Rodent control tends to involve methods that cause animal suffering, but little attention has been paid to the animal welfare implications of rodent control. The aim of the current study was to gain insight into the opinions and attitudes of clients of Dutch pest controllers, regarding liminal rodents, rodent control, and rodent welfare. A better understanding of their attitudes may contribute to more ethical rodent management programmes. An online survey among 248 clients of Dutch pest controllers was carried out. Respondents, especially those within the agricultural sector, have a relatively negative attitude towards rats and mice. Respondents in the agricultural subgroup do not consider the welfare of liminal rodents important. They also think that the welfare impact of commonly used control methods is limited, and they have low tolerance levels for the presence of rodents. Respondents from other sectors have a far more positive attitude towards rats and mice, consider their welfare to be of greater importance, have a greater estimation of the welfare impact of control methods and show greater tolerance levels towards rodents. The respondents from the latter subgroup have a similar attitude compared to Dutch pest controllers participating in a previous survey. The findings of the current study firstly provide useful information for the further development and practical implementation of preventive control methods. Secondly, they provide input for a more animal-friendly rodent control and for the development of an assessment framework to support ethical decision-making. Finally, they can be helpful for further research and the communication and co-operation between professional pest controllers and their clients.

Population control of the house mouse (Mus musculus), Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) and black rat (Rattus rattus) is common practice worldwide. Our objective was to assess the impact on animal welfare of lethal and non-lethal control methods, including three dispatch methods. We used the Sharp and Saunders welfare assessment model with eight experts scoring eleven control methods and three dispatch methods used on the three species. We presumed the methods were performed as prescribed, only taking into account the effect on the target animal (and not, for example, on non-target catches). We did not assess population control efficacy of the methods. Methods considered to induce the least suffering to the target animal were captive-bolt traps, electrocution traps and cervical dislocation, while those with the greatest impact were anticoagulants, cholecalciferol and deprivation. Experts indicated considerable uncertainty regarding their evaluation of certain methods, which emphasises the need for further scientific research. In particular, the impact of hydrogen cyanide, chloralose and aluminium phosphide on animal welfare ought to be investigated. The experts also stressed the need to improve Standard Operating Procedures and to incorporate animal welfare assessments in Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The results of our study can help laypeople, professionals, regulatory agencies and legislators making well-informed decisions as to which methods to use when controlling commensal rodents.

In choosing among alternative wildlife management techniques, trade-offs between animal welfare and conservation, utility or economics are often apparent. This paper reviews the roles of science, scientists, regulators and educators in attempts to overcome this inter-dependence and to make simultaneous progress on all fronts. Illustrations are drawn in particular from trapping and pest population control. Against the real progress that can undoubtedly be made through scientific study, there is a regrettable lack of structure because of poor philosophical and logical coherence within the welfare movement.

Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are considered one of the most significant vertebrate pests globally, because of their impacts on human and animal health. There are legal and moral obligations to minimise the impacts of wildlife management on animal welfare, yet there are few data on the relative welfare impacts of rat trapping and baiting methods used in the UK with which to inform management decisions. Two stakeholder workshops were facilitated to assess the relative welfare impacts of six lethal rat management methods using a welfare assessment model. Fifteen stakeholders including experts in wildlife management, rodent management, rodent biology, animal welfare science, and veterinary science and medicine, participated. The greatest welfare impacts were associated with three baiting methods, anticoagulants, cholecalciferol and non-toxic cellulose baits (severe to extreme impact for days), and with capture on a glue trap (extreme for hours) with concussive killing (mild to moderate for seconds to minutes); these methods should be considered last resorts from a welfare perspective. Lower impacts were associated with cage trapping (moderate to severe for hours) with concussive killing (moderate for minutes). The impact of snap trapping was highly variable (no impact to extreme for seconds to minutes). Snap traps should be regulated and tested to identify those that cause rapid unconsciousness; such traps might represent the most welfare-friendly option assessed for killing rats. Our results can be used to integrate consideration of rat welfare alongside other factors, including cost, efficacy, safety, non-target animal welfare and public acceptability when selecting management methods. We also highlight ways of reducing welfare impacts and areas where more data are needed.

To counter the insect infestation, plants respond with wide-ranging and highly dynamic biochemical reactions. Of these, the anti-oxidative activity is poorly understood. The red palm weevil (RPW) Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Oliver), one of the most widespread pests in Pakistan, prefers to infest date palm Phoenix dactylifera. Our present study investigated the feeding preference of RPW to 11 different date palm cultivars and the results suggested that the Hillawi cultivar was most preferred. Greater infestation rate, fecundity and hatching rate were also recorded from Hillawi and Mozawati than other cultivars. No significant decreases were observed in chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophylls and carotenoids of RPW-infested Hillawi cultivar over un-infested control. In contrast, the contents of enzymatic antioxidants including phenols, proline, hydrogen peroxide, anthocyanin, malondialdehyde, ascorbic acid and glycine betaine showed a drastic increase after RPW infestation, and there was enhanced superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities. Furthermore, we recorded the increase of total protein and sugar contents in RPW-infested date palms. These findings offer valuable insight into the antioxidative molecular mechanism of date palms under RPW attack and may contribute to the breeding of insect-resistant crops.

Literary sources of the classical era (first-fifth centuries), both Greco-Roman and Jewish, indicate that snakes were used for different purposes, such as for medicine, as raw materials for manufacturing objects, and as pets. This article discusses the use of snakes to deal with pests in the ancient homes as reflected in the Talmudic sources as well as in classical literature. The Jerusalem Talmud (Yerushalmi) brings a story of how a house snake helped a family locate a wild snake that entered the house and left its venom in the food. The impression is that the origin of the story is from a non-Jewish environment, and not necessarily from Eretz Israel. It is not impossible that the story is one version of stories about Aesculapian snakes that helped exterminate and drive away pests, as related by Pliny. This narrative variation was absorbed by the sages from their own non-Jewish environment, who adapted the story to the religious-educational messages that they sought to convey. It seems that the practice of using snakes to exterminate domestic pests was relatively limited and less common than that of small predators, such as cats, mongooses or weasels.

Guidelines for sustainability linked to the government-approved National Curriculum for education in New Zealand emphasise values of empathy and respect for all life. These instruct educators to discuss different values around sustainability and conservation.

I reviewed educational resources published or endorsed by government agencies to determine compliance with these sustainability Guidelines. The resources reviewed promote the view that non-native mammals should be killed. Some resources go further in giving instructions to children on how to do this, and how to source kill traps.

Children are provided with material designed to engender dislike towards non-native mammals, particularly possums. Resources conflate issues of conservation by tying it in with protection of tourism, ornamental plants and primary industries.

This encouragement of killing in environmental educational resources appears unique to New Zealand. It is discussed in light of increasing evidence that performing or witnessing animal abuse is a causal factor for future violence towards human and non-human animals.

Farmers, who have to decide which pesticide to use against a particular crop-damaging pest, need to take into account country-specific regulations (e.g. permitted levels of pesticide residues), application instructions and financial considerations. The fact that these data are stored in different locations, sometimes using different terminology or different languages, makes it difficult to gather these data and requires that farmers are familiar with the variety of terms used, which consequently hampers the efficiency and effectiveness of the decision process. To overcome these challenges, a Web application for pest control is proposed to facilitate the integration of information coming from different Internet sources and representing different terminologies by using an ontology. The application is based on a pest-control ontology (formal representations of domain knowledge that can be interpreted by computers) that accounts for various pesticide regulations of different countries to which the crop is exported. In recent years, ontologies have become a major tool for domain knowledge representation and a core component of many knowledge management systems, decision support systems and other intelligent systems, inter alia, in the context of agriculture. The pest-control ontology developed in the current research includes pest-control concepts that have yet to be covered by existing ontologies. It is demonstrated in the specific case of pepper in Israel. The ontology is expressed using Web Ontology Language (OWL) and thus can be shared on the Web and reused by other ontologies and systems. In addition, a comprehensive method for developing and evaluating agricultural ontologies is presented.

Mexican bean weevil, Zabrotes subfasciatus Boheman, is a significant pest of stored beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) that causes considerable loss in the quality and quantity of bean grain in Africa. In the past two to three decades, researchers have attempted to identify botanicals with better insecticidal potential against storage pests. However, there is a lack of information on the potency of botanical combinations, their toxicology, and optimal application rates. This study was conducted to examine the bioefficacy of unitary and binary botanical combinations of Jatropha curcas (L.), Datura stramonium (L.), Chenopodium ambrosioides (L.), Schinus molle (L.), and Azadirachta indica (A. Juss) against Z. subfasciatus at 1% and 2% w/w dosages. The insecticidal activities of the botanicals were measured based on their effect on adult mortality of Z. subfasciatus and progeny reduction, grain weight loss, and weevil perforation index. Among botanical admixtures, binary combinations of C. ambrosioides + D. stramonium, J. curcas + C. ambrosioides, and S. molle + C. ambrosioides were the most potent. They resulted in the highest mortality of Z. subfasciatus, low weevil perforation index or none, and grain weight loss at the most moderate test dosage (1% w/w). Treatment with C. ambrosioides resulted in the highest efficacy when applied individually. We failed to observe any notable difference in toxicity between dosage levels among the binary botanical combinations. However, the effectiveness of unitary formulations improved with the increase in dosage rate. Application of botanicals did not adversely affect bean seed germination. Our study suggests that botanicals in binary mixtures may enhance the potency of constituent components for effective control of Z. subfasciatus.

The study identified insecticidal effects from the cinnamon and clove essential oils in Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). The lethal concentrations (LC50 and LC90), lethal time, and repellent effect on larvae, pupae, and adults of T. molitor after exposure to six concentrations of each essential oil and toxic compounds were evaluated. The chemical composition of the cinnamon oil was also determined and primary compounds were eugenol (10.19%), trans-3-caren-2-ol (9.92%), benzyl benzoate (9.68%), caryophyllene (9.05%), eugenyl acetate (7.47%), α-phellandrene (7.18%), and α-pinene (6.92%). In clove essential oil, the primary compounds were eugenol (26.64%), caryophyllene (23.73%), caryophyllene oxide (17.74%), 2-propenoic acid (11.84%), α-humulene (10.48%), γ-cadinene (4.85%), and humulene oxide (4.69%). Cinnamon and clove essential oils were toxic to T. molitor. In toxic chemical compounds, eugenol have stronger contact toxicity in larvae, pupae, and adult than caryophyllene oxide, followed by α-pinene, α-phellandrene, and α-humulene. In general, the two essential oils were toxic and repellent to adult T. molitor. Cinnamon and clove essential oils and their compounds caused higher mortality and repellency on T. molitor and, therefore, have the potential for integrated management programs of this insect.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a very effective technique for studying gene function and may be an efficient method for controlling pests. Trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS), which plays a key role in the synthesis of trehalose and insect development, was cloned in Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (TcTPS) and the putative functions were studied using RNAi via the injection of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) corresponding to conserved TPS and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase domains. Expression analyses show that TcTPS is expressed higher in the fat body, while quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction results show that the expression of four trehalase isoforms was significantly suppressed by dsTPS injection. Additionally, the expression of six chitin synthesis-related genes, such as hexokinase 2 and glutamine-fructose-6-phosphate aminotransferase, was suppressed at 48 and 72 h post-dsTPS-1 and dsTPS-2 RNA injection, which were two dsTPS fragments that had been designed for two different locations in TcTPS open reading frame, and that trehalose content and trehalase 1 activity decreased significantly at 72 h post-dsRNA injection. Furthermore, T. castaneum injected with dsTPS-1 and dsTPS-2 RNA displayed significantly lower levels of chitin and could not complete the molting process from larvae to pupae, revealing abnormal molting phenotypes. These results demonstrate that silencing TPS gene leads to molting deformities and high mortality rates via regulation of gene expression in the chitin biosynthetic pathway, and may be a promising approach for pest control in the future.

Disentangling trophic interactions among species is important for elucidating mechanisms underlying ecosystem functioning and services. Carabid beetles are an important guild of predators that may regulate pest populations in arable landscapes, but their generalist feeding behavior hinders predictions about their actual contribution to pest control. In order to assess carabids’ potential for pest control, we simultaneously analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of a community of 45 co-occurring species in wheat and oilseed rape fields. With the expectation to identify distinct trophic groups based on the mean and the variance of carabid isotopic signatures, we observed a high degree of overlap in trophic positions between species. However, we also observed that species could be successfully categorized into two groups according to whether or not their carbon signatures varied independently from variations in the crop baseline. We interpret these results as differential primary resource uptake or by differential mobility aptitude in foraging. Accordingly, we propose that the isotopic signal can inform us on the presence/absence of links between generalist predators and cultivated plants through the trophic networks they belong to, and consequently on their potential role as pest natural enemies. We therefore suggest the complementarity of stable isotope analysis for obtaining a time-integrated assessment of carabid trophic behavior that may be combined with more direct molecular diet analysis allowing the simultaneous quantification of specific trophic links within agricultural landscapes.

Thrips palmi and Frankliniella occidentalis (order Thysanoptera) are thrips species that represent major plant pests. They are polyphagous insects capable of adversely affecting crop production. As such, in the European Union, these thrips species should be regulated as quarantine organisms. T. palmi and F. occidentalis can cause considerable damage to susceptible plants by feeding on them and transmitting several viruses responsible for serious plant diseases. Successful pest control strategies are based on an early, fast, and reliable diagnosis, which precedes the selection of appropriate steps to limit the effects of harmful organisms. We herein describe a novel diagnostic approach that enables the sensitive and species-specific detection (and differentiation) of these pests in a duplex polymerase chain reaction assay, which was adapted for both standard and real-time quantitative assays. Our method is based on the amplification of a 5.8S-internal transcribed spacer 2 ribosomal DNA fragment that is conserved between T. palmi and F. occidentalis.

Several studies have shown that manipulating flowering weeds within an agroecosystem can have an important role in pest control by natural enemies, by providing them nectar and pollen, which are significant sources of nutrition for adults. The aim of this study was to assess if the olive moth, Prays oleae (Bernard, 1788) (Lepidoptera: Praydidae), and five of its main natural enemies, the parasitoid species Chelonus elaeaphilus Silvestri (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Apanteles xanthostigma (Haliday) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Ageniaspis fuscicollis (Dalman) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Elasmus flabellatus (Fonscolombe) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), as well as the predator Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), can theoretically access the nectar from 21 flowering weeds that naturally occur in olive groves. Thus, the architecture of the flowers as well as the mouthpart structure and/or the head and thorax width of the pest and its enemies were analyzed. The results suggested that all beneficial insects were able to reach nectar of the plant species from Apiaceae family, i.e. Conopodium majus (Gouan) Loret, Daucus carota L. and Foeniculum vulgare Mill., as well as Asparagus acutifolius L., Echium plantagineum L., Capsella bursa-pastoris (L.) Medik., Raphanus raphanistrum L., Lonicera hispanica Boiss. et Reut., Silene gallica L., Spergula arvensis L., Hypericum perforatum L., Calamintha baetica Boiss. et Reut, Malva neglecta Wallr. and Linaria saxatilis (L.) Chaz. P. oleae was not able to access nectar from five plant species, namely: Andryala integrifolia L., Chondrilla juncea L., Dittrichia viscosa (L.) Greuter, Sonchus asper (L.) Hill and Lavandula stoechas L.

Arginine kinase (AK) is an important regulation factor of energy metabolism in invertebrate. An arginine kinase gene, named HaAK, was identified to be differentially expressed between Cry1Ac-susceptible (96S) and Cry1Ac-resistant (Bt-R) Helicoverpa armigera larvae using cDNA-amplification fragment length polymorphism analysis. The full-length open reading frame sequence of HaAK gene with 1068 bp was isolated from H. armigera. Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay revealed that HaAK gene is specifically expressed in multiple tissues and at larval developmental stages. The peak expression level of HaAK was detected in the midgut of the fifth-instar larvae. Moreover, the expression of HaAK was obviously down-regulated in Bt-R larvae. We further constructed a dsRNA vector directly targeting HaAK and employed RNAi technology to control the larvae. The feeding bioassays showed that minute quantities of dsRNA could greatly increase the larval mortality and delay the larval pupation. Silencing of HaAK significantly retarded the larval development, indicating that HaAK is a potential target for RNA interference-based pest management.

Pest control strategies against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) using protease inhibitors have relied on the gut protease profile of the later larval stages of the insect, with serine proteases being considered predominant. Little is known about the gut protease profile of early larval instars. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to detect the levels of gut protease activities in the third-, fourth-, fifth- and late fifth-instar larvae of H. armigera reared on an artificial diet using specific substrates and inhibitors. The analysis of the gut protease profiles of different instars revealed different levels of protease activities at different instar stages. Significant variations were also observed in the specific activities of trypsin, chymotrypsin, cysteine protease, carboxypeptidase-A and aminopeptidase-N across the instars. In general, the activities of the proteases increased from the third to the fifth instar and then decreased at the onset of pupation in the late fifth instar. Proteolytic activity was optimal at pH 12 for gut extracts from the third-, fourth- and fifth-instar larvae. Bioassays with phenylmethylsulphonyl fluoride (PMSF), a serine–cysteine protease inhibitor, revealed high mortality, and that with sodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA-Na), a metalloprotease inhibitor, also showed retarded larval growth. The inhibition induced by 0.05% PMSF and 0.05% EDTA-Na in combination was similar to that induced by 0.1% PMSF alone.

We developed a partial equilibrium model to examine the welfare impacts of bird damage and its control in California wine grape production. The model incorporates the impacts of pest damage and its control and allows the impacts to vary regionally. Importantly, the model requires minimal information to apply; only elasticities, current market price and production data, and information on the cost and effectiveness of the pest control methods are needed. We rely on data from a recent survey of California growers and use the model to estimate changes in wine grape prices, production levels, and consumer and producer surplus that result from both bird damage and its control in three grape-growing regions of California. Results suggest that eliminating the threat of bird damage and control costs results in an increase in producer and consumer surplus of 1.3% and 3%, respectively. Furthermore, eliminating current bird control and allowing any resulting damage would decrease producer and consumer surplus by 6.6% and 11.5%, respectively. (JEL Classifications: Q11, Q18, Q57)

Introduction. In the water-savingand income-generating agroforestry cropping systems developed andpromoted by the ICRISAT in the Sudano-Sahelian zone of West Africa, particularlyin Niger, fruits of domesticated Ziziphus mauritiana (“applesof the Sahel”) are severely damaged by fruit flies (Carpomya incompleta),and chemical pesticide application poses economic, environmentaland human health problems. In the Bio-reclamation of Degraded Lands (BDL)system, apple of the Sahel is the main high-value crop, while inthe Dryland Eco-Farm (DEF), it is grown alongside watermelon. Sclerocaryabirrea (marula plum) is presently being investigated asa dryland tree species for fruit and oil production, either in orchardsor such systems as BDL. Materials and methods. To completepreliminary results of earlier studies published elsewhere, we collectedand incubated in 2010 ripe fruits of marula plum and watermelonin Sadoré, Niger, where the above-mentioned agroforestry systemsare developed, and we recorded emerging fruit flies. We also conducteda spot-spraying experiment (using GF-120) in an apple of the Sahel orchardin Niamey in 2010; we recorded undamaged and damaged fruits and incubatedthe latter. In the same orchard, we set up in 2011 a fruit fly trappingsurvey targeting the invasive species Bactrocera invadens (Chempac®traps using methyl eugenol as the attractant). Results and discussion.The results showed that only Ceratitis cosyra emergedfrom marula plums, and only Dacus spp. from watermelon.The GF-120 spot-spraying experiment showed that C. incompleta was notattracted / intoxicated, contrary to Ceratitis spp.and Dacus spp.; the sprayed trees yielded significantly moremarketable fruits than unsprayed ones; only C. incompleta emergedfrom damaged fruit. Detection trapping revealed for the first timethe presence of B. invadens in the Sahelian zone ofNiger, including at the time of apple of the Sahel fruit production. Conclusion. This, alongside results of earlier studies,suggests a repellent effect of GF-120 on the monophagous C. incompleta species(Trypetinae), while it is attractive to oligophagous/polyphagousDacinae fruit flies; some of them (e.g., Dacus spp.)damage watermelon, which is part of the DEF system, and producefruit at the same time as the jujube tree. The prospects for harnessingthese two opposite regulation pathways are discussed.

Generalist predators and parasitoids are considered to be important regulators of aphids. The former not only feed on these pests, but might also consume parasitoids at all stages of development. This direct or coincidental interference affects the natural control of aphids, the scale of which is largely unknown, and it has rarely been examined under natural conditions. Here, molecular diagnostics were used to track trophic interactions in an aphid-parasitoid-generalist predator community during the build-up of a cereal aphid population. We found that generalist predators, principally carabid and staphylinid beetles as well as linyphiid spiders, had strong trophic links to both parasitoids and aphids. Remarkably, more than 50% of the parasitoid DNA detected in predators stems from direct predation on adult parasitoids. The data also suggest that coincidental intraguild predation is common too. Generalist predators, hence, disrupt parasitoid aphid control, although the levels at which the predators feed on pests and parasitoids seem to vary significantly between predator taxa. Our results suggest that taxon-specific trophic interactions between natural enemies need to be considered to obtain a more complete understanding of the route to effective conservation biological control.