Entomology Commons^™

The Development Of Plasmodium Falciparum In Experimentally Infected Anopheles Gambiae (Diptera: Culicidae) Under Ambient Microhabitat Temperature In Western Kenya, Bernard A. Okech, Louis C. Gouagna, Elizabeth Walczak, Ephantus W. Kabiru, John C. Beier, Guiyun Yan, John I. Githure

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The effect of microhabitat temperature variation on the early development of Plasmodium falciparum in experimentally infected Anopheles gambiae s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) was studied. Batches of mosquitoes were fed artificially on gametocyteamic blood obtained from human volunteers and then held in five environmental conditions described as: (1) incubator maintained at constant temperature of 28 ± 1°C as control; (2) temperature unregulated laboratory environment; (3) screen house; (4) grass thatched mud house and (5) corrugated iron roofed mud house. Both the grass and iron roofed mud houses were real houses found in the village communities around the ICIPE Research Centre in Mbita …

Effect Of Constant Temperatures On Germination, Radial Growth And Virulence Of Metarhizium Anisopliae To Three Species Of African Tephritid Fruit Flies, Susan Dimbi, Nguya K. Maniania, Slawomir A. Lux, Jones M. Mueke

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The effect of temperature on conidial germination, mycelial growth, and susceptibility of adults of three tephritid fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), C. fasciventris (Bezzi) and C. cosyra (Walker) to six isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae were studied in the laboratory. There were significant differences among the isolates in the effect of temperature on both germination and growth. Over 80% of conidia germinated at 20, 25 and 30°C, while between 26 and 67% conidia germinated at 35°C and less than 10% at 15°C within 24 hours. Radial growth was slow at 15°C and 35°C with all of the isolates. The optimum temperature …

Plant Surrogacy: An Evaluation Of Its Use And Application In The Effort To Conserve Ground Dwelling Invertebrates, Kerry Leigh Ironside

Theses : Honours

A study conducted in the Ridges State Forest, Yanchep was designed to investigate the relationship between plant species richness, vegetation association and ground dwelling invertebrate species richness. Four plant communities were sampled at two scales of measurement. Two treatments were located in woodland and two in heath. Within each vegetation association, plant communities that were representative of both high and low species richness were selected. Three invertebrate orders, Araneae, Coleoptera and Araneae were sorted to morphospecies level. Ordinal richness was also investigated. Two-way ANOVAs indicated that there was no relationship between plant species richness, vegetation association· or the interaction between …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 2 - Towards An Assessment Of Natural And Human Use Impacts On The Marine Environment Of The Abrolhos Islands (Phase 1 : Data Consolidation And Scoping - Final Report For Frdc Project 2000/1 66), C. F. Chubb, K. Nardi

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

This project has drawn together existing research data relating to natural and human impacts on the Abrolhos Islands marine habitats. It has surveyed current uses of these habitats and placed anthropogenic impacts within the context of natural perturbations. Through public forum presentation and debate, this work has allowed real issues, not perceptions, to surface and be addressed properly. This was achieved by defining a strategic programme of research through a scientific workshop process involving all community stakeholders. A two volume Fisheries Research Report (WA) summarizes current knowledge and details the workshop proceedings and strategic research plan.

Effect Of Soil Temperature And Moisture On Survival And Infectivity Of Metarhizium Anisopliae To Four Tephritid Fruit Fly Puparia, S. Ekesi, N. K. Maniania, S. A. Lux

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The infectivity of 4 isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae to puparia of Ceratitis capitata treated as late third-instar larvae in unsterilized soil was investigated in the laboratory under controlled temperature and moisture. At 20-30°C, mortality in puparia was highest at water potential of -0.1 and -0.01 mega Pascal (MPa) and lowest at water potential of -0.0055 and -0.0035 MPa in all the isolates. In wetter soil however, isolates ICIPE 20 and 60 caused significantly higher mortality than ICIPE 18 and 69. The survival of conidia in drier soil (-0.1 MPa) was not adversely affected at all temperatures. However, in wet soil …

Functional Response Of Orius Albidipennis (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) To Megalurothrips Sjostedti (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Linus M. Gitonga, W. A. Overholt, B. Löhr, J. K. Magambo, J. M. Mueke

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A locally available anthocorid predator, Orius albidipennis Reuter, was evaluated as a candidate biocontrol agent for Megalurothrips sjostedti Trybom, a major pest of French beans, Phaseolus vulgaris (L), in Kenya. The functional response of adult O. albidipennis to larval and adult M. sjostedti was studied at 15, 25, and 28°C and densities of 5, 10, 20, and 30 larval and adult M. sjostedti per cage, over 24 h. More larvae and adult M. sjostedti were killed at the higher densities and with an increase in temperature. The data provided good fit to both type I and II functional response models. …

The Pollinator Fauna Of Two Spring Wildflowers Of Midwestern Deciduous Forest, Erigenja Bulbosa And Claytonia Virginica, Robert P. Jean

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Eastern deciduous forests have spectacular spring floral display and a diverse array of insect pollinators. From March to May, some 20-25 species of understory herbs flower in west-central Indiana. I focused on the earliest species to bloom, Erigenia bulbosa (Apiaceae), and the most abundant, Claytonia virginica (Portulacaceae), which flowers immediately after Erigenia. l characterized insect visitor assemblages in terms of species richness and relative abundance, and measured visitation rates. For Erigenia (Chapter 1), I asked whether early flowering was necessarily associated with pollinator scarcity. I examined six sites in 2000 and resampled three of these in 2001. Erigenia attracted 10 …

Mosquito Population Dynamics During The Establishment Phase Of A Constructed Desert Wetland, April Newman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Nature Preserve at the Clark County Wetlands Park is a constructed wetland that has the potential to produce new mosquito habitat. This thesis evaluates the potential for the development of a mosquito problem at the newly constructed wetland system by assessing the population dynamics of mosquitoes within the Nature Preserve. Based on data collected from May 2001 through January 2002, I describe fluctuations in mosquito genus and relative abundance during the first summer through winter period of wetland development.

Effect Of Temperature On The Development Of Orius Albidipennis Reuter, A Predator Of The African Legume Flower Thrips, Megalurothrips Sjostedti Trybom, L. M. Gitonga, B. Löhr, W. A. Overholt, J. K. Magambo, J. M. Mueke

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The effects of temperature on the development of Orius albidipennis (Reuter) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), reared on its prey, Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), were studied in the laboratory. Nymphal mortality was 87, 48 and 38% at 20, 25 and 30 °C, respectively. With the exception of first-instar nymphs, percentage mortality was lowest at 25 °C. Pre-oviposition period and longevity decreased with an increase in temperature. Mean daily and total fecundity were 2.1 and 76.4 respectively at 25 °C. The mean developmental period from oviposition to adult eclosion was 27.7, 14.1 and 10.9 days at 20, 25 and 30 °C respectively. There …

Comparative Development And Population Growth Of An Exotic Stemborer, Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe), And An Ecologically Similar Congener, C. Orichalcociliellus (Strand) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Jacob C. Mbapila, William A. Overholt, Hosea Y. Kayumbo

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of temperature and diet on the development of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Chilo orichalcociliellus (Strand) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). Developmental times of C. partellus and C. orichalcociliellus for the egg, larval and egg-adult life stages were inversely related to temperature. The larval developmental period of C. orichalcociliellus reared on artificial diet was longer than the developmental period on natural diet. Chilo partellus had a higher intrinsic rate of natural increase than C. orichalcociliellus at all diet/temperature combinations except natural diet at 31°C. © 2002 ICIPE.

Laboratory Evaluation Of The Entomopathogenic Fungus, Metarhizium Anisopliae For The Control Of The Groundnut Bruchid, Caryedon Serratus On Groundnut, S. Ekesi, E. A. Egwurube, A. D. Akpa, I. Onu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The pathogenicity of five isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae to adult Caryedon serratus was evaluated in the laboratory. All the isolates tested were virulent to the beetle but pathogenicity varied among the isolates. One isolate, CPD 4 was consistently superior to all other isolates in terms of mortality of the beetle, protection of groundnut pods from damage, reduction in progeny production and repellency to the beetle. At 10 days post-treatment, adult mortality treated with 0.1, 0.5 and 1.0 g of dry conidia equivalent to 3.6 × 108, 1.8 × 109 and 3.6 × 109 conidia of isolate CPD 4 per 50 …

Modelling The Trappability Of Tsetse, Glossina Fuscipes Fuscipes, In Relation To Distance From Their Natural Habitats, Adedapo Odulaja, Mohamed M. Mohamed-Ahmed

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The log-logistic probability distribution function was employed to model trappability of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, with respect to distance from the edge of two types of habitat. The parameters of the model were obtained using the nonlinear maximum likelihood approach. Asymptotic standard errors of the maximum likelihood estimates were computed for the parameters, and the X2 goodness-of-fit test used to assess the predicted trap catches. Simulation technique was used to estimate the radius of attraction of the unbaited biconical trap for the fly, taking the efficiency of the trap into consideration. The log-logistic model fitted well to a series of observed …

Effects Of Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) On Hatching Turtles And Prevalence Of Fire Ants On Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches In Florida, Craig R. Allen, Elizabeth A. Forys, Kenneth G. Rice, Daniel P. Wojcik

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) have increasingly been observed in loggerhead (Caretta caretta L.) and green (Chelonia mydas L.) sea turtle nests in Florida, and in the nests of freshwater turtles. They may be attracted to the disturbance, mucous and moisture associated with turtle nesting and establish foraging tunnels into turtle nests shortly after egg-laying, thus increasing the vulnerability of hatchlings to fire ant predation. We conducted experiments on a freshwater turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni Carr) to determine the potential impacts of S. invicta on turtle hatchlings. Over 70% of hatchlings were killed by …

Habitat Management Strategies For The Control Of Cereal Stemborers And Striga In Maize In Kenya, Z. R. Khan, J. A. Pickett, L. Wadhams, F. Muyekho

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Maize is the principal food and cash crop for millions of people in the predominantly mixed crop-livestock farming systems in Kenya. Stemborers and striga (Striga hermonthica) are major constraints to increased maize production in eastern Africa. An intercropping and trap crop system has been developed, using a ‘push-pull’ strategy, for the control of stemborers in small scale maize farming systems. The ‘push-pull’ strategy involves trapping stemborers on highly susceptible trap plants (pull) and driving them away from the crop using repellent intercrops (push). Napier grass (Pennisetum piirpiirenm Schumach) and Sudan grass (Sorghum vulgare sudanense Stapf J are used as trap …

Impact Of Solar Radiation Rainfall And Cannibalism On Disappearance Of Maize Stemborers In Kenya, M. J. Bonhof, W. A. Overholt

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The effect of solar radiation, rainfall and cannibalism on the disappearance of eggs and larvae of the cereal stemborer Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) were studied. Disappearance and nonviability of egg batches was higher on plants exposed to solar radiation than on shaded plants. Significantly fewer small larvae were recovered from plants exposed to rainfall than from shielded plants. Cannibalism among larvae of the same size was not common except at high larval densities. Contrary to the common belief that disappearance is the result of prédation, these studies show that solar radiation and rainfall might also play an important role in the …

Nf422 Sunflower Head Moth Management, Ronald C. Seymour, Gary L. Hein, Ray E. Weed

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Sunflower head moth identification and biology, management, and chemical control. Sunflower head moth, Homoeosoma electellum (Hulst), can cause substantial economic loss to commercial sunflowers in Nebraska and the surrounding region. Populations of sunflower head moth vary tremendously from year to year. Consequently, pest monitoring is important each growing season to determine when moths first appear and the extent of the infestation. Field scouting in confection sunflower fields is critical because of their higher value and the importance of maintaining quality. Topics include sunflower head moth identification and biology, management, and chemical control.

Cattle And Amblyomma Variegatum Odors Used In Host Habitat And Host Finding By The Tick Parasitoid, Ixodiphagus Hookeri, Fanuel A. Demas, Ahmed Hassanali, Esther N. Mwangi, Edna C. Kunjeku, Audrey R. Mabveni

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The response of mated naive Ixodiphagus hookeri females to cattle and Amblyomma variegatum nymphal odors was tested in a Y-tube olfactometer. I. hookeri females were attracted to cattle urine, dung, and odors from tick- free feeding sites of A. variegatum nymphs on cattle, e.g., dewlaps, front heels, and hind heels. Tick-free scrotal odors did not attract the parasitoids. Furthermore, odors from off-host unfed and fed A. variegatum nymphs did not attract the parasitoids, despite an increase in the number of the nymphs to amplify any odor signal. A blend of odors from feeding on-host nymphs and cattle scrota attracted the …

Susceptibility Of The Legume Flower Thrips To Metarhizium Anisopliae On Different Varieties Of Cowpea, S. Ekesi, N. K. Maniania, W. Lwande

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The susceptibility of Megalurothrips sjostedti to Metarhizium anisopliae when reared on susceptible, tolerant, and moderately resistant varieties of cowpea at different constant temperatures was evaluated in the laboratory. Insects were exposed either to direct spray of the conidia or to fungus-treated floral tissues. Mortality was significantly higher on the moderately resistant variety at all temperatures compared to the susceptible and tolerant varieties. Correspondingly, lethal time and lethal concentration values were significantly shorter and lower, respectively, on the moderately resistant variety compared to the other varieties, thus indicating that the two control methods are compatible as part of an integrated pest …

Spatial Distribution And Habitat Characterization Of Anopheline Mosquito Larvae In Western Kenya, Noboru Minakawa, Clifford M. Mutero, John I. Githure, John C. Beier, Guiyun Yan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Studies were conducted to characterize larval habitats of anopheline mosquitoes and to analyze spatial heterogeneity of mosquito species in the Suba District of western Kenya. A total of 128 aquatic habitats containing mosquito larvae were sampled, and 2,209 anopheline and 10,538 culicine larvae were collected. The habitats were characterized based on size, pH, distance to the nearest house and to the shore of Lake Victoria, coverage of canopy, surface debris, algae and emergent plants, turbidity, substrate, and habitat types. Microscopic identification of third and fourth-instar anopheline larvae did not yield any Anopheles funestus or other anophelines. A total of 829 …

Evaluation Of Mortality Factors And Risk Analysis For The Design Of An Integrated Pest Management System, Olivier Roux, Johann Baumgärtner

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A probabilistic approach of survival analysis based on the theory of competing risks was applied to the potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella (Zeller) affecting tubers in Tunisian rustic stores. Exponential curve of death, i.e. constant force of mortality functions were used in a case study on a cohort time basis. The additive property of crude cause-specific forces of mortality is used to combine mortality factors, which permits to judge different control strategies. In an integrated pest management perspective, the effect of basic mortalities, i.e innate and dispersal related mortalities is recombined with native natural enemies. Thereafter, we calculate the force …

Seasonal Patterns Of Nitrogen Fixation In Termites, A. D. Curtis, D. A. Waller

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Summary

1. Termite nitrogenase activity was highest in autumn and spring (≈ 3 µg N₂ fixed termite fresh mass (g)^–1 day^–1) and lowest in winter and summer (≈ 0·8 µg N₂ fixed termite fresh mass (g)^–1 day^–1).

2. The nitrogenase activity of worker termites was significantly higher than all other castes (1·58 ± 0·27 µg N₂ fixed termite fresh mass (g)^–1 day^–1).

3. Worker termites constituted the largest proportion of all the castes throughout the study period (≈ 90%).

4. The localized input of fixed nitrogen by termites …

The Soil Acarine Fauna Of Selected Agroecosystems Within The York Shire, Derek Juan Swarts

Theses : Honours

The practice of broadacre, dryland farming is known to affect the physico-chemical structure of the soil but our knowledge or its impact on the biological structure is rudimentary. The soil acarine (mite) communities which inhabit these soils display a variety of responses to this agricultural practice. With the increasing focus on developing ecologically sustainable agricultural techniques, an understanding of the soil acari becomes increasingly important. This study investigated the impact of two agricultural practices (designated here us Conventional and Non-Conventional) upon the abundance and diversity of the soil acari. Conventional agricultural practice involved broad scale chemical application to weeds and …

Utilisation Of Wild Gramineous Plants For Management Of Cereal Stemborers In Africa, Z. R. Khan, P. Chiliswa, K. Ampong-Nyarko, L. E. Smart, A. Polaszek, J. Wandera, M. A. Mulaa

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Field trials in Kenya demonstrated that the forage grass, Sorghum vulgäre sudanense (Sudan grass) attracted greater oviposition by stemborers than cultivated maize, resulting in significant increase in maize yield. On the other hand, the non-host forage plant, Melinis minutiflora (molasses grass), when inter-cropped with maize, repelled gravid stemborer females from ovipositing on maize, resulting in significant reduction in stemborer infestation. Using these trap- and repellent gramineous plants, a novel pest management approach based on a 'push-pull' or stimulo-deterrent diversionary strategy is being developed where stemborers are repelled from the food crop and are simultaneously attracted to a discard or trap …

Volatile Infochemicals Used In Host And Host Habitat Location By Cotesia Flavipes Cameron And Cotesia Sesamiae (Cameron) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Larval Parasitoids Of Stemborers On Graminae, Adele J. Ngi-Song, William A. Overholt, Peter G.N. Njagi, Marcel Dicke, Jonathan N. Ayertey, Wilbert Lwande

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Female Cotesia flavipes Cameron and Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) were attracted to odors in a Y-tube olfactometer from uninfested maize (Zea mays L.), sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.)]. and napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach). In dual choice tests. Cotesia flavipes showed a preference for maize over sorghum, while maize and napier grass were equally attractive. In contrast, Cotesia sesamiae preferred volatiles from sorghum and napier grass over those from maize. The two parasitoids were significantly more attracted to maize infested with the stemborers, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe), Chilo orichalcociliellus Strand, Sesamia calamistis Hampson, and Busseola fusca (Fuller), than uninfested maize. In dual choice …

Nebraska Butterflies, Stephen M. Spomer

University of Nebraska State Museum: Staff and Affiliates, Publications

Nebraska is a crossroads of butterfly diversity. Many species reach their distributional limits in Nebraska. The 100th meridian, which runs through central Nebraska, appears to be a good distributional limit for many species. In short, eastern Nebraska contains butterflies similar or identical to those found in most of the eastern United States, central Nebraska has both eastern and western butterflies, and western Nebraska has a butterfly fauna more like the Rocky Mountains or Black Hills. Over 200 species of butterflies have been recorded in Nebraska, which is a higher number than most of our neighboring states. Some of our butterflies …

Integrated Control Of Soil Insect Pests Of Potatoes, Stewart Learmonth, John Matthiesson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

One of the more difficult aspects of growing potatoes in Western Australia is controlling soil insect pests. These pests have become more troublesome because the highly effective and persistent organochlorine insecticides previously used to control the main soil pests, African black beetle and whitefringed weevil, were deregistered for agricultural use in 1987. Entomologists from the Department of Agriculture and CSIRO in Western Australia are collaborating to develop new management strategies for these pests that rely less on the use of chemical insecticides

Spruce Budworm In Maine: The End Of The Outbreak: Biological Conditions In 1986, 1987, And 1988, And A Look At The Future, Henry Trial Jr.

Maine Collection

Spruce Budworm in Maine: The End of the Outbreak: Biological Conditions in 1986, 1987, and 1988, and a Look at the Future

by Henry Trial, Jr., Insect and Disease Management Division

Technical Report No. 28

Maine Forest Service, Dept. of Conservation, Augusta, Maine, October 1989.

Contents: Introduction / Biological Conditions in 1986, 1987, and 1988 / Control Activities / Forest Conditions-1986 to 1988 and a Look at the Future / Spray Operations and Forecast of Conditions in Quebec and New Brunswick, 1986-1988 / The Future of Budworm in the Region and in Maine / List of Figures / List of …

Quarantine Disinfestation A Bibliography With Relevance To Ornamental Plant Material, Kevin Seaton, Daryl Joyce

Biosecurity published reports

This bibliography has been compiled as part of a programme to develop new and improved techniques for the insect disinfestation of export cut-flowers and cut-foliage. The objective of the programme is to identify the most effective disinfestation treatments. Suitable treatments should kill insects in the flowers without directly injuring the flowers or reducing their postharvest life.

The bibliography presents references relating to the disinfestation of ornamental material (i.e. cut-flowers, cut-foliage, and potted plants). However, it also includes references on disinfestation of fruit, vegetables, and stored grain where this information has some relevance to the disinfestation of ornamental materials. The bibliography …

Broadacre Pest Control After Ddt, P J. Michael

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

DDT may no longer be applied to broadacre crops grown in Western Australia. It is being replaced by other more effective chemicals and with new methods of pest control. DDT was the most effective chemical for the control of several major broadacre pests in this State and farmers may well wonder why this change was necessary and how they will manage without DDT.

Biological Control Of Parkinsonia, W M. Woods

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

One of the most troublesome weeds in northern Australia'a lastoral country is Parkinsonia aculeata, commonly called Parkinsonia, Jerusalem Thorn, Palo Verde or Retama. In 983 Western Australia, ueensland and the Northern Territory started a joint biological control programme against this perst by sending the author overseas to search for its natural predators in southern USA, Mexico and Central America. A few insects show promise and one, a bruchid beetle Mimosetes ulkei, is being tested under Quarantine in Queensland.