Entomology Commons^™

Assessment Of Population Size, Survival, And Movement Behavior Of The Rare Frosted Elfin Butterfly, Breelyn Gilbert

Biology Student Scholarship

The frosted elfin butterfly (Callophrys irus) is a locally rare Lycaenaid with spotty distribution throughout the eastern United States. As host plant specialists, frosted elfins only lay eggs on two plant species. Yellow wild indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), one of the host plants for this species, is found in abundance at Gavins Pond (Foxboro MA). Since 2000, Massachusetts Butterfly Club members have been informally monitoring the frosted elfin population at this site; however, no systematic population surveys have been done. Using their data, I estimated annual population size from 2000 to 2022. In 2022, I also performed …

The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Ant-Mediated Seed Dispersal In Missouri, Eva M. Colberg

Dissertations

Many aspects of animal-mediated seed dispersal are vulnerable to disturbance, including partner identity and dispersal quantity and quality. This dissertation explores ant-mediated seed dispersal of the herb Sanguinaria canadensis in Missouri Ozark oak forests, where prescribed fire is a common land management tool. In Chapter 1, I test the definition of a keystone seed disperser using absolute and relative contributions of different ant species to the quantity and distance of seed dispersal, based on field observations of S. canadensis seed dispersal. I demonstrate that the ant Aphaenogaster rudis is better described as a numerically dominant rather than keystone seed disperser, …

Entomological Assessment Of Tsetse-Borne Trypanosome Risk In The Shimba Hills Human-Wildlife-Livestock Interface, Kenya, Faith I. Ebhodaghe, Armanda D.S. Bastos, Michael N. Okal, Daniel K. Masiga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Shimba Hills is a wildlife area in Kenya and a major focus of tsetse-borne trypanosomes in East Africa. In Shimba Hills, tsetse-borne trypanosomes constrain animal health and smallholder livelihoods. However, epidemiological data to guide hotspot-targeted control of infections are limited. This study assessed the dynamics of tsetse-borne trypanosome risk in Shimba Hills with the objective to describe infection hotspots for targeted control. Tsetse flies (n = 696) collected in field surveys between November 2018 and September 2019 in Shimba Hills were characterized for chronological age and phenotypic sizes and screened for trypanosome and cattle DNA. Entomological inoculation rates for trypanosome …

Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Systems To Sample Insects In Soybean, Marvin Merkl

Theses and Dissertations

To overcome some limitations of manual insect sampling in soybeans, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sampling platform was developed that could collect insects in a sweep net attached to the bottom of a UAV. Before this UAV sampling platform can be used to make management decisions, correlations with manual sweep net and/or drop cloth sampling methods are needed. This will allow action thresholds for the various pests to be calculated for the UAV sampling platform. To make the correlations, 87 soybean fields were sampled during 2020 and 2021 with each of 4 sampling methods, a UAV travelling 50-m, the same …

Effectiveness Of Food-Grade Coating Treated Nets After Various Drying Methods At Controlling Mite Growth On Dry-Cured Hams, Sadie White

Theses and Dissertations

Tyrophagus putrescentiae, known as the ham mite, is the most difficult pest to control in the dry-cured ham industry. Food-grade propylene glycol coated nets have been studied as an alternative to conventional mite infestation treatments but were heavy and costly to ship. This study aimed to increase the ease of use of the coated nets via drying. Three drying treatments: oven dried for 7 min (OD7m), oven dried for 20 min (OD20m), and counter dried for 24 h (CD24h), were tested to determine the efficacy at controlling mites as well as the mechanical properties of the nets and sensory characteristics …

Effects Of Mass Death On Community Structure And Ecosystem Function, Abby Kimpton Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Death and decomposition are natural processes that are generally well-understood. However, large events of death, such as mass mortality events (MMEs) are increasing in frequency and their impacts on the ecosystem are largely unknown. These events may have both bottom-up effects from increased nutrient input as well as top-down effects from loss of an ecological functional group by the affected population. Different functional MMEs may result in different top-down effects, creating cascading effects. In Chapter 1, I test the hypothesis that scavenger and herbivore simulated MMEs generate novel bottom-up and top-down effects. Results indicate that MMEs have a significant effect …

Nebline, August/September 2022

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Nutrition Security: A New National Focus by Emily Gratopp

Recipe of the Month: Starwberry Smoothie and Freezer Pop by Emily Gratopp

Harvesting & Drying Herbs by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Water Play Fun by Hayley Jackson

Controlling Poison Hemlock by Melissa Bartels

Summer Brings Singing Cicadas by Kait Chapman

4-H Announcements for Enrolled 4-H'ers or 4-H Volunteers

Lancaster County Super Fair, July 28-Aug. 6, 2022

4-H Will Livestream from the Fair! YouTube

Join 4-H!

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Sonja Moore and Lancaster County Engineering Department

4-H Teen Council Invites New Members

4-H Council Golf …

Description, Diversity, And Phylogeography Of The North American Spider Beetle (Coleoptera: Ptinidae) Genus Coleotestudo, Robert Chambliss

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A new genus, Coleotestudo, is proposed for the American species currently placed in the genus Niptus LeConte and are transferred herein. Two new species from Mexico are also described as C. potosi n. sp. and C. nahua n. sp. Distinguishing morphological characteristics for the North American Coleotestudo species are given. The combined set of morphological evidence, DNA sequence data, and a Western New World distribution strongly support the hypothesis that Coleotestudo does not share a recent common ancestor with N. hololeucus and both represent unrelated clades of spider beetles.

During the summer of 2021, Coleotestudo was collected mainly from …

The Effect Of Plant Elicitor Peptide On Nematode Infected Soybean, Siyang Liu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybean (Glycine max), an important economic crop native to East Asia, is grown worldwide for its edible beans. Soybean plants are vulnerable to a wide range of diseases, and nematodes are among the worst pests of soybean. The southern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita) and soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) are both notable nematode pests of soybean, with the soybean cyst nematode causing more than 30% of total yield loss in the US. Numerous attempts have been made to control soybean nematodes over the past several decades, and genetic engineering technology has received a lot of attention in recent years. Plant …

Mitochondrial Dna Diversity, Parasite And Pathogen Occurrence, And A Potential Disease Vector In Managed And Unmanaged Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera L. Populations, Dylan Cleary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The western honey bee, Apis mellifera L., is a globally important pollinator plagued by several harmful stressors impacting colony health and survival. At least eight A. mellifera subspecies were imported and continue to be the genetic ancestors of U.S. honey bee populations today. Successive genetic bottle-neck events have led to reduced genetic diversity in U.S. honey bees. First, the subset of subspecies imported into the U.S. represents only a third of A. mellifera subspecies. Next, the parasitic varroa mite reduced managed and feral populations. Third, ongoing breeding practices have selected for traits from a single genetic lineage and bred from …

An Evaluation Of Landscape, Climate, And Management Impacts On Bumble Bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus) In Agroecosystems, Morgan Elizabeth Christman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bumble bees play pivotal roles in pollinating wild and cultivated plant communities. Unfortunately, bumble bee populations are declining due to disturbances such as landscape conversion and climate change. Additionally, traps used to monitor pest insect populations often capture bumble bees, leading to a concern that trap captures increase bumble bee mortality. First, I studied bumble bee communities based on land cover and weather variables in agricultural fields in Utah. Bumble bee communities were more diverse in agricultural fields with more agricultural land in the surrounding area, low temperatures, and high humidity during the growing season, and less diverse in fields …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 12 - August 2022, Alan Lord, Ciara Beard, Cindy L. Webster

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 12 - August 2022 contents:

• Native budworm activity update
• Sclerotinia update
• Oat disease webinar recording can now be viewed online
• Explainer video for new PestFacts WA Reporter app

Pestfacts Wa Issue 14 - August 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Alan Lord, Lizzy Lowe, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 14 - August 2022 contents:

• Russian wheat aphid activity update
• Native budworm moth numbers are increasing
• Beneficials insecticide toxicity table
• Late season wheat powdery mildew management

Pestfacts Wa Issue 13 - August 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Dusty Severtson, Alan Lord, Andrea Hills

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 13 - August 2022 contents:

• Identifying caterpillars in cereal crops
• Diamondback moth update
• Native budworm
• Wheat powdery mildew fungicide resistance testing

Examination Of The Realized Host Range Of North American Lacebug (Gargaphia Arizonica Drake & Carvalho) And Texas False Potato Beetle (Leptinotarsa Texana Schaeffer) As A Potential Biocontrol Agents For Silverleaf Nightshade (Solanum Elaeagnifoli Cav.), Samikshya Subedi

Theses and Dissertations

Silverleaf nightshade (Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.) is a perennial forb native to South Texas and Central and South America, but it has become a serious agricultural weed across the world. Because silverleaf nightshade (SLN) is difficult and expensive to manage using chemical and mechanical controls, there is growing attention and research focused on biological control options. In this project, we used both field and laboratory studies to examine the suitability of two North American insects, namely North American lacebug (Gargaphia arizonica Drake & Carvalho) and Texas false potato beetle (Leptinotarsa texana Schaeffer) as prospective biological control agents for …

Improved Molecular Detection Tools For The Invasive Crop Pest Helicoverpa Armigera (Hübner), Mitchell D. Rich

All Theses

Helicoverpa armigera is a major crop pest native to Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa. H. armigera has recently invaded South America and has caused billions of dollars in agricultural losses. It is difficult to differentiate H. armigera from H. zea, a closely-related species native to North and South America. A few genetic tests have been previously developed to detect H. armigera DNA in pooled samples of moth legs. In this study, an improved qPCR melt curve assay with higher detection sensitivity and a field-based recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) assay were developed for specific detection of H. armigera DNA …

Larval Exposure To Parasitic Varroa Destructor Mites Triggers Specific Immune Responses In Different Honey Bee Castes And Species, Yu Fang, Abebe Jenberie Wubie, Mao Feng, Chuan Ma, Boris Baer, Jianke Li

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Innate immune systems are key defenses of animals and particularly important in species that lack the sophisticated adaptive immune systems as found in vertebrates. Here, we were interested to quantify variation in innate immune responses of insects in hosts that differ in their parasite susceptibility. To do this, we studied immune responses in honey bees, which can host a remarkable number of different parasites, which are major contributors of declining bee health and colony losses. The most significant parasite of honey bees is the mite Varroa destructor, which has infested the majority of global honey bee populations, and its control …

Integrated Management Of Spodoptera Frugiperda 6 Years Post Detection In Africa: A Review, Ghislain T. Tepa-Yotto, Peter Chinwada, Ivan Rwomushana, Georg Goergen, Sevgan Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The introduction of fall armyworm (FAW) Spodoptera frugiperda (JE Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on the African continent has led to paradigm shifts in pest control in maize systems, occasioned by year-round populations. The discovery of resident parasitoid species adapting to the new pest significantly informed decision-making toward avoiding highly hazardous synthetic insecticides to control the pest. A number of biopesticides have shown promise against the fall armyworm, providing a new arsenal for the sustainable management of this invasive pest. However, a few knowledge gaps remain for a fully integrated and sustainable FAW-management approach, particularly on host-resistance potential.

Dynamics In Nutrients, Sterols And Total Flavonoid Content During Processing Of The Edible Long-Horned Grasshopper (Ruspolia Differens Serville) For Food, Brian O. Ochieng, Joseph O. Anyango, John M. Nduko, Xavier Cheseto, Cynthia M. Mudalungu, Fathiya M. Khamis, Changeh J. Ghemoh, Peter J. Egonyu, Sevgan Subramanian, Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Geoffrey Ssepuuya, Chrysantus M. Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Long-horned grasshopper (Ruspolia differens Serville) is a tasty delicacy in over 20 African countries. This study evaluated the impact of diverse post-harvest thermal treatment (blanching, boiling, toasting, and deep-frying) on the nutrients, total flavonoid content and sterols preservation of R. differens products. Crude protein, ash, and fibre of R. differens was drastically reduced by deep-frying technique. There was increase in Omega-3 (α-linolenic acid), Omega-6 fatty acid (linoleic and arachidonic acids) and sterols [(22Z)-27-Norergosta-5,22-dien-3β-ol, cholesterol, campesterol, cholest-4-ene-3-one and β-sitosterol] and flavonoids (2–3 folds) during blanching compared to other techniques. The iron and zinc content increased significantly in blanched and boiled products …

Evaluation Of Methods To Extract Genetic Material From Wild Bees, Brody Jack, Mila Haynes, Ai Wen Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Genetic studies on bees are essential to the understanding of the genetic and species diversity of bees, as well as general prairie health. Diversification of species and genetics are in decline, this means a decline in overall prairie health is inevitable. The University of Northern Iowa has ongoing studies looking into the health of prairies as well as the bee population, with a need for an understanding of how to properly store and extract genetic material from wild bees. We examined the concentration of DNA and fragment size shown in a gel from the bees that were killed using two …

Assessing Methods For Enhancing Monarch Habitat In Re-Enrolling Crp Sites, Eva Van De Mortel, Tristan Murphy, Laura L. Jackson Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Over the last 30 years, monarch butterflies and their habitats have been in dramatic decline. Land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is one of the greatest resources available to increase monarch population as it has the largest amount of space available for monarch habitat. However, some fields have lost the nectar plants and milkweeds necessary for monarch habitat. This study, asked how to best suppress vegetation in re-enrolling CRP land so that overseeded forbs have a better chance of survival? Vegetation surveys from 6 different sites in northeastern Iowa and results from 2021 to 2022 were compared. We …

Using Environmental Dna (Edna) To Assess Pollinator Communities In Cedar Valley, Mila Haynes, Brody Jack, Ai Wen Ph.D.

Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) Symposium

Tracking biological activity in Iowa prairies can prove difficult with such high levels of biodiversity. However, using environmental DNA (eDNA) collected from prairie flowers can provide integral information about the insects that pollinate various plants.

When bees land on flowers, they shed cells and leave trace amounts of their DNA behind. After extracting the DNA from these flowers using the Qiagen DNeasy Extraction method, the samples are then mixed with B10 primer. This primer allows only the bee DNA to be targeted once the samples are put through a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

The purpose of this study is to …

A Review Of Host Plants For The Tortricid Tribe Grapholitini, With A Synopsis Of Host Utilization By Genus (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), John W. Brown

Insecta Mundi

A database of larval host plants for the tortricid tribe Grapholitini (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae: Ole­threutinae) is presented, and larval hosts are summarized for each genus. Food plants have been reported for over 400 of the approximately 1,644 described species of Grapholitini. Of the 81 genera currently as­signed to the tribe, at least one larval host has been reported for 51. Ninety-seven different plant families have been reported at least once for a species of Grapholitini, with the greatest number of grapholitines recorded from Fabaceae (168 species), followed by Fagaceae (43 species), Pinaceae (43), Sapindaceae (36), Rosaceae (30), Asteraceae (30), Euphorbiaceae (15), …

Synopsis Of The Tribe Amarotypini In New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), André Larochelle, Marie-Claude Larivière

Insecta Mundi

The tribe Amarotypini (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Migadopinae) is revised for New Zealand. Three genera and fourteen species are recognized.

Two genera and thirteen species are described as new: Amarophilus Larochelle and Larivière new genus, Amarophilus lomondensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarophilus otagoensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarophilus rotundicollis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarophilus wanakensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarotypus fiordlandensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarotypus glasgowensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarotypus murchisonorum Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarotypus simoninensis Larochelle and Larivière new species, Amarotypus takaheensis …

Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) Intercepted On Plant Product Imported To South Korea From 2013–2021, Suhyeon Lee, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

Current globalization and technological progress has facilitated and increased the international trade of plant products worldwide and has promoted the long-distance movement of immobile sucking pests such as whiteflies attached on plants. Therefore, being able to compile and update information on intercepted insect pests will help to improve the inspection procedures, to detect, identify and mitigate the damage caused by exotic invasive pests. Records of whiteflies (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) intercepted on import plants from 2013 to 2021 in the Pest Information System (PIS) database of South Korea were analyzed. A total of 32 species belonging to 19 genera were intercepted on …

New Records Of Invasive Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Garlic Mustard In The Usa, Doris Lagos-Kutz, Rebecah Troutman, Glen L. Hartman

Insecta Mundi

Lipaphis alliariae Müller (Hemiptera: Aphididae) was identified from specimens collected in Lake County, Ohio, on the invasive garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata (Bieb.) Cavara & Grande (Brassicaceae). The identification was performed on apterous viviparae using morphological and molecular data. Body color and shape of the cauda discriminated L. alliariae and L. pseudobrassicae Davis. Measurements of morphological characters of both species were similar, but they have distinct characters distinguishing them from L. erysimi Kaltenbach. Neighbor-joining analysis of cytochrome oxidase 1 (Cox1) barcoding indicated a close relation­ship of the aphids that feed on Brassicaceae, and the range of pair-wise distances for Cox1 barcoding …

Natural History Of Cassida Sphaerula Boheman, 1854 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini) On Arctotheca Prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae: Arctotidinae) In South Africa, With A Checklist Of South African Cassidinae (Leaf-Mining And Tortoise Beetles), Sally Adam, Mariana Campos, Hugh D.C. Heron, C. L. Staines, Rob Westerduijn, Caroline Simmrita Chaboo

Insecta Mundi

The tortoise beetle, Cassida sphaerula Boheman, 1854 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Cassidini) is endemic to South Africa. Its endemic host, Arctotheca prostrata (Salisb.) Britten (Asteraceae) has been introduced in other countries where it is becoming invasive. Cassida sphaerula could provide a potential biocontrol of Arctotheca weeds as it spends the entire life cycle on this host. An intensive field study, with rearing, photography, and short films of C. sphaerula was conducted in its native habitat to document the life cycle. A checklist of Cassidinae genera in South Africa, along with 19 new host records for Cassidini species in South Africa are …

A New Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) Timida Group Species From Baja California Sur (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), William B. Warner

Insecta Mundi

Phyllophaga (Listrochelus) baja, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), is de­scribed and illustrated. Its relationship to other species in the “timida group” is discussed.

Morón (2002) reviewed the Phyllophaga Harris (Listrochelus Blanchard) species near P. timida (Horn) and included a key to the eight known species of the “timida group.” Many species in this group are difficult to dis­tinguish from one another via external characters; however, the male genital shape is diagnostic for each. Here I describe a new species from Baja California Sur, Mexico, that falls within that group.

Biological Control Interventions And Botanical Pesticides For Insect Pests Of Crops In Sub-Saharan Africa: A Mapping Review, Fabrizia Ratto, Toby Bruce, Gilson Chipabika, Sithembile Mwamakamba, Rachel Mkandawire, Zeyaur Khan, Angela Mkindi, Jimmy Pittchar, Frank Chidawanyika, Susannah M. Sallu, Stephen Whitfield, Kenneth Wilson, Steven M. Sait

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Agricultural productivity can be increased sustainably in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by reducing crop losses due to insect pest damage. As an alternative to environmentally-damaging chemical pesticides, biological control interventions and botanical pesticides show potential to achieve both high yields and profits. However, synthesized information of their performance and understanding of their adoption among smallholder farmers is limited. Here, 173 studies of biological control interventions and botanical pesticides of insect pests for 35 crops from 20 sub-Saharan countries from 2005 to 2021 were systematically reviewed. Drawing on published datasets, we found that cereals, particularly maize, were the most studied crop (59%). …

Defining Toxicological Endpoints Of Aphis Gossypii Feeding, Flinn O'Hara

LSU Master's Theses

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a destructive agricultural pest, due to photosynthate removal and plant virus transmission. This project consisted of two main goals. First, we employed toxicity bioassays and electrical penetration graph (EPG) methodology to quantify changes to feeding behavior and toxicity of A. gossypii after exposure to commercialized aphicides. Commercialized aphicides containing flupyradifurone, sulfoxaflor, thiamethoxam, thiamethoxam + lambda cyhalothrin, and bifenthrin induced > 90% aphid mortality within 4 hours of exposure. This was supported by our EPG results that showed a significant reduction in the proportion of aphids that continued to probe on cotton 4 …