Entomology Commons^™

Technique For: Determination Of Insect Prey Selection By Insectivorous Bats, Merrill Tawse

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Utilizing Fecal Pellet Analysis to Determine Prey Selection by Insectivorous Bats: For my Graduate Project I examined culled exoskeleton parts from bat fecal pellets (guano) to determine identifications of the insects preyed upon by a group of bats to their order and often family levels. Culled insect parts were permanently fixed on microscope slides and viewed under a dissection microscope to determine identifications and to quantify the percentage composition that they represented in the bat’s diet. Comparisons were made of prey selected by the different bat species that were foraging at the same location and at the same time. Comparisons …

Beginning Beekeeping Handbook, Paul Timm, Marion D. Ellis

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Why Honey Bees?

Where Do I Begin?

Honey Bee Biology and Behavior

Key Seasonal Hive Activities and Responsibilities

Developing and Adding Value to a Product

Marketing Your Product

Writing a Business Plan

Additional Resources

WHY HONEY BEES? It is a question that many people ask me. I ponder this question from time to time, reflecting back upon my own decision to enroll in a beekeeping course during my last undergraduate semester of college. I had no previous experience with honey bees nor did I know anyone that kept bees. Other than divine providence and a desire to learn about an …

Imaging The Oocysts In The Midgut Of The Mosquito, Hillary Guzik

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

● Learn how to dissect the midgut from the mosquito ○ Protocol on how to conduct the dissection ● Produce a portfolio of high end microscopy images of the oocysts inside of the midgut ○ Using Leica SP5 Point Scanning Confocal (Analytical Imaging Facility at Einstein College of Medicine) ○ Reconstruct the oocyst in 3D ○ To further be used in Dr. Kami Kim’s research ● Develop an image analysis protocol to automatically count each individual oocyst ○ Using Volocity analysis software (PerkinElmer) ○ Gather total counts and area measurements of individual oocysts ○ Written for future use ○ To …

Entomology 101: Introduction To Entomology, Brian Kelly

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The goal of this particular project is to create an entry-level curriculum for Entomology to present to the local university / community college. My Bachelor’s Degree was obtained from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS). The higher institutions of learning in the city of Colorado Springs (to include Pikes Peak Community College, or PPCC, as well) lack any courses relating to Entomology. UCCS has a strong presence in the city and is growing by leaps and bounds, currently enrolling about 13,000 students and expanding its degree programs. PPCC has several campuses around town, and offers many elective courses …

Differential Transmission Of Two Isolates Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus By Five Wheat Curl Mite Populations, E. N. Wosula, Anthony J. Mcmechan, C. Oliveira-Hofman, Stephen N. Wegulo, G. L. Hein

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), type member of the genus Tritimovirus in the family Potyviridae, is an economically important virus causing annual average yield losses of approximately 2 to 3% in winter wheat across the Great Plains. The wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella, transmits WSMV along with two other viruses found throughout the Great Plains of the United States. Two common genotypes of WSMV (Sidney 81 and Type) in the United States share 97.6% nucleotide sequence identity but their transmission relationships with the WCM are unknown. The objective of this study was to determine transmission of these …

Pyrosequencing The Midgut Transcriptome Of The Banana Weevil Cosmopolites Sordidus (Germar) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Reveals Multiple Protease-Like Transcripts, Arnubio Valencia, Haichuan Wang, Alberto Soto, Manuel Aristizabal, Jorge W. Arboleda, Seong-Il Eyun, Daniel D. Noriega, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The banana weevil Cosmopolites sordidus is an important and serious insect pest in most banana and plantain-growing areas of the world. In spite of the economic importance of this insect pest very little genomic and transcriptomic information exists for this species. In the present study, we characterized the midgut transcriptome of C. sordidus using massive 454-pyrosequencing. We generated over 590,000 sequencing reads that assembled into 30,840 contigs with more than 400 bp, representing a significant expansion of existing sequences available for this insect pest. Among them, 16,427 contigs contained one or more GO terms. In addition, 15,263 contigs were assigned …

Carbon Dioxide Receptor Genes And Their Expression Profile In Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera, Thais B. Rodrigues, Etsuko N. Moriyama, Hang Wang, Chitvan Khajuria, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, western corn rootworm, is one of the most devastating species in North America. D. v. virgifera neonates crawl through the soil to locate the roots on which they feed. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the important volatile cues that attract D. v. virgifera larvae to roots.

Results: In this study, we identified three putative D. v. virgifera gustatory receptor genes (Dvv_Gr1, Dvv_Gr2, and Dvv_Gr3). Phylogenetic analyses confirmed their orthologous relationships with known insect CO₂ receptor genes from Drosophila, mosquitoes, and Tribolium. The phylogenetic reconstruction of insect CO₂ receptor proteins …

Spiders From Multiple Functional Guilds Are Exposed To Bt-Endotoxins In Transgenic Corn Fields Via Prey And Pollen Consumption, Julie A. Peterson, John J. Obrycki, James D. Harwood

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A comprehensive assessment of risk to natural enemies from Bt-endotoxins from bioengineered crops must evaluate potential harm, as well as exposure pathways in non-target arthropod food webs. Despite being abundant generalist predators in agricultural fields, spiders (Araneae) have often been overlooked in the context of Bt crop risk assessment. Spiders and their prey were collected from transgenic corn fields expressing lepidopteran-specific Cry1Ab, coleopteran-specific Cry3Bb1, both proteins, and a non-transgenic near isoline. Spiders and prey were screened for Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1 using qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Spiders from the three most common functional guilds, wandering sheet-tangle weavers, orb-weavers, and ground runners, …

Efficacy Of Transport Mikron Against Nuisance Ants When Applied Around Structures, 2015, Sanjay Basnet, Dina Richman, Ralph B. Narain, Shripat T. Kamble

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Ants are nuisance pests around the homes and other structures. Insecticide baits and sprays are commonly used for controlling ants. The research was conducted to determine efficacy of Transport Mikron and Temprid SC against these nuisance ants. The trial was conducted around two buildings on East Campus, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE. A total of 20 experimental plots were established with 3 ft buffer zone between individual plots. The dimension of each experimental plot consists of 20 ft lengthx10 ft width + 3 ft high on foundation wall (260 ft²). Each treatment was replicated four times yielding 1040 …

Natural History Of Javeta Pallida Baly, 1858 On Phoenix Palms In India (Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae, Coelaenomenoderini), Koormath Mohammed Shameem, Kaniyarikkal Divakaran Prathapan, Mannankadiyan Nasser, Caroline Simmrita Chaboo

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Members of the Old World hispine tribe, Coelaenomenoderini, are documented on host plants of Are­caceae, Cyperaceae, and Zingiberales. A few species are renowned pests of oil palm, especially in Africa. The host plants and natural history of Javeta pallida Baly, 1858, the only Indian species of the tribe, is reported for the first time. These beetles can densely infest indigenous wild date palms, Phoenix sylvestris (L.) Roxb. (Arecaceae), and also use the introduced date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L., which is an expand­ing crop in India. Javeta females lay single eggs and cover each with an ootheca. All larval stages mine …

Carbon Dioxide Receptor Genes And Their Expression Profile In Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera, Thais B. Rodrigues, Estuko N. Moriyama, Hang Wang, Chitvan Khajuria, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, western corn rootworm, is one of the most devastating species in North America. D. v. virgifera neonates crawl through the soil to locate the roots on which they feed. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is one of the important volatile cues that attract D. v. virgifera larvae to roots.

Results: In this study, we identified three putative D. v. virgifera gustatory receptor genes (Dvv_Gr1, Dvv_Gr2, and Dvv_Gr3). Phylogenetic analyses confirmed their orthologous relationships with known insect CO₂ receptor genes from Drosophila, mosquitoes, and Tribolium. The phylogenetic reconstruction of insect CO₂ receptor …

Predominantly Left-Dominant Mandibular Chirality In Coleoptera, Mathew L. Brust, W. Wyatt Hoback

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Patterns of mandible chirality have been virtually unexplored in beetles, apart from a single study in 2010. Here we present the mandible chirality trends found in 58 beetle species representing the families Carabidae (52 species), Cerambycidae (three species), and Silphidae (three species) that display overlapping mandibles. Mandible chirality was not random in the groups examined, all of which exhibited a dominant trend towards left-superiority. The degree to which each taxonomic group displayed the left-superior trend differed, with tiger beetles showing the greatest dominance (99%) and longhorned beetles the weakest (71%).

Two New Species Of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea), M. J. Paulsen

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Two new species of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are described: Glaresis smithi Paulsen, new species from Argentina, and Glaresis mondacai Paulsen, new species from Chile and Peru. The species are compared to their closest congener, Glaresis fritzi Martínez et al., and a key is provided for the known South American species of the genus Glaresis Erichson.

Lawrence W. Saylor, Coleopterist Extraordinaire, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Lawrence Saylor was a preeminent scarab beetle taxonomist during the 1930s and 1940s who produced a large and significant body of taxonomic work in a relatively short period of time. We know very little about him due, in some measure, to the fact that insect taxonomy was a sideline to his many other professional employments. A review of Saylor’s life is provided here based upon new information recently acquired as well as a brief review of his scientific publications.

Intraplant Communication In Maize Contributes To Defense Against Insects, Suresh Varsani, Saumik Basu, W. Paul Williams, Gary W. Felton, Dawn S. Luthe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The vasculature of plants act as a channel for transport of signal(s) that facilitate long-distance intraplant communication. In maize, Maize insect resistance1-Cysteine Protease (Mir1-CP), which has homology to papain-like proteases, provides defense to different feeding guilds of insect pests. Furthermore, accumulation of Mir1-CP in the vasculature suggests that Mir1-CP can potentially function as a phloemmobile protein. In a recent study, we provided evidence that Mir1-CP can curtail the growth of phloemsap sucking insect, corn leaf aphid (CLA; Rhopalosiphum maidis). Our current study further examined whether aboveground feeding by CLA can induce resistance to subsequent herbivory by belowground feeding western …

The Scarab Collections At The University Of Oslo, Norway (Zmun) And The Institut Royal Des Sciences Naturelles De Belgique, Belgium (Irsnb), Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

In January 2016, I traveled to the University of Oslo in Norway to serve as an external examiner for a dissertation defense (on scarabs!) and took the opportunity to study the scarabs in their research collections (Zoological Museum, University of Oslo; ZMUN; http://www.nhm.uio.no/english/). The curator is Vladimir Gusarov (Fig. 1), who is a specialist in Staphylinidae. These collections are of moderate size, and, as you might expect, their holdings are primarily Palearctic and divided into Norwegian and World collections. The specimens are arranged well and housed in modern cabinetry (Fig. 2). Unit trays are employed in the drawers (Fig. 3) …

Land Use In The Northern Great Plains Region Of The U.S. Influences The Survival And Productivity Of Honey Bee Colonies, Matthew D. Smart, Jeff S. Pettis, Ned Euliss, Marla S. Spivak

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The Northern Great Plains region of the US annually hosts a large portion of commercially managed U.S. honey bee colonies each summer. Changing land use patterns over the last several decades have contributed to declines in the availability of bee forage across the region, and the future sustainability of the region to support honey bee colonies is unclear. We examined the influence of varying land use on the survivorship and productivity of honey bee colonies located in six apiaries within the Northern Great Plains state of North Dakota, an area of intensive agriculture and high density of beekeeping operations. Land …

Linking Measures Of Colony And Individual Honey Bee Health To Survival Among Apiaries Exposed To Varying Agricultural Land Use, Matthew D. Smart, Jeff Pettis, Nathan Rice, Zac Browning, Marla Spivak

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

We previously characterized and quantified the influence of land use on survival and productivity of colonies positioned in six apiaries and found that colonies in apiaries surrounded by more land in uncultivated forage experienced greater annual survival, and generally more honey production. Here, detailed metrics of honey bee health were assessed over three years in colonies positioned in the same six apiaries. The colonies were located in North Dakota during the summer months and were transported to California for almond pollination every winter. Our aim was to identify relationships among measures of colony and individual bee health that impacted and …

Incidence Of Spodoptera Litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) And Its Feeding Potential On Various Citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) Cultivars In The Sargodha Region Of Pakistan, Muhammad Ullah, Muhammad Arshad, Muhammad Afzal, Samina Khalid, Muqadas Saleem, Irfan Mustafa, Yasir Iftikhar, Jaime Molina-Ochoa, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera litura F. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) adversely affects important crops such as cotton, okra, tomato, potato, and pumpkin. For the first time, this species was observed in a citrus nursery in the Sargodha Region of Pakistan. The principal objectives of this study were to determine the effects of several citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) cultivars, including Citrus reticulata Blanco (Feutrell’s Early, Seedless Kinnow, and Fairchild mandarin orange) and Citrus paradisi Macfad. (grapefruit), on feeding by S. litura, and the effects of these plants on the growth of the insect. Based on performance of 3rd instars, Feutrell’s Early and Seedless Kinnow supported maximum …

Ecology And Management Of Pemphigus Betae (Hemiptera: Aphididae) In Sugar Beet, Rudolph J. Pretorius, Gary L. Hein, Jeff Bradshaw

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Pemphigus betae Doane (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a sporadic pest of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L. var. vulgaris) in all major sugar beet production regions of North America. These oval-shaped, pale-yellowish insects, with a body length ranging from 1.9–2.4mm, secrete a waxy material, giving their subterranean colonies a moldy appearance. Poplars in the genus Populus L. are the preferred primary hosts, while sugar beet and certain weed species, such as common lambsquarters (Chenopodium album L.) and kochia (Kochia scoparia (L.)), are among the secondary hosts. Pemphigus betae has a complex and varied life cycle and is usually …