Entomology Commons^™

Microbial Gut Diversity Of Africanized And European Honey Bee Larval Instars, Svjetlana Vojvodic, Sandra M. Rehan, Kirk E. Anderson

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

The first step in understanding gut microbial ecology is determining the presence and potential niche breadth of associated microbes. While the core gut bacteria of adult honey bees is becoming increasingly apparent, there is very little and inconsistent information concerning symbiotic bacterial communities in honey bee larvae. The larval gut is the target of highly pathogenic bacteria and fungi, highlighting the need to understand interactions between typical larval gut flora, nutrition and disease progression. Here we show that the larval gut is colonized by a handful of bacterial groups previously described from guts of adult honey bees or other pollinators. …

Evaluation Of The Efficacy Of 1-Octen-3-Ol And Carbon Dioxide Chemoattractants With Mosquitoes And Bloodmeal Analysis Of Culex Mosquito Spp. In Lancaster County, Nebraska, Julianne N. Matczyszyn

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The purpose of mosquito-borne disease surveillance is to assess the risk of pathogen transmission by assessing mosquito populations and the prevalence of disease pathogens in those populations. West Nile virus (WNV) is an important mosquito-borne virus in Nebraska, and can be transmitted by several mosquito species found in Lancaster County, Nebraska, including Culex pipiens L., Culex salinarius Coquillett, Culex restuans Theobald, Culex tarsalis Coquillett, Culex territans Walker, and Culex erraticus Dyar & Knab. These species are ornithophilic, yet many studies indicate a shift in host feeding to mammalian in late summer months. One-octen-3-ol (octenol) can be isolated …

The Hymenopteran Tree Of Life: Evidence From Protein-Coding Genes And Objectively Aligned Ribosomal Data, Seraina Klopfstein, Lars Vilhelmsen, John M. Heraty, Michael J. Sharkey, Fredrik Ronquist

Entomology Faculty Publications

Previous molecular analyses of higher hymenopteran relationships have largely been based on subjectively aligned ribosomal sequences (18S and 28S). Here, we reanalyze the 18S and 28S data (unaligned about 4.4 kb) using an objective and a semi-objective alignment approach, based on MAFFT and BAli-Phy, respectively. Furthermore, we present the first analyses of a substantial protein-coding data set (4.6 kb from one mitochondrial and four nuclear genes). Our results indicate that previous studies may have suffered from inflated support values due to subjective alignment of the ribosomal sequences, but apparently not from significant biases. The protein data provide independent confirmation of …

Cold Tolerance Of The Eastern Subterranean Termite, Reticulitermes Flavipes (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), In Ontario., Matthew W. Clarke, Graham J. Thompson, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

We characterized the cold tolerance of natural populations of the Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) [Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae]) in southwestern Ontario, Canada. We measured cold tolerance in workers from six colonies of termites established from Pelee Island in Lake Erie, and Point Pelee National Park. The mean critical thermal minimum, at which termites entered chill coma, ranged from 8.1 to 5.7°C. Mean supercooling points (SCP, the temperature at which individuals freeze) ranged from -4 to -4.6°C, and did not differ significantly between colonies, nor was SCP dependent on body size. Individuals survived brief exposure to low temperatures, as long as …

Nebline, August 2013

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 8 Tips for Better-Tasting Fruits & Vegetables

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

2013 Lancaster County Super Fair Schedule & Map Special Pullout Section

Squash Bug (Espanol), Diane Alston, James Barnhill

All Current Publications

Squash bug (Anasa tristis) is a “true bug” with piercingsucking mouthparts (Order Hemiptera) in the leaffooted bug family (Coreidae). It is common throughout the U.S. and found from Canada to Central America. Adults (Fig. 1) emit a foul odor when disturbed and may be called “stink bugs”; however, true stink bugs are in a different true bug family.

Effects Of A Corn Root Defense Substance On Western Corn Rootworm Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera Leconte Larvae, Zixiao Zhao

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effects of hydroxamic acids, a group of corn root defense substances on western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte) larvae and identify putative molecular mechanisms for hydroxamic acid detoxification. Corn line 428G carries a homozygous mutant bx1 gene, which makes it unable to synthesis hydroxamic acids. In contrast, H88 is the wild type parental line of 428G and is able to synthesize hydroxamic acids. Larvae were fed on 428G and H88 roots for 7 days for comparison. No significant difference was observed in growth, development, or survival rate. A RNA-Sequencing …

Frequency And Distribution Of Extended Diapause In Nebraska Populations Of Diabrotica Barberi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Ryan W. Geisert, Lance J. Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The frequency of extended diapause in populations of the northern corn rootworm, Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was measured in eastern Nebraska. Adult collections were made during late summer in 2008 and 2009 from eight sites each year (seven sites were consistent over years). Eggs were obtained from 12 to 20 females per site and were held on moist soil under appropriate temperature profiles to facilitate egg survival, diapause development, and diapause termination. Percentage egg hatch was recorded after the first and second year for the 2008 and 2009 collections. Additional extended diapause expression was estimated for the …

Ecology And Management Of Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Southeastern Farmscapes, Grant Pilkay

All Dissertations

A three-year study (2009-2011) was conducted to examine the spatial and temporal dynamics of stink bugs in three commercial farmscapes in South Carolina and Georgia. Crops included wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.), corn, Zea mays (L.), soybean, Glycine max (L.), cotton, Gossypium hirsutum (L.), and peanuts, Arachis hypogaea (L.). Farmscapes were sampled weekly using whole-plant examinations for corn, with all other crops sampled using sweep nets. The predominant pest species of phytophagous stink bugs were the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), the green stink bug, Chinavia hilaris (Say), and the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.). Chi-square tests indicated …

Behavior And Control Of The Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius L. (Hemiptera: Cimicidae), Margaret Lehnert

All Dissertations

The recent resurgence of bed bugs has led to an explosion of bed bug research influenced by the applied needs of pest management professionals. I assessed the needs of pest management professionals who deal with bed bugs in South Carolina. Bed bugs were reported in 28 of 46 counties in South Carolina. Previous samples of bed bug populations have displayed a 1:1 sex-ratio suggesting females do not use aggregations and harborages to hide from males and traumatic insemination, which can be harmful to females. Aggregations are biased in composition, suggesting that females are able to hide from males within harborages. …

Abiotic And Biotic Factors Affecting The Japanese Beetle In Arkansas, Bryan Mathew Petty

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Japanese beetles are a relatively new pest to Arkansas. During my Ph.D. research I investigated the pathogens and environmental factors influencing Japanese beetle populations in the state. The prevalence of various pathogens and parasitoids attacking Popillia japonica were recorded annually from wild populations. Of specific interest was the microsporidian pathogen Ovavesicula popilliae, which I introduced as a biological control agent in the state. Details of the relationship between this pathogen and the Japanese beetle were investigated, including dose response, host range, and spore production. Additionally, annual abundance of the beetle in the region was recorded and tracked over the course …

Avispas “Chaqueta Amarilla,” Avispones Y Avispas De Papel, Erin Hodgson, Alan Roe, Nicole Peña, Ricardo Ramirez

All Current Publications

Las avispas “chaqueta amarilla” o vespula (“yellowjackets”), avispones (“hornets”) y avispas de papel (“paper wasps”) son avispas sociales estrechamente relacionadas que son comúnmente encontradas en Utah.

La Arana Hobo, Nicole Peña, Alan Roe, Erin W. Hodgson

All Current Publications

La araña hobo, Tegenaria agrestis, es miembro de la familia de “funnel-web spider”/ “araña de tela de embudo” Agelenidae. Las arañas ‘de tela de embudo’/‘funnel-web’ tienen las patas largas (Fig. 1), corren rápidamente y construyen lugares para retirarse en forma de embudos o tubos.

Spotted Wing Drosophila (Espanol), Diane Alston, Ryan Davis, Cory Vorel

All Current Publications

Spotted Wing Drosophila (SWD) is a new Utah pest (first found August, 2010) that can infest un-ripened (pre-harvest), ripe, over-ripe, and spoiled fruits.

Exploring Valid Reference Genes For Quantitative Real-Time Pcr Analysis In Plutella Xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), Wei Fu, Wen Xie, Zhuo Zhang, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Yong Liu, Xiaomao Zhou, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), a primary tool in gene expression analysis, requires an appropriate normalization strategy to control for variation among samples. The best option is to compare the mRNA level of a target gene with that of reference gene(s) whose expression level is stable across various experimental conditions. In this study, expression profiles of eight candidate reference genes from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, were evaluated under diverse experimental conditions. RefFinder, a web-based analysis tool, integrates four major computational programs including geNorm, Normfinder, BestKeeper, and the comparative ΔCt method to comprehensively rank the tested candidate …

Nebline, July 2013

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Integrated Pest Management in Nebraska Schools: Solving Pest Problems Effectively with Fewer Pesticides

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Waveform Library For Chinch Bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Blissidae): Characterization Of Electrical Penetration Graph Waveforms At Multiple Input Impedances, Elaine A. Backus, Murugesan Rangasamy, Mitchell Stamm, Heather J. Mcauslane, Ron Cherry

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Electrical penetration graph (EPG) monitoring has been used extensively to elucidate mechanisms of resistance in plants to insect herbivores with piercing-sucking mouthparts. Characterization of waveforms produced by insects during stylet probing is essential to the application of this technology. In the studies described herein, a four-channel Backus and Bennett AC-DC monitor was used to characterize EPG waveforms produced by adults of two economically important chinch bug species: southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, feeding on St. Augustinegrass, and western chinch bug, Blissus occiduus Barber, feeding on buffalograss. This is only the third time a heteropterans species has been recorded by …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Systematics And Distributions Of The Genera Cyrtusa Erichson, Ecarinosphaerula Hatch, Isoplastus Horn, Liocyrtusa Daffner, Lionothus Brown, And Zeadolopus Broun Of The United States And Canada (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leiodinae: Leiodini), Stewart B. Peck, Joyce Cook

Insecta Mundi

The following genera of Leiodini (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Leiodinae) of the continental United States and Canada are reviewed: Cyrtusa Erichson, with two species; Isoplastus Horn, with two species (one new); Liocyrtusa Daffner, with three species; Lionothus Brown, with five species (three new), and Zeadolopus Broun, with four species (all genera are in the “Cyrtusa genus group”) and Ecarinosphaerula Hatch, with one named species (in the “Leiodes genus group”). The new species are Isoplastus floridanus Peck and Cook of Florida; Lionothus bidentatus Peck and Cook of Texas and Oklahoma, Lionothus exiguus Peck and Cook of Florida and Texas, and Lionothus …

Effects Of Flight On Gene Expression And Aging In The Honey Bee Brain And Flight Muscle, Joseph W. Margotta, Georgina E. Mancinelli, Azucena A. Benito, Andrew Ammons, Stephen P. Roberts, Michelle M. Elekonich

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Honeybees Move through a Series of In-Hive Tasks (E.g., "Nursing") to Outside Tasks (E.g., "Foraging") that Are Coincident with Physiological Changes and Higher Levels of Metabolic Activity. Social Context Can Cause Worker Bees to Speed Up or Slow Down This Process, and Foragers May Revert Back to their Earlier In-Hive Tasks Accompanied by Reversion to Earlier Physiological States. to Investigate the Effects of Flight, Behavioral State and Age on Gene Expression, We Used Whole-Genome Microarrays and Real-Time PCR. Brain Tissue and Flight Muscle Exhibited Different Patterns of Expression during Behavioral Transitions, with Expression Patterns in the Brain Reflecting Both Age …