Abstract Like most phytophagous insect pests, wireworms are suspected to use plant volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to locate appropriate host plants. Preliminary field observations at our study site showed strong differences in the infestation level of four varieties of maize by wireworms. We raised and tested the hypothesis that these maize varieties have differential susceptibility/attraction to

Abstract The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a polyphagous pest of fruit and vegetable crops. Kiwifruit is an economically important fruit, and occasional outbreaks of BMSB have been reported in kiwifruit orchards in China, Italy, and Greece. However, information on the types of damage and damage levels on fruit that BMSB can cause during the

Abstract Diamide insecticides selectively acting on insect ryanodine receptors (RyR) were launched to the market more than 10 years ago, particularly targeted for the control of lepidopteran pest species in diverse agronomic and horticultural cropping systems. They are now globally registered in many countries and provide reliable control levels in most settings. However, their frequent application

Abstract Plant viruses can modify the performance and behavior of insect vectors to maximize their transmission rates. Whether viruses can evolve to mediate their insect vectors’ interspecific competition is poorly understood. Here, we used two vectors of tomato zonate spot virus (TZSV), one native species (Thrips palmi) and one exotic species (Frankliniella occidentalis), to investigate this in laboratory

Abstract Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) provide direct benefits to plants as antimicrobials and herbivore repellents, but their potential as direct toxins to herbivores is unclear. Here, we assayed the larvicidal activity of six common HIPVs from three different biochemical pathways and tested the hypothesis that the larvicidal activity of HIPVs is related to the host specialization of the

Abstract In recent centuries, the mosquito Aedes aegypti has spread into most urban areas throughout the tropics. This species is considered the main vector of the chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever and Zika viruses and causes major public health issues. The aim of this study is to investigate the relative influence of biotic and abiotic parameters on immature populations of Ae. aegypti. During a one-year-long

Abstract Many factors affect the host range of baculoviruses. Chrysodeixis includens and Trichoplusia ni are two closely related members of the lepidopteran subfamily Plusiinae that are important insect pests of different crops worldwide. In Brazil, C. includens has recently become a major defoliating pest of soybean. In this study, we compared the susceptibility of C. includens and T. ni to an alphabaculovirus

Abstract Despite the fact that temperatures fluctuate on a daily basis in the field, the effect of fluctuating temperature on the susceptibility of pest insects to agricultural management tactics are lacking. We thus tested how the development of Spodoptera littoralis and Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is influenced by exposure to an insecticidal genetically engineered pulverized powder

Abstract Non-random oviposition preference by target pest species on Bt and non-Bt refuge plants may increase the proportion of the population under selection pressure, reducing the value of the refuge strategy for resistance management. Here, we tested the oviposition preference for Bt over non-Bt plants and the damage-avoiding oviposition behavior of moths of the fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda

Abstract Pyflubumide is a novel selective carboxanilide acaricide that inhibits mitochondrial complex II of spider mite species such as Tetranychus urticae. We explored the baseline toxicity and potential cross-resistance risk of pyflubumide in a reference panel of T. urticae strains resistant to various acaricides with different modes of action. A cyenopyrafen-resistant strain (JPR) was identified

Abstract The most severe outcome of the widespread interspecific competition that occurs between invasive organisms and their local congeners is species displacement. The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), which originated from western North America, has invaded much of the agricultural world since the 1970s, and in so doing, has become a dominant thrips species in many of

Abstract Common voles (Microtus arvalis) are widespread in the European agricultural landscape from central Spain to central Russia. During population outbreaks, significant damage to a variety of crops is caused and the risk of pathogen transmission from voles to people increases. In 2019, increasing or unusually high common vole densities have been reported from several European countries. This is

Abstract This paper presents the first report of the occurrence of the pinion-streaked snout Schrankia costaestrigalis (Stephens, 1834) in China and the first known record of this pest’s damage to potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in the world. This discovery allowed us to alert entomologists and farmers, as well as agricultural agencies, and to provide a diagnostic tool to prevent potential establishment

Abstract The red palm weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, an oligophagous borer that specifically attacks the Arecaceae family, poses a serious threat to commercial and ornamental palms. Originally from tropical Asia, the RPW has spread to Africa and Europe, reaching the Mediterranean region 30 year ago. Characterizing its spread is a key aspect of effectively managing its geographical expansion

Abstract Agricultural ecosystems are being increasingly exposed to the interactive effects of biological invasions, climate fluctuation, and human actions, with increasing temperatures and intense transportations expected to lead to the aggravation of alien species invasions. We thus assessed this expectation for a global invasive pest, the oriental fruit fly (Bactrocera dorsalis), by determining whether

Abstract Nitrogen fertilizers are widely used to maximize crop productivity but are also known to benefit pest insects. Here we show that nitrogen not only increased the egg size of the key pest, brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens Stål, but also benefitted the predatory mirid bug, Cyrtorhinus lividipennis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae). Predator nymph survival and development rate, female adult

Abstract The Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis, is a serious pest and is widely distributed in corn-producing regions throughout China. This insect enters facultative diapause as fully grown larvae in response to short day lengths. Here, we evaluate the changes in diapause incidence and critical day length (CDL) by crossing a tropical strain with five subtropical and temperate strains from a 2897-km

Abstract The main goal of the present study was to evaluate the hexanoic acid (HEX) and acetic acid (ACET), two active ingredients of the nematicidal Melia azedarach fruits water extract (MWE), for use on root knot nematodes control. We studied the effect of the acids on various growth stages of the phytoparasitic nematode Meloidogyne javanica, along with the phytotoxicity on tomato plants, their fate

Abstract For Colorado potato beetle, an integrated approach including semiochemicals and other nonpesticidal tactics is essential to sustainable management. A volatile aggregation pheromone produced by male adult beetles is attractive to both females and males. Yet earlier research also indicates that males respond to a yet-unidentified female-produced sex pheromone. We investigated male Colorado potato

Abstract Bemisia tabaci is an agricultural pest of worldwide distribution that causes serious damage to several crops. It is of crucial importance to control this pest, especially for large-scale production. Accordingly, formulations based on essential oils of pesticidal action are potentially promising in the agricultural sector. Additionally, the nanoencapsulation of these bioactive compounds promotes

Abstract Previous data showed that the parasitoid wasp Aphelinus asychis was more successful on Sitobion avenae clones artificially infected with different strains of Regiella insecticola compared to the same clones lacking facultative symbionts. To test whether this resulted from a specific interaction between the aphid and symbiont genotype, we used new clonal lines from a different genotype of S

Carabid beetles are abundant in temperate agroecosystems and can play a pivotal role as biocontrol agents. While there is good knowledge regarding their effects on invertebrate pests in some systems, comparably little is known on the rate of seed feeding under field conditions. Molecular approaches are ideally suited for investigating carabid feeding interactions; to date, however, they have only been

Rice planthoppers and associated virus diseases have become the most important pests threatening food security in China and other Asian countries, incurring costs of hundreds of millions of US dollars annually in rice losses, and in expensive, environmentally harmful, and often futile control efforts. The most economically damaging species, the brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens (Hemiptera: Delphacidae)

Drosophila suzukii, commonly known as the spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is an exotic fruit fly from Southeast Asia that was introduced to the temperate regions of North America and Europe in 2008. It attacks a wide variety of fruits and has become a devastating pest of soft-skinned fruit crops. Due to the rapid spread of SWD across the newly invaded continents, fresh fruit markets have a zero-tolerance

The Asian spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii, has recently become a serious pest of soft fruits in Europe. Classical biological control through the introduction of larval parasitoids from its native range in Asia is presently being considered. However, host specificity of potential biological control agents has to be determined to avoid releasing species that may have unintended non-target

It is crucial to consider the effects of large-scale drivers on species presences and ecological interactions to understand what structures communities. In our study, we investigated how the species composition and the potential interaction networks of herbivore and parasitoid communities in oilseed rape fields are affected by agricultural landscape characteristics. Insect communities of 26 winter

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), has been causing massive damage to various fruit and vegetable crops after its arrival in the USA, and more recently in Europe. To provide an alternative control measure to pesticides, the native egg parasitoid Anastatus bifasciatus (Geoffroy) (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) was considered as a candidate biological control

The increasing problem of bed bugs requires the development of new control strategies, and insect pathogenic fungi can contribute towards management. We used laboratory bioassays with Isaria fumosoroseus, Lecanicillium muscarium and Beauveria bassiana to evaluate their virulence to the bed bug. Only B. bassiana significantly affected bed bug survival and was dependent on dose and formulation. A 2%

Physiological constraints restrict specialist pathogens from infecting new hosts. From an applied perspective, a narrow host range makes specialist pathogens interesting for targeting specific pest insects since they have minimal direct effects on non-target species. Entomopathogenic fungi of the genus Entomophthora are dipteran-specific but have not been investigated for their ability to infect the

Yeasts play an important role in nutrition physiology and host attraction of many Drosophila species, and associations with various yeast species are documented for several drosophilid flies. The pest Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) has a predominant association with the yeast Hanseniaspora uvarum. However, research has not been conducted on the nutritional physiology of the yeasts associated with D

Seed orchards function as the primary source of high-quality seeds for reforestation in many European countries, but their seed yields can be severely reduced due to seed- and cone-feeding insects. We evaluated various parameters of pheromone-based mating disruption for control of the moths Cydia strobilella and Dioryctria abietella, which are major pests in European Picea abies seed orchards. We applied

Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) infestation by Opisina arenosella (Lepidoptera: Oecophoridae) in the Indian subcontinent may occur in November to May each year in the same or adjoining areas of plantations. Parasitoids of O. arenosella may also be consistently present at these times. During other periods, pests and/or parasitoids could be maintained on intercrops that are commonly grown throughout the

Rodent pest management traditionally relies on some form of lethal control. Developing effective fertility control for pest rodent species could be a major breakthrough particularly in the context of managing rodent population outbreaks. This laboratory-based study is the first to report on the effects of using fertility compounds on an outbreaking rodent pest species found throughout sub-Saharan Africa

We investigated the dual effects of bacterial infections and diseased cassava plants on the fitness and biology of the Bemisia tabaci infesting cassava in Africa. Isofemale B. tabaci colonies of sub-Saharan Africa 1-subgroup 3 (SSA1-SG3), infected with two secondary endosymbiotic bacteria Arsenophonus and Rickettsia (AR+) and those free of AR infections (AR-), were compared for fitness parameters on

Drosophila suzukii, a vinegar fly originated from Southeast Asia, has recently invaded western countries, and it has been recognized as an important threat of a wide variety of several commercial soft fruits. This review summarizes the current information about the biology and dispersal of D. suzukii and discusses the current status and prospects of control methods for the management of this pest.

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is an invasive species native to regions of China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. In its native and introduced range, H. halys is considered a pest of tree fruits, vegetables, legumes, and ornamental trees. The highly polyphagous nature of this insect as well as its vast dispersal capabilities, require an integrated approach to management. Here we

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål), native to China, Japan, and Korea, has emerged as a harmful invasive pest of a variety of crops in North America and Europe. The Asian egg parasitoid Trissolcus japonicus has been identified as the most promising agent for classical biological control of invasive H. halys populations. A 4-year study evaluated the fundamental and ecological host

Plants respond to insect attack by emission of volatile organic compounds, which recruit natural enemies of the attacking herbivore, constituting an indirect plant defence strategy. In this context, the egg parasitoid Trissolcus basalis is attracted by oviposition-induced plant volatiles emitted by Vicia faba plants as a consequence of feeding and oviposition by the pentatomid host Nezara viridula

Insect-plant interactions may be unintentionally affected when introducing genetically modified (GM) crops into an agro-ecosystem. Our aim was to test the non-target effects of a late blight-resistant GM potato on Myzus persicae in greenhouse and climate room experiments and understand how position and number of R gene insertions can affect non-targets in GM events. We also aimed to compare results

Understanding the mechanisms of insecticide resistance to vector mosquitoes is critical for the implementation of effective control measures. A nulliparous susceptible Culex pipiens pallens (KSCP) laboratory colony and two field strains from Paju (PAJ) and Jeonju (JEO) Korea were evaluated for susceptibility to five pesticides by microapplication techniques. Unfed PAJ and JEO females demonstrated increased

The recent introduction of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe and its involvement in the Olive Quick Decline Syndrome (OQDS) in Apulia (Salento, Lecce district, South Italy) led us to investigate the biology and transmission ability of the meadow spittlebug, Philaenus spumarius, which was recently demonstrated to transmit X. fastidiosa to periwinkle plants. Four xylem-sap-feeding insect species were found

Chilo partellus is a major crop pest in Asia and Africa, and has recently spread to the Mediterranean region. Knowledge of its potential distribution can inform biosecurity policies aimed at limiting its further spread and efforts to reduce its impact in areas that are already invaded. Three models of the potential distribution of this insect have been published, each with significant shortcomings

The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius, Hemiptera; Cimicidae) infests homes and service industries, and the number of infestations has greatly increased over the past 20 years. At present, no cost-effective control methods are available, and eradication programs are expensive and laborious. We investigated the control potential of desiccant dust in combination with CO2 as a bed bug activity stimulant

A model for the corn rootworm Diabrotica spp. combined with a temporally explicit model for development of corn roots across the soil profile was developed to link pest ecology, root damage and yield loss. Development of the model focused on simulating root damage from rootworm feeding in accordance with observations in the field to allow the virtual testing of efficacy from management interventions

Drosophila suzukii causes economic damage to berry and stone fruit worldwide. Laboratory-generated datasets were standardized and combined on the basis of degree days (DD), using Gompertz and Cauchy curves for survival and reproduction. Eggs transitioned to larvae at 20.3 DD; larvae to pupae at 118.1 DD; and pupae to adults at 200 DD. All adults are expected to have died at 610 DD. Oviposition initiates

Biological pest control with mass-produced arthropod natural enemies is well developed in greenhouse crops and has often resulted in the evolution of complex ecosystems with persistent populations of multiple arthropod natural enemy species. However, there are cases where arthropod natural enemies are either not effective enough, not available, or their use is rather costly. For these reasons, biological

Species are embedded in complex networks of ecological interactions and assessing these networks provides a powerful approach to understand what the consequences of these interactions are for ecosystem functioning and services. This is mandatory to develop and evaluate strategies for the management and control of pests. Graphical representations of networks can help recognize patterns that might be

Successful biological control of agricultural pests is dependent on a thorough understanding of the underlying trophic interactions between predators and prey. Studying trophic interactions can be challenging, particularly when generalist predators that frequently use multiple prey and interact with both pest and alternative prey are considered. In this context, diagnostic PCR proved to be a suitable

The bean fly (Ophiomyia spp.) is considered the most economically damaging field insect pest of common beans in Uganda. Despite the use of existing pest management approaches, reported damage has remained high. Forty-eight traditional and improved common bean varieties currently grown in farmers' fields were evaluated for resistance against bean fly. Data on bean fly incidence, severity and root damage

The invasive spotted wing drosophila Drosophila suzukii, a fruit fly of Asian origin, is a major pest of a wide variety of berry and stone fruits in Europe. One of the characteristics of this fly is its wide host range. A better knowledge of its host range outside cultivated areas is essential to develop sustainable integrated pest management strategies. Field surveys were carried out during two years

β-Damascone appeared a weak attractant close to not active to Myzus persicae, but modifications of its structure caused the avoidance of treated leaves by aphids during settling and reluctance to probe in simple choice- and no-choice experiments in previous studies. Here, the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique, which allows monitoring of aphid probing within plant tissues, was applied to

Apple sawfly (Hoplocampa testudinea Klug) is a serious pest in European organic apple production. They hatch during a short period only, making correct timing of control measures crucial. Swedish organic growers have requested a strategy for optimal timing of the Quassia amara (Simaroubaceae) extract against the apple sawfly. The aim of this study was, therefore, to develop methods to predict the timing

Live organisms intercepted from treated commodities during phytosanitary inspections usually arouse suspicions of treatment failure, sub-standard treatment application, or post-treatment infestation. The additional possibility that some treatments could kill slowly, meaning commodities might be inspected before pests have succumbed, is seldom considered for treatments other than irradiation. We used

Currently, integrated pest management (IPM) of wireworms is not widespread in Europe. Therefore, to estimate the densities of three major wireworm species in southern Europe (Agriotes brevis Candeze, A. sordidus Illiger, and A. ustulatus Schäller), bait traps were deployed pre-seeding in maize fields in north-eastern Italy between 1993 and 2011. Research discovered that there was a significant correlation

Nezara viridula (L.), Euschistus servus (Say), and Chinavia hilaris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are economic pests of cotton in the southeastern USA. Because adult stink bugs exhibit edge-mediated dispersal at crop-to-crop interfaces as they colonize cotton, strategic placement of physical barriers at these interfaces could manage these pests. The objective of this study was to determine the

The effects of two polyphenolic flavonoids (flavanone naringenin and flavonol quercetin) on development, fecundity, and mortality of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris (Hemiptera: Aphididae), were determined in vitro, on an artificial diets. Also determined in vitro (DC EPG method), on sucrose-agarose gels, were the effects of flavonoids on the probing and feeding behavior of adult apterae.

The larval stages of Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) cause more direct feeding damage to plants than the adults. We, therefore, investigated the behaviour-modifying effects on second instar larvae of two jasmonic acid derivatives. The artificial application of methyl jasmonate and cis-jasmone, both at 1 % concentration, deterred the larvae from settling in a dual choice

We present an agent-based simulation (ABS) of Ceratitis capitata ("Medfly") developed for estimating the time to extirpation of this pest in areas where quarantines and eradication treatments were immediately imposed. We use the ABS, implemented in the program MED-FOES, to study seven different outbreaks that occurred in Southern California from 2008 to 2010. Results are compared with the length of

The present studies were carried out to evaluate resistance in the populations of Spodoptera litura Fab. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) from five districts of Hunan Province in China to various insecticides from 2010 to 2012 using a standard leaf dip bioassay method. For organophosphates and pyrethroids, resistance ratios compared with a susceptible Lab-BJ strain were in the range of 14-229-fold for organophosphates

The transfer of conidia of Metarhizium anisopliae between tsetse flies Glossina morsitans and the effects of fungal inoculation on mating and blood meal feeding behaviors were investigated in the laboratory. Male or female flies were inoculated with fungal conidia ("donors") and allowed to pair with fungus-free mate of opposite sex ("recipients") at 1-day-interval up to three mates. Fungus-treated