Many plant bugs (Miridae) are generalist herbivores that feed on multiple host species. The reasons these bugs move across hosts and the behavioural mechanisms responsible for their retention at specific hosts remain elusive. Green mirids (Creontiades dilutus) are endemic to Australia. These insects are important pests of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) and even in low numbers can cause substantial damage to crops. These bugs are also present in relatively much higher numbers on pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) planted alongside cotton fields, and evidence shows they move across these crops in both directions. Observations of these highly mobile insects in the field are challenging, but indirect evidence suggests that they may be nocturnal. This study evaluated: (1) the diel (24 h) period in which C. dilutus adults were most active, (2) whether they respond to plant volatiles immediately prior to landing on host substrates, and (3) if their presence on a host is in response to attraction or arrestment cues. The results suggest that C. dilutus bugs are typically most active early in the evenings, after remaining motionless during the day (unless disturbed). Their movement (at night) was arrested by hosts prior to touching plant tissues. There was no evidence to suggest that these bugs are attracted by volatiles beyond 2 cm. These outcomes demonstrate that insect behaviours need to be investigated within their typical activity periods, and that arrestment cues possibly play a central role in the host finding process of generalist C. dilutus and probably, therefore, other mirid species.

The aphid Myzus persicae s.l. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is an important pest of many crops worldwide with a complex life cycle, intensely controlled by chemical pesticides, and has developed resistance to almost all used insecticides. In Greece, the aphid exhibits high genetic variation and adaptability and it is a classic example of evolution in the making. We have been studying M. persicae for over 20 years, on different host plants and varying geographical areas, analyzing its bio-ecology and the ability to develop resistance to insecticides. In this review, we present new and historical data on the effectiveness of insecticides from seven chemical groups used to control the aphid in Greece and the incidence of seven resistance mechanisms, including the new fast-spreading R81T point mutation of the postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Thousands of samples were tested by biological, biochemical and molecular assays. The aphid populations were found to have developed and maintain resistance at medium to high levels to organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids and neonicotinoids for decades. In the latter group, a marked increase is recorded during an ~10-year period. The data analyzed and the extensive bibliography, advocate the difficulty to control the aphid making the design and application of IPM/IRM programs a challenge. We discuss principles and recommendations for the management of resistance, including the use of compounds such as flonicamid, spirotetramat, flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor. We emphasize that resistance is a dynamic phenomenon, changing in time and space, requiring, therefore, continuous monitoring.

Helicoverpa armigera is a pest of several crops causing significant economic impact. We evaluated the insect development on different vegetative and reproductive structures of cotton, maize, and soybean compared to artificial diet. One hundred individuals were evaluated per structure (cotton leaves and bolls; maize leaves, grains, and silk; soybean leaves and pods) and artificial diet. Centesimal analyses were performed on quantifiable nutrient contents in diets. The viability of immatures (eggs, larvae, and pupae) ranged from 30% on maize leaf to 74% on cotton bolls, while on the artificial diet, it was 70%. Maize, cotton, and soybean leaves provided viability of 30, 37, and 42%, respectively, revealing these leaves tissues are less favorable to the development of H. armigera immatures compared to ‘reproductive tissues’. Centesimal composition of diets compared 14 common components in all diets, which correlated significantly with larval and pupal stages and/or pupal weight. Of the 12 dietary components that significantly affected larval development time, half were negatively correlated, indicating a decrease in developmental time from their increments. In general, when insects were confined separately to substrates, the artificial diet was the most suitable for H. armigera development compared to the evaluated natural diets. However, in natural conditions, the variability of available hosts must be considered. In addition, it is acceptable for moths to select more suitable hosts for oviposition, while their larvae move to other more suitable tissues of the same plant or even migrate to other plants.

The oriental armyworm Mythimna separata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a major migratory pest of cereal crops in East Asia, South Asia and Australia. To comprehensively understand the ecological tolerance of M. separata, we collected life table data of individuals from four consecutive generations reared under outdoor natural fluctuating temperatures from 15 April to 17 October 2018 in Yangling, Shaanxi, China. The results showed that the immature stage in early summer and summer were shorter than in spring and autumn. High mortality in late larval instar and pupal stages was observed in the summer generation. The adult pre-oviposition period in autumn was longer than the other seasons. The population in the earlier two seasons had heavier pupae and higher fecundity than the population in the latter two seasons. The intrinsic rate of increase and the finite rate of increase was the highest in early summer (r = 0.1292 day−1, λ = 1.1391 day−1), followed by spring (r = 0.1102 day−1, λ = 1.1165 day−1), and was the lowest in summer (r = 0.0281 day−1, λ = 1.0293 day−1). The results of this study would be useful to predict the population dynamics of M. separata and deepen our standing of the adaptiveness of this migratory pest in natural fluctuating ambient environments.

The accumulation of nutrients during diapause preparation is crucial because any lack of nutrition will reduce the likelihood of insects completing diapause, thereby decreasing their chances of survival and reproduction. The fall webworm, Hyphantria cunea, diapause as overwintering pupae and their diapause incidence and diapause intensity are regulated by the photoperiod. In this study, we test the hypothesis that photoperiod influences energy reserve accumulation during diapause preparation in fall webworm. We found that the body size and mass, lipid and carbohydrate content of pupae with a short photoperiod during the diapause induction phase were significantly greater than those of pupae with a relatively short photoperiod, and the efficiency of converting digested food and ingested food into body matter was greater in the short-photoperiod diapause-destined larvae than the relatively short-photoperiod diapause-destined larvae. We also observed higher lipase and amylase activities in short-photoperiod diapause-destined larvae relative to the counterparts. However, no obvious difference was found in protein and protease in the pupae with a short photoperiod during the diapause induction phase and short-photoperiod diapause-destined larvae compared with the counterparts. Therefore, we conclude that the energy reserve patterns of diapausing fall webworm pupae are plastic and that short-photoperiod diapause-destined larvae increase their energy reserves by improving their feeding efficiency and increase their lipid and carbohydrate stores by increasing the lipase and amylase activities in the midgut.

The European (Melolontha melolontha L.) and Forest (M. hippocastani F.) cockchafer are widespread pests throughout Central Europe. Both species exhibit a 3–5-year life cycle and occur in temporally shifted populations, which have been monitored and documented for more than 100 years. Visual identification of adults and larvae belonging to these morphologically similar species requires expertise and, particularly in the case of larvae, is challenging and equivocal. The goal of the study was the development of an efficient and fast molecular genetic tool for the identification and discrimination of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani. We established a collection of both species from Switzerland, Austria and Northern Italy in 2016, 2017 and 2018. An approximately 1550 bp long fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) mitochondrial gene was amplified and sequenced in 13 M. melolontha and 13 M. hippocastani beetles. Alignment of the new sequences with reference sequences (NCBI GenBank and BOLDSYSTEMS databases) and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed consistent clustering of the two species. After the identification of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CO1 alignment, we developed an effective SNP tool based on the ABI PRISM® SNaPshot™ Multiplex Kit for the rapid and accurate species discrimination of adults and larvae.

The false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is an insect pest which represents an important threat to the production and marketing of a wide range of agricultural crops in the African-Caribbean-Pacific (ACP) countries. The FCM reduces not only the yield and quality of the crop but also as a quarantine insect pest, restricts the trade of susceptible agricultural produce on the international market. In addition, little research has been conducted in the ACP countries on the bio-ecology and sustainable management of this pest, especially on vegetables for export. Thus, action-oriented research aimed at understanding the bio-ecology of this important pest is essential to achieve effective management. Various management interventions against this pest have been used in some parts of the world, especially in South Africa on citrus. Currently, farm sanitation is regarded as the key management strategy. Exploring and improving on other interventions such as Sterile Insect Technique, monitoring and mass trapping of male moths, augmentative biological control, use of bio-pesticides, protected cultivation and cold treatment may help to mitigate the expansion of FCM into other countries, especially in the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization region where it has become a regulated insect pest since 2014. This review discussed the bio-ecology of FCM and highlighted some of the challenges and opportunities for its effective management and its implication for international trade, especially the export of chillies from the ACP countries into the European Union market which requires strict phytosanitary regulations.

This study evaluated the potential of flowering plant species naturally occurring to promote the conservation and early establishment of key natural enemies of aphids and thrips in apple and peach orchards. Flowering plants present in the North East of Spain, a main fruit production area in Europe, were sampled to determine their flowering period and to identify potential natural enemies present on each plant species. Thirty-six plant species were found blooming from early March to late May and provided an array of flowers that might ensure food resources for natural enemies. Among them, six species – Eruca vesicaria (L.) Cav., Cardaria draba (L.) Desv., Euphorbia serrata (L.) S.G. Gmel., Malva sylvestris L., Anacyclus clavatus (Desf.) Pers. and Diplotaxis erucoides (L.) DC. – hosted a high diversity of potential natural enemies of aphids and thrips. Their blooming started early in the season and lasted for several sampling weeks and they were widely distributed. Moreover, they had available nectar even in those species with protected nectaries. Therefore, these plant species can be considered as promising candidates for inclusion in the ecological infrastructure designed for fruit orchards in the study area to promote the conservation of the biological control agents of aphids and thrips.

The brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys is one of the most harmful invasive species in the world. Native to East Asia, this insect was introduced into North America in the 1990s and into Europe in the 2000s where it subsequently established and spread across the continent. Previous population genetic studies determined the invasion pathways at continental and national levels. However, information on the dynamics on a small-scale is currently scarce. Here we study the genetic diversity and population dynamics of H. halys in South Tyrol, a region in Northern Italy, since its arrival to its widespread establishment over a period of four years. By haplotyping 162 individuals from ten populations (including six previously published individuals) we found a high haplotype diversity in most populations with an increasing diversity across the different years. Most haplotypes were previously found in other regions of Northern Italy, providing evidence for migration from neighboring regions. However, the presence of four previously undescribed haplotypes as well as a haplotype previously found exclusively in Greece highlights additional long-distance dispersal across the continent. Phylogenetic analysis of the haplotypes found in South Tyrol showed that the majority of haplotypes clustered with haplotypes predominantly found in Japan. This suggests a potential recent introduction of H. halys individuals from Japan into Europe, and thus an additional invasion pathway that was previously unidentified.

Drosophila suzukii is an invasive fruit pest in Europe and America. Females lay eggs into mature fruit that larvae consume causing important losses. Sterile insect technique (SIT) is under development to control this pest. The efficiency of this technique relies on insect quality. However, during the process from mass production to field release, several steps may compromise insect quality and therefore SIT success. Shipment of sterile insects after irradiation is a key step of SIT programmes. Generally, insects are shipped as pupae and conditions during transport need to be adapted to prevent emergence before field release, while guaranteeing insect quality. To do so, transport is usually performed under low temperature, hypoxia or a combination of both. However, the impact of multiple stressors such as irradiation followed by chilling combined with hypoxia is poorly described and has not been studied in D. suzukii. Therefore, the aim of this study was to simulate a shipment of D. suzukii pupae (irradiated or not) under different conditions (chilling combined or not with hypoxia) for various durations, and to assess consequences on emerged adults. Irradiation followed by hypoxia and/or chilling only weakly altered emergence. However, 48 h of hypoxia without chilling altered the flight ability of flies whether or not they were irradiated. Conversely, when hypoxia was combined with chilling, flight ability remained similar to that of untreated flies. The use of chilling in combination with hypoxia for 48 h could be implemented as a transportation method for SIT programme on D. suzukii.

Peristenus spretus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is one of the most important endoparasitoids used for biological control of the green mirid bug, Apolygus lucorum Meyer-Dür (Heteroptera: Miridae). However, what we know about its reproductive genetics is very limited. Here, the composition of ovarian proteins in P. spretus was analyzed. Mass spectrum data searched against the non-redundant NCBI protein and UniProt protein database identified 1382 proteins and revealed an enrichment of the heat shock protein 83 (HSP83) in P. spretus ovary. The Pshsp83 complete cDNA is 2175 bp in length and encodes a protein of 724 amino acids with a calculated molecular mass of 83.4 kDa and a theoretical isoelectric point of 4.87. Transcription of Pshsp83 appeared from days 1 to 13 post-emergence and peaked at 13th day. Immuno-localization showed that the HSP83 protein was present in cytoplasm of germarium and in egg chambers of the whole ovariole. The transcript abundance of Pshsp83 fluctuated drastically after heat shocks at different temperatures and the maximum emerged at 35°C. The exposure to 35°C caused no dramatic effects on reproductive parameters of adult females such as pupation rate, cocoon weight, emergence rate, sex ratio and developmental duration, but did on longevity. These results suggested that the HSP83 protein is involved in life-span regulation in the P. spretus.

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is recognized as an invasive pest in Europe and North America. In Mexico, it is one of the main insect pests of soft-skinned fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, plums, and guava. Previous studies have shown that D. suzukii uses visual and chemical cues during host plant searching. This knowledge has been used to develop traps and attractants for monitoring D. suzukii. In this study, five trap designs were evaluated to monitor D. suzukii under field conditions. Traps were baited with SuzukiiTrap®, Z-Kinol, an attractant based on acetoin and methionol, or apple cider vinegar (ACV) enriched with 10% ethanol (EtOH) with the synergistic action of carbon dioxide (CO2). Our results suggested that the attractant was the determining factor in capturing D. suzukii, while trap design seemed to play a modest role. We found that traps baited with Z-Kinol captured the highest number of D. suzukii compared to that caught by traps baited with SuzukiiTrap®, or ACV + EtOH + CO2. The highest catch numbers occurred in blackberry, followed by strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry. Traps captured more females than males. The results obtained may be useful for monitoring D. suzukii populations in Mexico and elsewhere, particularly in states where soft fruit crops are a component of agricultural activities.

Aphids are phloem-feeding insects that cause economic losses to crops globally. Whilst aphid interactions with susceptible plants and partially resistant genotypes have been well characterized, the interactions between aphids and non-host species are not well understood. Unravelling these non-host interactions can identify the mechanisms which contribute to plant resistance. Using contrasting aphid-host plant systems, including the broad host range pest Myzus persicae (host: Arabidopsis; poor-host: barley) and the cereal pest Rhopalosiphum padi (host: barley; non-host: Arabidopsis), we conducted a range of physiological experiments and compared aphid settling and probing behaviour on a host plant vs either a non-host or poor-host. In choice experiments, we observed that around 10% of aphids selected a non-host or poor-host plant species after 24 h. Using the Electrical Penetration Graph technique, we showed that feeding and probing behaviours differ during non-host and poor-host interactions when compared with a host interaction. In the Arabidopsis non-host interaction with the cereal pest R. padi aphids were unable to reach and feed on the phloem, with resistance likely residing in the mesophyll cell layer. In the barley poor-host interaction with M. persicae, resistance is likely phloem-based as phloem ingestion was reduced compared with the host interaction. Overall, our data suggest that plant resistance to aphids in non-host and poor-host interactions with these aphid species likely resides in different plant cell layers. Future work will take into account specific cell layers where resistances are based to dissect the underlying mechanisms and gain a better understanding of how we may improve crop resistance to aphids.

Aggressive behaviour is common in animals and typically has lifetime consequences. As younger males have higher residual reproductive value than older males and lose more from injuries than older males do, the propensity for fighting tends to increase with age in many empirical reports and species. However, fighting patterns in those empirical reports cannot confirm the hypothesis that individuals cannot readily inflict injuries on their opponents. To address this shortcoming, a parasitoid wasp species, Anastatus disparis (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae), was used as an experimental model to explore the characteristics of aggression from a life-history perspective; this wasp exhibits extreme fighting, resulting in contestants experiencing injury and death. Results showed that the energetic costs of fighting to injury significantly shortened life and caused the loss of most mating ability. Inconsistent with general predictions, the frequency and intensity of fighting in A. disparis significantly decreased with male age. Further study results showed significantly more young males were received by and successfully mated with virgin females, and most genes related to energy metabolism were downregulated in aged males. Our study provided supporting evidence that young A. disparis males show more aggression likely because of their resource holding potential and sexual attractiveness decline with age.

Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) has become a serious menace to sustainable production of tomato in Kenya. A survey was conducted between April 2015 and June 2016 to determine its distribution, abundance, infestation, and damage levels on tomato, and associated natural enemies. Trap counts of T. absoluta moths were recorded in all surveyed 29 counties, which indicated its nationwide distribution irrespective of altitude. Tuta absoluta was present in both open fields and greenhouses. The highest moth/trap/day was 115.38 ± 15.90. Highest leaf infestation was 92.22% and the highest number of mines and larvae per leaf were 3.71 ± 0.28 and 2.16 ± 0.45, respectively. Trap captures in terms of moth/trap/day were linearly and positively related to leaf infestations in open fields (R2 = 0.81) and greenhouses (R2 = 0.61). Highest fruits’ infestation and damage were 60.00 and 59.61%, respectively, while the highest number of mines per fruit was 7.50 ± 0.50. Nesidiocoris tenuis (Reuter) and Macrolophus pygmaeus (Rambur) were identified as predators of T. absoluta larvae. Nine species of larval parasitoids were recovered from infested foliage, with a combined parasitism of 7.26 ± 0.65%. Hockeria species was the most dominant (31.25%) and accounted for 12.88 ± 1.47% parasitism. Two species of larval parasitoids, Hockeria and Necremnus were obtained from sentinel plants with an average parasitism of 1.13 ± 0.25. The overall abundance and parasitism rates of recovered natural enemies were low to effectively control the field populations of T. absoluta. These findings form the basis of researching and developing effective and sustainable management strategies for the pest.

This study was carried out to investigate the efficacy of the non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma produced with dielectric barrier discharge (APPD) using air as a processing gas and microwave energy to control Tribolium castaneum and Trogoderma granarium adults and larvae in wheat grains. Insects’ mortality was found to be power and time-dependent. The results indicated that non-thermal APPD and the microwave have enough insecticidal effect on the target pests. From the bioassay, LT50's and LT90's levels were estimated, T. granarium larvae appeared more tolerant to non-thermal APPD and the microwave energy than adults 7 days post-exposure. The germination percentage of wheat grains increased as the time of exposure to the non-thermal APPD increased. On the contrary, the germination percentage of wheat grains decreased as the time of exposure to the microwave increased. In addition, changes in antioxidant enzyme activities, catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and peroxidase, in adults and larvae were examined after 24 h post-treatment to non-thermal APPD at 15.9 W power level, which caused 50% mortality. The activity of CAT, GST and lipid peroxide in the treated larvae showed a significant increase post-exposure to the non-thermal APPD at 15.9 W power level. On the other hand, no significant change in GSH-Px activity was observed. Reductions in the level of glutathione (GSH) and protein content occurred in treated larvae in comparison with the control.

Most oviposition by Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) occurs near the top of the canopy in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr, and larval abundance is influenced by the growth habit of plants. However, the vertical distribution of larvae within the canopy is not as well known. We evaluated the vertical distribution of H. zea larvae in determinate and indeterminate varieties, hypothesizing that larval distribution in the canopy would vary between these two growth habits and over time. We tested this hypothesis in a naturally infested replicated field experiment and two experimentally manipulated cage experiments. In the field experiment, flowering time was synchronized between the varieties by manipulating planting date, while infestation timing was manipulated in the cage experiments. Larvae were recovered using destructive sampling of individual soybean plants, and their vertical distribution by instar was recorded from three sampling points over time in each experiment. While larval population growth and development varied between the determinate and indeterminate varieties within and among experiments, we found little evidence that larvae have preference for different vertical locations in the canopy. This study lends support to the hypothesis that larval movement and location within soybean canopies do not result entirely from oviposition location and nutritional requirements.

The prediction of the post-diapause emergence is the first step towards a comprehensive decision support system that can contribute to a considerable reduction of pesticide use by forecasting a precise spraying date. The cumulative field emergence can be described as a function of the cumulative development rate. We investigated the impact of seven constant temperatures and five light regimes on post-diapause development in laboratory experiments. Development rate depended significantly on temperature but not on photoperiod. We therefore fit non-linear thermal performance curves, a better and more modern approach over past linear models, to describe the development rate as a function of temperature. The four parameter Brière function was the most suitable and was subsequently applied to temperature data from 36 previous pea fields, where pea moth emergence was measured with pheromone traps in Northern Hesse (Germany). In order to describe the variation in development times between individuals, we fit five nonlinear distribution models to the cumulative development rate as a function of cumulative field emergence. The three parameter Gompertz model was selected as the best fitted model. We validated the model performance with an independent field data set. The model correctly predicted the first moth in the trap and the peak emergence in 81.82% of cases, with an average deviation of only 2.00 and 2.09 days respectively.

Salicylic acid (SA), a phytohormone, has been considered to be a key regulator mediating plant defence against pathogens. It is still vague how SA activates plant defence against herbivores such as chewing and sucking pests. Here, we used an aphid-susceptible wheat variety to investigate Sitobion avenae response to SA-induced wheat plants, and the effects of exogenous SA on some defence enzymes and phenolics in the plant immune system. In SA-treated wheat seedlings, intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm), fecundity and apterous rate of S. avenae were 0.25, 31.4 nymphs/female and 64.4%, respectively, and significantly lower than that in the controls (P < 0.05). Moreover, the increased activities of phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase in the SA-induced seedlings obviously depended on the sampling time, whereas activities of catalase and 4-coumarate:CoA ligase were suppressed significantly at 24, 48 and 72 h in comparison with the control. Dynamic levels of p-coumaric acid at 96 h, caffeic acid at 24 and 72 h and chlorogenic acid at 24, 48 and 96 h in wheat plants were significantly upregulated by exogenous SA application. Nevertheless, only caffeic acid content was positively correlated with PPO activity in SA-treated wheat seedlings (P = 0.031). These findings indicate that exogenous SA significantly enhanced the defence of aphid-susceptible wheat variety against aphids by regulating the plant immune system, and may prove a potential application of SA in aphid control.

Pest control is easier and more effective when pests are correctly identified. The Black Parlatoria Scale, Parlatoria ziziphi (Lucas, 1853) (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Diaspididae) is an important invasive pest in citrus-growing countries. This diaspidid has historically been difficult to control, because its immature stages are difficult to identify due to confusion with similar Parlatoria species. No field descriptions of female or male developmental stages are available for P. ziziphi. We provide the first description of field characteristics of the developmental stages of P. ziziphi. Colonies were reared in the laboratory on sour orange plants and lemon fruits to illustrate the distinctive features of each instar. An illustrated field guide of all life-cycle stages of male and female P. ziziphi is provided for correct species identification and better pest management. This tool is designed to help recognize P. ziziphi in field-scouting programmes or quarantine inspections, without the need for taxonomic expertise in identifying the Parlatoria group.