Entomology Commons^™

The Backyard Garden - Tomato Pests, Nick Volesky, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

This fact sheet contains information about pests and diseases that affect tomatoes. It includes general information and guidance on severity, other hosts, symptoms, and management.

Differential Responses Of Bactrocera Dorsalis And Its Parasitoids To Headspaces Of Different Varieties Of Tree-Attached Mango Fruits And The Associated Chemical Profiles, Raphael Njurai Miano, Samira A. Mohamed, Xavier Cheseto, Shepard Ndlela, Tibebe Dejene Biasazin, Abdullahi Ahmed Yusuf, Egmont Rohwer, Teun Dekker

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) is a major pest of fruits and vegetables worldwide with documented losses of up to 100%. Various management techniques including the use of parasitoids, such as Fopius arisanus (Sonan) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) within the context of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach have been deployed for its control. The effectiveness of parasitoids is well understood, but knowledge of the semiochemicals that mediate their behavior, as well as that of the host fruit fly to tree-attached mangoes, is lacking. Here, we first compared the attractiveness of the above-mentioned fruit fly and its parasitoids to volatiles …

An Integral Projection Modeling Approach To Understanding Demographic Effects Of Multispecies Mutualisms, Alexandra Campbell

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Innovative Feedstocks For Optimal Mass Production Of The Edible Long-Horned Grasshopper, Ruspolia Differens, Kababu Margaret, Mweresa K. Collins, Sevgan Subramanian, James P. Egonyu, Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Geoffrey Ssepuuya, Nyamu Faith, Sunday Ekesi, Chrysantus M. Tanga

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The edible long-horned grasshopper Ruspolia differens Serville (Orthoptera:Tettigoniidae) is a highly nutritious food source consumed in over 20 African countries. Its occurrence is highly seasonal, and wild harvesting is carried out using locally designed and inefficient light traps, thus limiting sustainable utilization as an important food source. To ensure year-round production and availability of R. differens, we evaluated the effects of low-cost and affordable diets based on agricultural by-products on their growth performance, survival, fecundity, and longevity. A total of four diets with varying ratios of agricultural by-products were evaluated: Diet 1 [33.3% maize bran (MB) + 33.3% wheat bran …

Caching Behavior In Burying Beetles, Stephen T. Trumbo

EEB Articles

Being the first to discover a resource can provide a competitive advantage (priority effect), even for an animal that is inferior in aggressive contests. Nicrophorus spp. (burying beetles) are known for caching a small vertebrate carcass as provision for their young, reducing volatile cues available to rivals by burying the carcass (vertical movement) and by altering the microbial community. A decomposing carcass, however, can leave cues (residues of decay) on soil and leaf litter that a burying beetle has less opportunity to neutralize. I investigated whether horizontal movement of the carcass by burying beetles, separating the carcass from soil at …

Molecular Diagnostic Survey Of Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera L., Pathogens And Parasites From Arkansas, Usa, Dylan Cleary, Allen L. Szalanski

Entomology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Managed honey bee populations have fluctuated over the past several decades in the U.S. While a single factor has not been identified for these losses, the interaction between multiple biotic and abiotic stressors have been suggested to be responsible. Of major concern are several invasive parasite and pathogen species as well as colony management. A single honey bee colony often suffers from multiple harmful agents, that may act synergistically and cause greater declines in bee health. We conducted a survey to detect known and lesser-known honey bee parasites and pathogens. While previous research has primarily focused on commercially managed colonies, …

Making And Managing Wild Bee Hotels, Ann Mull, Lori R. Spears, Sheriden M. Hansen, Andree' Walker Bravo, Ricardo Ramirez, Jaydee Gunnell

All Current Publications

Bee hotels (also called "bee boxes" and "bee blocks") are popular additions to Utah backyards and commercial agriculture alike, adding nesting habitat to aid local pollination efforts and address native pollinator declines. This fact sheet provides information about the construction, placement, and maintenance of bee hotels. It also addresses monitoring of bee enemies.

Defining Understudied Mechanisms Of Potassium Ion Flux In The Insect Nervous System, Rui Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

To identify novel insecticide target sites that can address the evolution of insecticide resistance, our group has tested the insecticidal potential of two potassium flux pathways: potassium-chloride (K+/Cl−) cotransporter (KCC) and inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels. GABAergic signaling is the cornerstone of fast synaptic inhibition for neural signaling in arthropods; thus, the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-receptor-chloride-channel (GRCC) complex has been a longstanding target for insecticides. Despite the importance to neuronal homeostasis, the upstream mechanisms enabling GRCC function are poorly defined. The data presented in this dissertation provide strong support that KCC is an essential ion transport system for proper neural function …

Quick Sex-Determination Of The Asiatic Garden Beetle, Maladera Castanea (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Adrian J. Pekarcik, C. Scott Clem, Kyle J. Akred, Kelley J. Tilmon

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The orientation of the posterior abdominal sternite and pygidium allows for quick sex-determination of Maladera castanea (Arrow) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) adults with a dissecting microscope or hand lens. Maladera castanea (the Asiatic garden beetle) is an emerging pest of field crops and this information will help researchers to conduct studies more easily on its biology and ecology.

Observations Of The Mating Habits And Attack Pattern Of Trypodendron Retusum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) On Populus Grandidentata In Central Michigan, Richard Roeper, Daniel Dickerson, Paul Kurtzhals, Mark Bunce, Steven Brewer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Trypodendron retusum Leconte attack pattern on Populus grandidentata Michx. (Big Tooth Aspen) was studied. Mating habits of males and females involved copulation at the entrance hole bored by the female. Attack (entrance )holes averaged 15.9 cm. apart and were found to be uniformly spaced on the bark surface. Attack density was greater on standing trees than wind-thrown trees. On standing trees attack density appeared to be a function of the height rather than the diameter of the tree.

Examining Resistance Of Asian, European, And North American Ash And Elm Species To The Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus Planipennis) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Fredric Miller, Erin Mcmahan

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The emerald ash borer (EAB) (Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), native to East Asia and discovered in Michigan in 2002, has been a devastating pest of North American ash trees (Fraxinus spp.). Along with native ecosystems in Eastern North America, a large percentage of urban canopies in many North American cities consist of ash trees, and many of these areas have lost or risk losing these valuable trees. As part of a multi-faceted management strategy, it is important to develop and plant cultivars of ash with resistance to this damaging insect. Given that EAB is not considered a …

Documenting Bombus Nevadensis In Minnesota, With Some Notes On Discerning It From B. Auricomus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Zachary M. Portman, Chan Dolan

The Great Lakes Entomologist

In the face of well-documented declines in multiple bumblebee species, it is important to accurately identify species and properly delineate species ranges. Here, we document the range of Bombus auricomus (Robertson) and B. nevadensis Cresson in Minnesota, with particular reference to the unexpected discovery of B. nevadensis in St. Paul. We clarify the relative ranges of these two species and provide additional information on how to reliably identify them in Minnesota using color patterns and morphology, including differences in male genitalia. Our results support the consensus that B. auricomus and B. nevadensis are distinct species. Community science records were integral …

Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Feeding And Development On Industrial Hemp In The Laboratory And Field, Christina D. Difonzo

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The western bean cutworm (Striacosta albicosta (Smith)) is a key pest of corn (Zea mays L.) and dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). This observational study demonstrates that in addition to these hosts, western bean cutworm readily feeds on industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and completes development on it under controlled laboratory conditions. In the laboratory, individual larvae were reared on a diet exclusively of hemp inflorescences; 57% survived to form prepupae and 15% emerged as moths. In the field, first instars were caged on hemp plants to investigate larval development in situ. After seven days, 82% …

Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Art for TGLE Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

Cover Pages For Tgle Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Cover Pages for TGLE Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

Full Issue For Tgle Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Full issue for TGLE Vol. 55 Nos. 1 & 2

The Applied Use Of Zein Nanoparticles In Agriculture, Colin Bonser

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nanotechnology is a multifaceted and a promising strategy in agricultural pest management for the development of insecticides or insecticide carriers. Research has shown that nanoparticles increase stability and efficacy of entrapped chemical pesticides to prevent active ingredient degradation while improving chemical stability and solubility. The following work evaluated nanoparticles synthesized from biopolymers, materials that originate from renewable sources also have an increased biodegradability.
Work was conducted under laboratory, greenhouse, and field conditions to test the biopoloymers as possible insecticide and insecticide carriers. The primary biopolymer evaluated in the following studies was zein, although lignin and chitosan were also evaluated. Overall, …

Uses And Benefits Of Algae As A Nutritional Supplement For Honey Bees, Benjamin J. Nichols, Vincent A. Ricigliano

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Honey bees are essential agricultural pollinators that are threatened by various interacting stressors, posing risks to beekeeping industries and human food security. Malnutrition is a major factor underlying managed bee colony losses that can be countered by feeding artificial diets, which aim to deliver essential macro- and micronutrients. Current bee nutritional supplements show room for improvement and require resources that compete with human food production. Algae and microalgae in particular have been gaining traction in the literature as alternative feed sources and nutritional supplements for livestock, including honey bees. Herein, we review the current literature and categorize the effects of …

Exceptional Larval Morphology Of Nine Species Of The Anastrepha Mucronota Species Group (Diptera: Tephritidae), Erick J. Rodriguez, Gary J. Steck, Matthew R. Moore, Allen L. Norrbom, Jessica Diaz, Louis A. Somma, Raul Ruiz-Arce, Bruce D. Sutton, Norma Nolazco, Alies Muller, Marc A. Branham

Papers in Evolution

Anastrepha is the most diverse and economically important genus of Tephritidae in the American tropics and subtropics. The striking morphology of the third instars of Anastrepha caballeroi Norrbom, Anastrepha crebra Stone, Anastrepha haplacantha Norrbom & Korytkowski, Anastrepha korytkowskii Norrbom, Anastrepha nolazcoae Norrbom & Korytkowski, and three newly discovered and as yet formally unnamed species (Anastrepha sp. Peru-82, Anastrepha sp. nr. protuberans, and Anastrepha sp. Sur-16), and the more typical morphology of Anastrepha aphelocentema Stone, are described using light and scanning electron microscopy. To contribute to a better understanding of the interspecific and intraspecific variation among species in the mucronota …

Esterase Mediated Insecticide Resistance In The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, Vivek Pokhrel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Much is known about the development of insecticide resistance associated with targeted application against insect populations. However, off-target selection by applications of insecticides in agricultural and residential sites also impacts development of insecticide resistance and is understudied. Similarly, the impact of selecting one life stage of mosquitoes on the insecticide susceptibility of different life stages is largely unknown. The first part of this study shows that susceptibility to chlorantraniliprole, which is applied in rice and sugarcane fields in LA, decreased (5.7 to12-fold) in populations of Culex quinquefasciatus collected from near these fields compared to a reference field strain. In addition, …

Review Of Structural Color In The Genus Chrysochroa Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Able Chow

LSU Master's Theses

The jewel beetles, (Coleoptera: Buprestidae Leach, 1815), is the eighth most speciose coleopteran family, with the majority of its members possessing diverse bright, saturated structural coloration of multilayer origin. This study focuses on the genus Chrysochroa Dejean, 1833, which includes some of the most brilliantly and charismatically colored buprestid species. While members of Chrysochroa are prised by entomologists amateurs and professional and are well-represented in museum collections, the evolution and ecology of their structural color remain underexplored. Twenty-eight select taxa including exemplars from all 13 subgenera of Chrysochroa were investigated to provide an overview of the objective optical properties and …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 21 - November 2022, Cindy L. Webster, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 21 - November 2022 contents:

• Final PestFacts WA newsletter for 2022!
• Green bridge management over summer
• PestFacts WA continues successful collaboration with Agworld and Back Paddock

Neotype Designation For Papilio Fulgerator Walch, 1775 (Hesperiidae: Eudaminae), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Gerardo Lamas, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The discovery that a skipper butterfly Telegonus fulgerator (Walch, 1775), previously placed in the genus Astraptes Hübner, [1819], is a complex of many similar-looking species-level taxa with different COI barcodes, caterpillar foodplants, and body patterns, and subtle differences in adult phenotypes raised a question about which species is the original T. fulgerator. To answer this question, being unable to locate its holotype, we designate the neotype of Papilio fulgerator Walch, 1775, a female specimen from Suriname in the Zoological State Collection, Munich, Germany. This neotype will form the foundation for a comprehensive revision of the T. fulgerator complex based …

Nebline, November/December 2022

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Holiday Wellness Tips by Alyssa Havlovic

Holiday Food Safety Quiz by Alyssa Havlovic

Recipe of the Month: Acorn Squash Cranberry Kale Salad by Alyssa Havlovic

Winter Protection for Potted Trees and Shrubs by Sarah Browning

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

What's the Deal With Smelly Well Water? by Becky Schuerman

Cover Crop Grazing Conference, Nov. 1

Pantry Pests by Kait Chapman

Bedtime Blues for Young Children by Hayley Jackson

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Beatrice 77 Livestock and Lon and Carol Bohling

State 4-H Archery Outdoor Results

20 Years of Heart of 4-H Award!

4-H Announcements for Enrolled …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 20 - November 2022, Ciara Beard, Geoff J. Thomas, Dustin Severtson

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 20 - November 2022 contents:

• Phomopsis can be a risk when grazing lupin stubble
• Meet PestFacts WA team member – Dusty Severtson

Acute Toxicity Of Atrazine, Alachlor, And Chlorpyrifos Mixtures To Honey Bees, Christopher J. Fellows, Troy D. Anderson, Daniel R. Swale

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The acute toxicity of chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon (organophosphorothioate insecticides) was examined alone and in combination with atrazine (triazine herbicide) and alachlor (chloroacetanilide herbicide) to honey bees (Apis mellifera). Atrazine and alachlor were observed to not be acutely toxic to bees at doses up to 10 and 4 μg per bee, respectively. However, atrazine significantly increased chlorpyrifos toxicity by 3-fold while reducing chlorpyrifos-oxon toxicity by 1.8-fold. These changes in toxicity are correlated with significant 1.3- and 1.2-fold inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in bees exposed to chlorpyrifos and chlorpyrifos-oxon, respectively. Atrazine significantly increased cytochrome P450, general esterase, and glutathione …

Influence Of Si In Maize Plants In Kenyan Populations Of Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Ovide Nuambote-Yobila, Boaz Musyoka, Elijah Njuguna, Anani Yaovi Bruce, Fathia Khamis, Sevgan Subramanian, Frédéric Marion-Poll, Paul André Calatayud

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), native to the Americas, was confirmed in West and Central Africa in 2016 and reported in almost all countries of sub-Saharan Africa in 2017, becoming thereafter one of the major constraints on the production of maize, the main staple food crop in the region. Cereals depend on silicon (Si)-based defences to fight off herbivores. Both FAW strains, namely rice and corn strains, have been found to be present in Kenya. The present study tested the influence of Si on larval survival and relative growth rate according to the FAW strain, using potted …

Tephritid Fruit Fly Species Composition, Seasonality, And Fruit Infestations In Two Central African Agro-Ecological Zones, Samuel Nanga Nanga, Rachid Hanna, Apollin Fotso Kuate, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Ibrahim Nchoutnji, Michel Ndjab, Désiré Gnanvossou, Samira A. Mohamed, Sunday Ekesi, Champlain Djieto-Lordon

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Bactrocera dorsalis and several Africa-native Ceratitis species are serious constraints to fruit production in sub-Saharan Africa. A long-term trapping and fruit collection study was conducted (2011–2016) in two contrasting agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Cameroon to determine fruit fly species composition, seasonality, attraction to various lures and baits, and fruit infestation levels. Ten tephritid species from genera Bactrocera, Ceratitis, Dacus, and Perilampsis were captured in traps. Bactrocera dorsalis was the most dominant of the trapped species and persisted throughout the year, with peak populations in May–June. Ceratitis spp. were less abundant than B. dorsalis, with Ceratitis anonae dominating in the western …

Host Selection And Nesting Behavior Of Nearctic Trapdoor Spider-Hunting Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae, Pompilinae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West

Insecta Mundi

Host records and nesting behavior of the Nearctic trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasps (Hy­menoptera: Pompilidae) Calopompilus Ashmead and Priocnemissus Haupt (Pepsinae: Pepsini) and Aporus Spinola and Psorthaspis Banks (Pompilinae: Aporini) are reviewed, investigated, compared, and discussed. First time incidental trapdoor spider host records for Priocnemis (Priocnemissus) minorata Banks (Pepsi­nae: Pepsini), Anoplius (Lophopompilus) carolina (Banks) (Pompilinae: Pompilini), and Notocyphus dorsalis dorsalis Cresson (Notocyphinae: Notocyphini) are included, although they are not typical trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasp species. The Palearctic Aporus (Aporus) unicolor Spinola, A. (Aporus) bicolor Spinola and A. (Aporus) planiceps (Latreille) are …

First Host Record, Nesting Behavior, And Taxonomic Position Of The Spider Wasp Genus Hesperopompilus Evans And Some Other Evans Genera (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West, James P. Pitts

Insecta Mundi

First host record, prey transport, and burrow excavation are described for Hesperopompilus sp., an undescribed, rare spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from Texas. Taxonomic, ecological, and behav­ioral examination of the genus subsequently led to an investigation of the previously related Perissopompilus Evans and Xerochares Evans. Taxonomic, host preference, nesting behavior, and phylogenomic relationships of the three taxa are discussed along with those of Xenopompilus Evans. The molecular connection of Perisso­pompilus and Allochares Banks is supported by their common use of host species of Filistatidae.

Evans (1951), in his taxonomic study of the spider wasp tribe Pompilini (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pompilinae), described the …