Effects of thermoperiods on diapause induction in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Abstract. The effects of thermoperiods on diapause induction in continuous darkness or under a 12 : 12 h LD photoperiod were investigated in the cabbage beetle, Colaphellus bowringi Baly, a typical short‐day species. The diapause response curves both at different constant temperatures and at the thermocycle of format CT x: (24 ? x) h (16 : 28 °C) under continuously dark rearing conditions showed that the incidence of diapause depended mainly on whether or not the mean temperature was ≤20 °C or >20 °C. If the mean temperature was ≤20 °C, all individuals entered diapause; if >20 °C, the incidence of diapause declined gradually with increasing mean temperatures. The thermocycle (CT 12 : 12 h) with a series of different cryophases (8–22 °C) and thermophases (24–32 °C) under continuous darkness demonstrated a cryophase response threshold temperature of approximately 19 °C and a thermophase response threshold temperature of approximately 31 °C. Thermoperiodic amplitude (temperature difference between cryophase and thermophase) was shown to have a significant influence on diapause induction at the mean temperatures of 22, 23 and 24 °C, but not at ≥25 °C. Thermoperiodic responses under LD 12 : 12 h clearly showed that the incidence of diapause was influenced strongly by the photophase temperature. The thermoperiod under LD 12 : 12 h induced a much lower incidence of diapause than the thermoperiod with the same temperature in continuous darkness. The ecological significance of thermoperiodic induction of diapause in this species is discussed.     

Adult eclosion rhythm of the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella: response to various thermocycles with different means and amplitudes

In addition to photoperiod, thermoperiod (or thermocycle) might be an important Zeitgeber for entraining the circadian oscillator controlling adult eclosion rhythm in the Indian meal moth Plodia interpunctella Hübner (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). This is confirmed by exposing larvae receiving diapause‐preventing treatments to various thermocycles with different means and amplitudes of temperature. The thermocycles investigated in the present study are TC 8 : 16 h, TC 12 : 12 h, TC 16 : 8 h and TC 20 : 4 h, where T and C represent thermophase (30 °C) and cryophase (20 °C), respectively. For all thermocycles, the peak of adult eclosion rhythm occurs at around the mid‐thermophase. This indicates that the larvae use both ‘temperature‐rise’ and ‘temperature‐fall’ signals to adjust the eclosion phase in each thermocycle. The absence (DD) or presence (LL) of light affects this time‐keeping system slightly under the given thermocycle. The rhythmic adult eclosion noted after exposure of larvae to 30 °C DD for 14 days is recorded in the thermocycles (TC 12 : 12 h, DD; mean temperature = 25 °C) with different amplitudes of 27.5/22.5 °C, 26.5/23.5 °C and 25.5/24.5 °C. The peak in adult eclosion advances in time as the amplitude of the temperature cycle decreases. In the temperature cycle of 25.5/24.5 °C, a peak occurs at the end of the cryophase, 2 h before the temperature‐rise. The adult eclosion rhythm is also observed under various thermocycles (TC 12 : 12 h, DD) consisting of different temperature levels (30 to 20 °C) with different amplitudes. It is found that the temporal position of the peak advances significantly when the amplitude of the thermocycle becomes lower.     

Effect of constant and fluctuating temperature on daily melatonin production by eyecups from Rana perezi

We analysed the effect of daily temperature cycles in relation to constant temperature on day/night melatonin synthesis in frog eyecups in culture. Eyecups were cultured for 24 h under 12L:12D photoperiod and two thermal regimes, constant temperature (25, 15 and 5 °C) and thermoperiod (WL/CD, thermophase coinciding with photophase and cryophase coinciding with scotophase; and CL/WD, cryophase coinciding with photophase and thermophase coinciding with scotophase). A negative correlation between ocular serotonin N-acetyltransferase activity and culture temperature for both diurnal and nocturnal activities has been observed. This effect of increased ocular activity at low temperature is more pronounced than the well-known stimulatory effect of darkness, and it does not depend on the photoperiod phase. The lack of interactions between the phase of photoperiod and culture temperature indicates that the effects of both factors are independent. Nighttime temperature is the key factor in determining the amplitude of the melatonin rhythm in the Rana perezi retina. However, daytime temperature can not counteract the inhibitory effect of light on ocular melatonin synthesis. Accepted: 22 June 1995     

Diapause induction in Eotetranychus smithi (Acari: Tetranychidae): effect of average temperature,but not of thermoperiod

Facultative diapause of Eotetranychus smithi appears to occur at the egg stage and is induced by temperatures ≤17.5 °C, independent of photoperiod. However, the effect of thermoperiod on the induction of diapause remains unclear. To answer this question, we exposed female E. smithi to various thermoperiods under constant light conditions. First, we found that the deposition order of eggs affected the incidence of diapause: the first eggs (exclusively males) tended to avert diapause compared with the second and third eggs (most of them are females), possibly because of the sex of the eggs. Next, the incidence of diapause of the second eggs decreased with shortening of the cryophase, which was associated with an increase of the average temperature, and it showed clear long‐day‐type thermoperiodic response curves. However, this species does not sense the ratio of day (thermophase) to night (cryophase) of a given thermoperiod. Short thermoperiods did not increase the incidence of diapause, but rather precluded the entry into diapause. We detected no sign of the involvement of the circadian system in diapause induction in the thermoperiodic Nanda–Hamner protocol. We conclude that diapause induction of E. smithi does not involve the circadian system, and thus does not show thermoperiodism. Diapause induction under the various thermoperiodic conditions tested in the present study appears to be derived from the temperature itself. E. smithi is an exceptional species that relies on temperature alone to induce diapause.     

温周期对不同地理种群棉铃虫幼虫发育及蛹滞育的影响

为了探明不同地理种群棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera (Hiibner)对温周期的反应,本研究系统调查了棉铃虫广东广州种群(23.08°N,113.14°E)、江西水修种群(29.04°N,115.82°E)、山东泰安种群(36.15°N,116.59°E)和辽宁喀佐种群(41.34°N,120.27°E...     

Photoperiodic and thermoperiodic interactions in the regulation of the larval diapause of Diatraea grandiosella

The effect of various combinations of photoperiod and temperature on the induction and termination of the mature larval diapause of a Missouri strain of the southwestern corn borer. Diatraea grandiosella, was examined. Larval exposure to regimes in which the low phase of a 30°:23°C thermoperiod coincided with a scotophase of 10 to 14 hr duration led to high incidence of diapause. Larval exposure to 30°:24°C, 33°:21°C, and 36°:18°C thermoperiods with half cycles of 12 hr in continuous darkness yielded a diapause incidence of 16%, 22%, and 59%, respectively, whereas exposure to a 30°:24°C thermoperiod in continuous illumination yielded a completely nondiapause generation. Larval exposure to one of a series of 36°:18°C thermoperiods in which the duration of the high phase was increased in 2 hr increments from 0 to 24 hr in continuous darkness showed that “short-day” thermoperiods yielded a high incidence of diapause. However, no clearly defined critical thermoperiod was observed. An examination of photoperiodic and thermoperiodic effects on diapause development showed that, in general, those combinations of temperature and light cycles which were diapause inductive also retarded diapause development. The relationship between seasonal photoperiods and thermoperiods in southeastern Missouri was examined.     

Effects of thermoperiods on the reproductive activity of females and on the maternal induction of larval diapause in the blowfly, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Calliphora vicina</Emphasis> R.-D. (Diptera,Calliphoridae)

The interaction of thermoperiod and photoperiod in their influence on the reproductive maturation of females and on the induction of the maternal effect determining larval diapause of the progeny of the blowfly, Calliphora vicina, was first investigated under laboratory conditions. Under the combination of a day length of 12 h with a thermoperiod (the alternation of 12 h long periods with temperatures of 10 and 20°C) the reproductive maturation of females was faster than at the corresponding mean constant temperature of 15°C. Under the “natural” thermoperiod, when the period with a temperature of 10°C coincided with “night-time” (the dark phase of the diurnal light-dark cycle) the maturation of females was slower than that under the “inverted” thermoperiod, when the period with a temperature of 10°C coincided with “day-time” (the light phase of the diurnal light-dark cycle). The proportion of diapausing individuals was maximal in the progeny of females kept at 20°C and decreased with the increase in temperature. Under thermoperiods (the alternations of 12 h long periods with temperatures of 20 and 26°C) the proportion of diapausing progeny was lower than that under the corresponding mean constant temperature of 23°C, but under the inverted thermoperiod with a high night temperature this effect was much stronger. In combination with the results of our previous studies, these data support the hypothesis that the effects of “night” and “day” temperatures are substantially different only when the thermal response interacts with a strong photoperiodic response.     

Effects of constant and changing temperature conditions on diapause induction in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The effects of photoperiod and temperature on the induction and termination of facultative pupal diapause in Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) were investigated under laboratory conditions. Exposing H. armigera larvae to both constant and fluctuating temperature regimes with a mean of 25°C and 20°C resulted in a type-III photoperiodic response curve of a short-long day insect. The long-day critical daylengths for diapause induction were ten hours and 12 hours at the constant temperatures of 25°C and 20°C, respectively. Higher incidences of diapause and higher values both for the longer and the shorter critical photoperiods for diapause induction were observed at fluctuating regimes compared with the corresponding constant ones. At alternating temperatures, the incidence of diapause ranged from 4.2% to 33.3% and was determined by the temperature amplitude of the thermoperiod and by the interaction of cryophase or thermophase with the photoperiod. Helicoverpa armigera larvae seem to respond to photoperiodic stimuli at temperatures >15°C and <30°C; all insects entered diapause at a constant temperature of 15°C, whereas none did so at a constant temperature of 30°C under all the photoperiodic regimes examined. Although chilling was not a prerequisite for diapause termination, exposure of diapausing pupae to chilling conditions significantly accelerated diapause development and the time of adult emergence. Therefore, temperature may be the primary factor controlling the termination of diapause in H. armigera.     

Temperature dependent eclosion rhythmicity in the high altitude Himalayan strains of Drosophila ananassae

The circadian pacemaker controlling the eclosion rhythm of the high altitude Himalayan strains of Drosophila ananassae captured at Badrinath (5123 m) required ambient temperature at 21°C for the entrainment and free-running processes. At this temperature, their eclosion rhythms entrained to 12h light, 12h dark (LD 12:12) cycles and free-ran when transferred from constant light (LL) to constant darkness (DD) or upon transfer to constant temperature at 21°C following entrainment to temperature cycles in DD. These strains, however, were arrhythmic at 13 or 17°C under identical experimental conditions. Eclosion medians always occurred in the thermophase of temperature cycles whether they were imposed in LL or DD; or whether the thermophase coincided with the photophase or scotophase of the concurrent LD 12:12 cycles. The temperature dependent rhythmicity in the Himalayan strains of D. ananassae is a rare phenotypic plasticity that might have been acquired through natural selection by accentuating the coupling sensing mechanism of the pacemaker to temperature, while simultaneously suppressing the effects of light on the pacemaker.     

光温条件明显影响棉铃虫的滞育强度

为了探明不同地理种群棉铃虫Helicoverpa armigera滞育强度的地理变异, 本研究系统地比较了光温条件（光照时数 11～16 h, 恒温20, 22, 25, 28和31℃及变温）对来自中国的4个地理种群（广东广州、 江西永修、 山东泰安和辽宁喀佐）棉铃虫滞育强度的影响。结果表明： 滞育诱导的光周期对继后棉铃虫的滞育强度有明显影响。在光照时数11～14 h范围内, 各地理种群的滞育持续期均随着光照时数的增加而延长。滞育强度也受到滞育诱导的温周期影响, 当光期温度相同时, 低纬度的GZ种群温周期比恒温有更强的诱导效应; 中纬度的YX种群温周期与恒温具有相同的滞育诱导强度; 高纬度的KZ和TA种群温周期所诱导的滞育强度一般低于恒温。滞育解除过程中的温度也显著影响到滞育的解除, 在20~31℃下, 温度愈高滞育解除愈快; 滞育持续期同时受到滞育诱导温度的影响, 对于北方的泰安种群和喀佐种群, 较高的滞育诱导温度能诱导更强的滞育。     

Effects of temperature on the development of overwintering immature stages of the near‐threatened butterfly Leptalina unicolor (Bremer & Grey) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Overwintering larvae of multivoltine and univoltine populations of Leptalina unicolor were reared under various constant and fluctuating temperatures superimposed on a photoperiod of either 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness (LD 12:12) or LD 15:9. Diapause of the larvae terminated in midwinter (by early February). All the larvae of both populations pupated after two molts without feeding and the head capsule width of the final instar larvae was smaller than that of the penultimate instar ones. The photoperiod did not significantly affect larval development, but long‐day conditions (LD 15:9) hastened pupal development. The thermoperiod had a significant effect on the development of the multivoltine population. When multivoltine population larvae were kept under a low fluctuating temperature regime (cryophase/thermophase = 14/20°C), the period until adult eclosion was shorter than that under a constant temperature of 17°C. On the contrary, when larvae were kept under a high fluctuating temperature regime (24/30°C), the period until adult eclosion was longer than that under a constant temperature of 27°C. However, the univoltine population did not show such a reaction to the fluctuating temperature. The durations of final instar larva and pupa of the multivoltine population were shorter than those of the univoltine population. The developmental zeros of penultimate and final instar larvae and pupae of the univoltine population were lower than those of the multivoltine population. The head capsule width of penultimate instar larvae and the forewing length of adults of the univoltine population were larger than those of the multivoltine population for both sexes.     

Diapause induction in the thrips predatorAmblyseius cucumeris [Acarina: phytoseiidae] under greenhouse conditions

The predatory miteAmblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans) is an important biological control agent for thrips in commercial greenhouses, but its effectiveness in fall and winter is limited by reproductive diapause induced under short day conditions. Influence of photoperiod and temperature on diapause induction was investigated to provide information for successful management of the predator. Under 8∶16 (L∶D) photoperiods and 22°C photophase temperatures, diapause incidence was inversely related to scotophase temperature, decreasing from 100% diapause at 15°C to no diapause at 21°C. In continuous darkness, diapause was induced by thermoperiods of 20∶10 and 22∶17 and 22∶17 but not 25∶15°C (T∶C) (8h thermophase). Critical daylength for inducing diapause under 22∶17°C (T∶C) was 12.45 h, which was consistent with the trend in diapause incidence in mites collected from an established greenhouse population September to November. MostA. cucumeris diapaused only when exposed to diapause inducing conditions throughout their juvenile development and none stopped laying eggs when transferred from nondiapause to diapause inducing conditions as adults. After 14 generations of genetic selection for a nondiapause strain, diapause incidence was 33.3%.      

Thermoperiodic induction of larval diapause in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis

Thermoperiodic induction of larval diapause was shown to occur in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner). Using continuous darkness and thermoperiods of the format XC:24-XT(15:30°C), incidence of diapause was shown to be dependent on phase durations, with a critical cryophase of about 9.5 hr. A thermoperiodic response threshold was demonstrated; it was found to be very close to 17.5°C. Thermoperiodic amplitude (temperature difference between cryophase and thermophase) was shown to have no influence on the induction of diapause, within a relatively broad range of physiological temperatures. Thermoperiodic induction of diapause was shown to be at least partially independent from the effects of temperature on larval developmental rates.     

Comparison of the circadian eclosion rhythm between non-diapause and diapause pupae in the onion fly, Delia antiqua: the change of rhythmicity

When pupae of Delia antiqua were transferred to constant darkness (DD) from light-dark (LD) cycles or constant light (LL), the sensitivity to light of the circadian clock controlling eclosion increased with age. The daily rhythm of eclosion appeared in both non-diapause and diapause pupae only when this transfer was made during late pharate adult development. When transferred from LL to DD in the early pupal stage, the adult eclosion was weakly rhythmic in non-diapause pupae but arrhythmic in diapause pupae. However, the sensitivity of the circadian clock to temperature cycles or steps was higher in diapause pupae than in non-diapause pupae; in the transfer to a constant 20 degrees C from a thermoperiod of 25 degrees C (12 h)/20 degrees C (12 h) on day 10 after pupation or from chilling (7.5 degrees C) in DD, the adult eclosion from diapause pupae was rhythmic but that from non-diapause pupae arrhythmic. In a transfer to 20 degrees C from the thermoperiod after the initiation of eclosion, rhythmicity was observed in both types of pupae. The larval stage was insensitive to the effect of LD cycle initiating the eclosion rhythm. In D. antiqua pupae in the soil under natural conditions, therefore, the thermoperiod in the late pupal stage would be the most important 'Zeitgeber' for the determination of eclosion timing.     

Aspects of the induction of diapause in a laboratory strain of the mite Tetranychus urticae

Some diapause characteristics were studied in a strain of the spider mite. Tetranychus urticae. which had been reared on bean plants in the laboratory for over 15 yr. The diapause induction response curve was of the long-day type, showing a sharply defined critical daylength of 13 hr 50 min. In constant darkness no diapause induction occurred, but with a photoperiod of 1L:23D diapause incidence was already complete. A thermoperiod with a 5°C amplitude induced diapause in combination with a short-day photoperiod only when the low phase of the thermoperiod coincided with the scotophase. The same thermoperiod did not induce any diapause in constant darkness. The photoperiodic reaction of the laboratory strain used in these experiments appeared to remain constant over a very long period of time and to be independent of the diapause history of previous generations of mites.Although photoperiodic sensitivity was demonstrated during the whole postembryonic development, sensitivity was maximal at the end of the protonymphal instar and declined rapidly during the deutonymphal instar. Only 2 inductive cycles of 10L:14D were required to induce up to 62% diapause if the mites were kept in continuous darkness during the remainder of their development. Long days or continuous light could reverse the inductive effect of a sequence of short-day cycles previously applied to the mites.Light breaks of 1 hr duration applied at different times during the dark period of a 10L:14D photoperiod generated a sharp bimodal response curve with two discrete points of sensitivity to the light breaks at 10 hr after ‘dusk’ and 10 hr before ‘dawn’, thus showing a remarkable similarity with the results obtained in light break experiments with some species of insects.     

Effects of photoperiod and temperature on diapause induction and termination in the swallowtail,Sericinus montelus

Abstract Sericinus montelus overwinters as diapausing pupae. In the present study, the effects of photoperiod and temperature on diapause induction and termination of diapause are investigated. The results obtained demonstrate that high temperature can reverse the effect of short day‐lengths on diapause induction. Under an LD 12 : 12 h photoperiod, all pupae enter diapause at 15, 20 and 25 °C, whereas all pupae develop without diapause at 35 °C. No pupae enter diapause under an LD 14 : 10 h photoperiod when the temperature is above 20 °C. Photoperiodic response curves obtained at 25 and 30 °C indicate that S. montelus is a long‐day species and the critical day‐length is approximately 13 h at 25 °C. At 25 °C, the duration of diapause is shortest when the diapausing pupae are maintained under an LD 16 : 8 h photoperiod and increases under LD 14 : 10 h and LD 12 : 12 h photoperiods. Under an LD 16 : 8 h photoperiod, the duration of diapause is shortest when the diapausing pupae are maintained at 25 °C, followed by 20 and 30 °C, and then at 15 °C. These results suggest that a moderate temperature favours diapause development under a diapause‐averting photoperiod in this species. The duration of diapause induced by an LD 12 : 12 h photoperiod is significantly longer at 25 °C than those at 15, 20 and 30 °C, and is shortest at 15 °C. At 25 °C, the duration of diapause induced by LD 6 : 18, LD 12 : 12 and LD 13 : 11 h photoperiods is similar and longer than 90 days. Thus, the diapause‐inducing conditions may affect diapause intensity and a photoperiod close to the critical day‐length has significant influence on diapause intensity in S. montelus.     

Light and temperature cooperate to regulate the circadian locomotor rhythm of wild type and period mutants of Drosophila melanogaster

In the wild type (Canton-S) and period mutant flies of Drosophila melanogaster, we examined the effects of light and temperature on the circadian locomotor rhythm. Under light dark cycles, the wild type and per(S) flies were diurnal at 25 degrees C. However, at 30 degrees C, the daytime activity commonly decreased to form a rather nocturnal pattern, and ultradian rhythms of a 2 approximately 4h period were observed more frequently than at 25 degrees C. The change in activity pattern was more clearly observed in per(0) flies, suggesting that these temperature dependent changes in activity pattern are mainly attributable to the system other than the circadian clock. In a 12h 30 degrees C:12h 25 degrees C temperature cycle (HTLT12:12), per(0) flies were active during the thermophase in constant darkness (DD) but during the cryophase in constant light (LL). The results of experiments with per(0);eya flies suggest that the compound eye is the main source of the photic information for this reversal. Wild type and per(0) flies were synchronized to HTLT12:12 both under LL and DD, while per(S) and per(L) flies were synchronized only in LL. This suggests that the circadian clock is entrainable to the temperature cycle, but the entrainability is reduced in the per(S) and per(L) flies to this particular thermoperiod length, and that temperature cycle forces the clock to move in LL, where the rhythm is believed to be stopped at constant temperature.     

Effects of photoperiod and temperature on the termination of diapause in the univoltine seed wasp Eurytoma plotnikovi

Abstract Mummified pistachios containing fully grown diapause larvae of Eurytoma plotnikovi Nikol'skaya (Hym., Eurytomidae) were collected in early August and late September in coastal northern Greece and subjected to various photoperiod and temperature treatments, then maintained at 19 or 26°C and a long-day (LD 16:8 h), a changing, or a short-day (LD 10:14 h) photoperiod until pupation. In larvae of early August (beginning of diapause) subjected for 20 weeks to 19°C under a long, a changing, or a short photophase, followed by 19°C and a long photophase, 50% of the larvae pupated after 24, 18 and 13 weeks respectively. After exposure for 20 or even 12 weeks to a short photophase and low temperatures (10 or 4°C), pupation occurred after only 7–8 weeks and was more synchronous. The ranges of temperature for diapause development and post-diapause morphogenesis overlap. After exposure for 12 weeks to short days and low temperature, larvae of late September pupated much sooner under long days than under short days and sooner at 26° than at 19°C. E.plotnikovi depends on both temperature and photoperiod for diapause development, low temperature having a strong favourable effect on the earlier part and long day on the later part of diapause. In a few larvae of another pistachio seed wasp, Megastigmus pistaciae Walker, after a long enough period of low temperatures, diapause was terminated normally at 26°C and long days, or at 19°C and long or short days.     

Thermal and thermoperiodic effects on larval development and diapause in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis

Effects of temperature and thermoperiod on larval development and the induction of diapause were investigated in the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. Developmental threshold temperatures characteristic of the first four larval instars were estimated under both thermoperiods and constant temperatures. Threshold values were similar under the two conditions, but the 4th-larval instar was shown to display a significantly lower developmental threshold temperature than was characteristic of the earlier instars. Although developmental times (days per instar) were not greatly affected by fluctuating temperature regimes, the quantity of growth (weight, head width) during the 4th and 5th (last) stadia was found to be much greater under thermoperiodic regimes than under comparable constant temperature conditions. By means of thermoperiodic regimes having identical mean temperatures but different cryophase durations, it was demonstrated that the induction of diapause is dependent on the duration of the cryophase rather than on the mean temperature of the thermoperiod. To be effective, the cryophase must be colder than the insect's thermoperiodic response threshold. It was also demonstrated that thermoperiodic responses that are readily produced under continuously dark rearing conditions are not manifested under continuous light.     

Influence of thermoperiod and photoperiod on reproductive diapause in Bruchidius atrolineatus (Pic) (Coleoptera, Bruchidae)

Abstract Bruchidius atrolineatus (Pic) is a common pest infesting cowpea seeds ( Vigna unguiculata Walp) in Africa. In the Sahelian zone, the adults are in reproductive diapause during the dry season. Diapause induction depends on the climatic conditions during embryonic and post-embryonic development. A strain of B. atrolineatus originating from the Niamey (13^oN) was reared in different thermoperiodic and photoperiodic conditions. In the thermoperiodic regime 40:25^oC, in continuous darkness, induction of diapause was dependent on the duration of the thermophase. Photoperiod could also influence diapause induction but the response depended on the temperature. When the beetles were reared in conditions of LD 12:12 h, 40:25^oC, for seven generations, the proportion of diapausing adults decreased and their sensitivity to photoperiod increased. In LD 14:10 h, 40:25^CC, the proportion of diapausing adults remained high regardless of the photoperiod. In these conditions, the first emerging adults were sexually active and were used for selection of a strain with a low incidence of diapause. After twelve generations, the proportion of diapausing beetles was lower than 5%. The responses of this selected strain to photo- and thermoperiods were reduced. The sensitivity of B. atrolineatus to photoperiod and thermoperiod could be controlled by genetic systems as observed in other insect species.