September, 2013
The Entomological Society of America is the #1 source of scientific information for the urban entomologist. This email is a service of the Entomological Society of America for all Associate Certified Entomologists (ACEs) and Board Certified Entomologists (BCEs) who hold a specialty in urban and industrial entomology.
Here is a summary of some recent articles in the ESA journals that relate to structural pest management and urban arthropod pests. The abstracts are freely available online for all articles, though access to the full text will generally require member in the Entomological Society of America, in addition to your certification.
Delayed Toxicity of Two Chitinolytic Enzyme Inhibitors (Psammaplin A and Pentoxifylline) Against Eastern Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)
Abstract: By using a no-choice feeding bioassay, delayed toxicity and concentration-dependent mortality of two chitinolytic enzyme inhibitors, pentoxifylline and psammaplin A, were evaluated by determining LT
50, LT
90, and LT
99 (lethal time) against the economically important eastern subterranean termite,
Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). Pentoxifylline- and psammaplin A-incorporated diets (filter paper) were assayed at 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08, and 0.21% and 0.0375, 0.075, 0.15, and 0.3% active ingredient (wt:wt), respectively. Acetone-only treated filter paper served as diet for the control treatments. Termite workers were allowed to feed on diet until 100% test population mortality occurred (80-95 d). Both chitinase inhibitors were shown to be toxic to
R. flavipes...(
Full abstract here)
Authors: Husen, Timothy J.; Kamble, Shripat T.
Source:
Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 106, Number 4
Feeding Response of Subterranean Termites Coptotermes curvignathus and Coptotermes gestroi (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) to Baits Supplemented With Sugars, Amino Acids, and Cassava
Abstract: Feeding responses of subterranean termites
Coptotermes curvignathus (Holmgren) and
Coptotermes gestroi (Wasmann) (Blattodea: Rhinotermitidae) to bait matrices supplemented with various sugars, amino acids, and cassava were evaluated both in the laboratory and field. The results indicated that the two termite species consumed significantly different amount of filter papers that had been treated with various types and concentrations of sugars and amino acids. Based on consumption and survival data, filter papers with 3% glucose and 3% xylose were among the most consumed by
C. curvignathus and
C. gestroi, respectively. Both termite species consumed more of the filter papers treated with 3% casein than filter papers treated with l-alanine... (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Castillo, Venite Pesigan; Sajap, Ahmad Said; Sahri, Mohd Hamami
Source:
Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 106, Number 4
Effect of Trap Design, Chemical Lure, Carbon Dioxide Release Rate, and Source of Carbon Dioxide on Efficacy of Bed Bug Monitors
Abstract: Bed bugs, (
Cimex lectularius L.), are difficult to find because of their nocturnal and secretive behavior. In recent years, a number of monitors containing carbon dioxide (CO
2), chemical lures, heat, or both, to attract bed bugs have been developed for detecting bed bugs. Ineffective trap design, lack of attraction of chemical lures, high cost of the CO
2 delivery system, or insufficient CO
2 release rates are some factors that limited the wide adoption of these monitors. To develop an affordable and effective monitor, we conducted a series of laboratory and field tests. Specifically, we tested a new pitfall trap design, a chemical lure mixture, different CO
2 release rates, and a sugar and yeast mixture as CO
2 source. Results show the new pitfall trap design was significantly more effective than Climbup insect interceptor, the most effective passive monitor available in the market for bed bugs. (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Singh, Narinderpal; Wang, Changlu; Cooper, Richard
Source:
Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 106, Number 4
Lufenuron Suppresses the Resistance of Formosan Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) to Entomopathogenic Bacteria
Abstract: Pesticides can negatively affect insect immunity. Although studies show that Formosan subterranean termites,
Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, are resistant to microbial infections, the effects of pesticides on disease resistance is not well studied. In this study,
C. formosanus previously fed lufenuron was exposed to each of the three entomopathogenic bacteria,
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Schroeter) Migula,
Serratia marcescens Bizio, and
Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner subsp.
israelensis. We found that termite mortality was significantly higher and synergistic in the combination of lufenuron and
P. aeruginosa compared with treatment of lufenuron or
P. aeruginosa alone... (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Wang, Cai; Henderson, Gregg; Gautam, Bal K.
Source:
Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 106, Number 4
Evidence of Formosan Subterranean Termite Group Size and Associated Bacteria in the Suppression of Entomopathogenic Bacteria, Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis and thuringiensis
Abstract: The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, was studied for its ability to suppress two entomopathogenic bacteria,
Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies
israelensis (Bti) and
thuringiensis (Btt). Different group sizes (50, 25, 10, and no termites [control]) of
C. formosanus were placed on well-grown
Bti or
Btt agar plates. On day 1, the diameters of
Bti and
Btt colonies in the three treatments containing termites were significantly smaller than in the controls. The diameters of
Bti and
Btt colonies in the 50-termite treatment were significantly smaller than in the 10-termite treatment. However, neither was significantly different from the 25-termite treatment.... (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Wang, Cai; Henderson, Gregg
Source:
Annals of the ESA, Volume 106, Number 4
The Deployed Warfighter Protection (DWFP) Research Program: Developing New Public Health Pesticides, Application Technologies, and Repellent Systems
Abstract: The Research Program for Deployed Warfighter Protection (DWFP) against disease-carrying insects is an initiative by the United States Department of Defense to develop, validate and use novel materials and technologies to protect deployed military personnel from vector-borne diseases, especially those transmitted by mosquitoes and sand flies. Launched in 2004 and administered by the U.S. Armed Forces Pest Management Board, the program is funded at US$5 million annually. The DWFP research portfolio is concentrated in three areas: novel insecticide chemistries/formulations, application technologies, and personal protective measures. (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Burkett, Douglas A.; Cope, Stanton E.; Strickman, Daniel A.; White, Graham B.
Source:
Journal of Integrated Pest Management, Volume 4, Number 2
Environmental Forcing Shapes Regional House Mosquito Synchrony in a Warming Temperate Island
Abstract: Seasonal changes in the abundance of exothermic organisms can be expected with climate change if warmer temperatures can induce changes in their phenology. Given the increased time for ectothermic organism development at lower temperatures, we asked whether population dynamics of the house mosquito, Culex pipiens s.l. (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae), in Jeju-do (South Korea), an island with a gradient of warming temperatures from north to south, showed differences in sensitivity to changes in temperature along the warming gradient. In addition, we asked whether synchrony, that is, the degree of concerted fluctuations in mosquito abundance across locations, was affected by the temperature gradient. We found the association of mosquito abundance with temperature to be delayed by 2 wk in the north when compared with the south. (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Chaves, Luis Fernando; Higa, Yukiko; Lee, Su Hyun; Jeong, Ji Yeon; Heo, Sang Taek; Kim, Miok; Minakawa, Noboru; Lee, Keun Hwa
Source:
Environmental Entomology, Volume 42, Number 4
Review of the Biology, Ecology, and Management of Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea
Abstract: Native to China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, the brown marmorated stink bug,
Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) was first detected in the United States in the mid-1990s. Since establishing in the United States, this invasive species has caused significant economic losses in agriculture and created major nuisance problems for home and business owners, especially in the mid-Atlantic region. Basic and applied questions on
H. halys have been addressed in its native range in Asia since the mid-1900s and the research outcomes have been published in at least 216 articles from China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea. In Asia,
H. halys is described as an occasional or outbreak pest of a number of crops such as apple, pear, persimmon, and soybeans. This species is considered a nuisance pest as well...(
Full abstract here)
Authors: Lee, Doo-Hyung; Short, Brent D.; Joseph, Shimat V.; Bergh, J. Christopher; Leskey, Tracy C.
Source:
Environmental Entomology, Volume 42, Number 4
Overwintering Biology of Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquitoes in the Sacramento Valley of California
Abstract: At temperate latitudes,
Culex (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes typically overwinter as adult females in reproductive arrest and also may serve as reservoir hosts for arboviruses when cold temperatures arrest viral replication. To evaluate their role in the persistence of West Nile virus (WNV) in the Sacramento Valley of California, the induction and termination of diapause were investigated for members of the
Culex pipiens (L.) complex,
Culex tarsalis Coquillett, and
Culex stigmatosoma Dyar under field, seminatural, and experimental conditions. All
Culex spp. remained vagile throughout winter, enabling the collection of 3,174 females and 1,706 males from diverse habitats during the winters of 2010-2012. Overwintering strategies included both quiescence and diapause. In addition,
Cx. pipiens form molestus Forskäl females remained reproductively active in both underground and above ground habitats... (
Full abstract here)
Authors: Nelms, Brittany M.; Macedo, Paula A.; Kothera, Linda; Savage, Harry M.; Reisen, William K.
Source:
Journal of Medical Entomology, Volume 50, Number 4
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