system to significantly affect pests, plant damage and yields while in Mieso, where the pest densities were high, intercropping of maize with beans at ratios of …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Pollen Interception By Linyphiid Spiders In A Corn Agroecosystem: Implications For Dietary Diversification And Risk-Assessment, Julie A. Peterson, Susan Romero, James D. Harwood

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Dietary diversification, including consumption of plant tissues such as pollen, can enhance the fecundity of generalist predators, resulting in improved control of pest prey. Supplemental pollen feeding has been observed in many natural enemies, including sheet-web spiders (Araneae: Linyphiidae), which represent a major component of food webs in agroecosystems. Their horizontal, ground-based webs have the potential to intercept pollen grains during anthesis of crop plants, providing the opportunity for consumption of pollen to occur. In laboratory feeding trials, Frontinella communis and Tennesseellum formicum (Araneae: Linyphiidae) readily fed on pollen grains dusted on their webs, with 82 and 92% of spiders …

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Michael Vayda

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 11 2010, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Differential Consumption Of Four Aphid Species By Four Lady Beetle Species, Christy Finlayson, Andrei Alyokhin, Serena Gross, Erin Porter

Andrei Alyokhin

The acceptability of four different aphid species Macrosiphum albifrons (Essig), Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas), Macrosiphum pseudorosae Patch, and Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), as prey for four lady beetle species, one native species Coccinella trifasciata L, and three non-native Coccinella septempunctata L, Harmonia axyridis Pallas, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata L (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were tested in the laboratory. The relative field abundance of adults of the same lady beetle species on host vegetation, Lupinus polyphyllus Lindley (Fabales: Fabaceae), Solanum tuberosum L (Solanales: Solanaceae), and Rosa multiflora Thunberg (Rosales: Rosaceae), both with and without aphids present was also observed. In the laboratory, H. axyridis generally …