Field assessments of control agents for lesser mealworm (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) using litter sampling

Spinosad, diatomaceous earth, and cyfluthrin were assessed on two broiler farms at Gleneagle and Gatton in southeastern Queensland, Australia in 2004-2005 and 2007-2009, respectively to determine their effectiveness in controlling lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Insecticide treatments were applied mostly to earth or 'hard' cement floors of broiler houses before the placement of new bedding. Efficacy of each agent was assessed by regular sampling of litter and counting of immature stages and adult beetles, and comparing insect counts in treatments to counts in untreated houses. Generally, the lowest numbers of lesser mealworm were recorded in the house with hard floors, these numbers equalling the most effective spinosad applications. The most effective treatment was a strategic application of spinosad under feed supply lines on a hard floor. In compacted earth floor houses, mean numbers of lesser mealworms for two under-feed-line spinosad treatments (i.e., 2-m-wide application at 0.18 g of active insecticide (g [AI]) in 100-ml water/m2, and 1-m-wide application at 0.11 g ([AI] in 33-ml water/m2), and an entire floor spinosad treatment (0.07 g [AI] in 86-ml water/m2) were significantly lower (i.e., better control) than those numbers for cyfluthrin, and no treatment (controls). The 1-m-wide under-feed-line treatment was the most cost-effective dose, providing similar control to the other two most effective spinosad treatments, but using less than half the active component per broiler house. No efficacy was demonstrated when spinosad was applied to the surface of bedding in relatively large volumes of water. All applications of diatomaceous earth, applied with and without spinosad, and cyfluthrin at the label rate of 0.02 g (AI)/100-ml water/m2 showed no effect, with insect counts not significantly different to untreated controls. Overall, the results of this field assessment indicate that cyfluthrin (the Australian industry standard) and diatomaceous earth were ineffective on these two farms and that spinosad can be a viable alternative for broiler house use.     

Diamondback moth egg susceptibility to rainfall: effects of host plant and oviposition behavior

Oviposition patterns of the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), differ between common cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata) and Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. var. pekinensis) (Brassicaceae) host plants. This study shows that the moth prefers to oviposit on adaxial rather than abaxial leaf surfaces and petioles of both host plants. More eggs were laid in leaf veins than on leaf laminas of both host plants, especially in Chinese cabbage, where 94.6% of eggs were laid in veins. On Chinese cabbage, very few eggs were laid in clusters (≥2 eggs), whereas on common cabbage approximately 30% of eggs were laid in groups of 2 or more eggs. Removal of wax from common cabbage leaves dramatically increased the number of eggs laid singly on the leaf lamina of treated plants, suggesting that leaf waxes affect how eggs are distributed by ovipositing DBM. Eggs were most susceptible to removal by rainfall from the plant surface immediately (<1 h) after oviposition and when close to hatching (>72h old) whereas they were least susceptible 24 h after oviposition. Eggs laid on common cabbage plants were more susceptible to simulated rainfall than eggs laid on Chinese cabbage plants. On common cabbage plants, egg susceptibility to rainfall on different plant parts ranked adaxial leaf surfaces>petioles = abaxial leaf surfaces>stem, but there was no difference in egg susceptibility to rainfall on the various plant parts of Chinese cabbage. Furthermore, on common cabbage plants, eggs laid on both adaxial and abaxial leaf surfaces were afforded significant protection from the effects of rainfall by leaves higher in the plant canopy. On common cabbage plants, oviposition patterns reduce the potential impact of rainfall on eggs, possibly reducing the effect of this important abiotic mortality factor in the field.     

Insect odour perception: recognition of odour components by flower foraging moths

Odours emitted by flowers are complex blends of volatile compounds. These odours are learnt by flower-visiting insect species, improving their recognition of rewarding flowers and thus foraging efficiency. We investigated the flexibility of floral odour learning by testing whether adult moths recognize single compounds common to flowers on which they forage. Dual choice preference tests on Helicoverpa armigera moths allowed free flying moths to forage on one of three flower species; Argyranthemum frutescens (federation daisy), Cajanus cajan (pigeonpea) or Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco). Results showed that, (i) a benzenoid (phenylacetaldehyde) and a monoterpene (linalool) were subsequently recognized after visits to flowers that emitted these volatile constituents, (ii) in a preference test, other monoterpenes in the flowers' odour did not affect the moths' ability to recognize the monoterpene linalool and (iii) relative preferences for two volatiles changed after foraging experience on a single flower species that emitted both volatiles. The importance of using free flying insects and real flowers to understand the mechanisms involved in floral odour learning in nature are discussed in the context of our findings.     

Estimating the economic cost of one of the world's major insect pests, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae): just how long is a piece of string?

Since 1993, the annual worldwide cost of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), control has been routinely quoted to be US$1 billion. This estimate requires updating and incorporation of yield losses to reflect current total costs of the pest to the world economy. We present an analysis that estimates what the present costs are likely to be based on a set of necessary, but reasoned, assumptions. We use an existing climate driven model for diamondback moth distribution and abundance, the Food and Agriculture Organization country Brassica crop production data and various management scenarios to bracket the cost estimates. The "length of the string" is somewhere between US$1.3 billion and US$2.3 billion based on management costs. However, if residual pest damage is included then the cost estimates will be even higher; a conservative estimate of 5% diamondback moth-induced yield loss to all crops adds another US$2.7 billion to the total costs associated with the pest. A conservative estimate of total costs associated with diamondback moth management is thus US$4 billion-US$5 billion. The lower bound represents rational decision making by pest managers based on diamondback moth abundance driven by climate only. The upper estimate is due to the more normal practice of weekly insecticide application to vegetable crops and the assumption that canola (Brassica napus L.) is treated with insecticide at least once during the crop cycle. Readers can decide for themselves what the real cost is likely to be because we provide country data for further interpretation. Our analysis suggests that greater efforts at implementation of even basic integrated pest management would reduce insecticide inputs considerably, reducing negative environmental impacts and saving many hundreds of millions of dollars annually.     

Effects of diet switching from almond pollen to natural prey on predation capacity of Neoseiulus cucumeris

Monitoring the performance of a predator long-term reared on a non-prey diet when switches to a prey is extremely important to have a successful biological control program. In the current study, the efficacy of Neoseiulus cucumeris Oudemans long-term reared on almond pollen during 30 generations in encountering with its natural prey, Tetranychus urticae Koch was evaluated under laboratory conditions. Every 10 generations (G1, G10, G20 and G30), the development, reproduction, population growth potential and predation capacity of the predator were determined after exposure to the natural prey, for one (S1), three (S3) or five (S5) successive generations. The results indicated that the pre-adult duration of N. cucumeris before diet switching did not differ from those after diet switching in G1, G20 and G30. Similarly, the values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r) and finite rate of increase (λ) were not significantly affected by the diet switching in all generations tested. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in pre-adult duration between the individuals reared on natural prey for one generation or more in all generations tested, except for G1. Continuous feeding on the prey for five generations (G1-S5 and G30-S5) significantly reduced the fecundity compared with those reared for three generations (G1-S3 and G30-S3). We found that continuous feeding on natural prey for three or five generations after different periods of feeding on almond pollen did not significantly change the most important life history traits and predation capacity. In other words, the overall performance of the mass-reared predator remained effective after exposure to natural prey for five generations. It can be concluded that almond pollen is a good food source for the rearing of N. cucumeris because the population growth potential and reproduction of the predator remained constant during the long-term rearing and after switching to the natural prey.     

Stay or move: how Bt‐susceptible Helicoverpa armigera neonates behave on Bt cotton plants

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae occasionally have been reported to survive at management threshold levels in fields of Bollgard II^® cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae). The pattern and degree of larval survival is not easily predicted but depends on the ability of first instars to establish on host plants. Experiments were conducted with Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt)‐susceptible and Bt‐resistant larvae of H. armigera to understand how physiologically Bt‐susceptible H. armigera survive on Bt cotton plants, and examine how their first meal influences survival rates. In assays using cotton plant parts, both strains of larvae displayed similar tendencies to drop‐off specific plant parts of Bt and non‐Bt cotton. However, significantly more Bt‐susceptible larvae dropped off young leaves, mature leaves, and squares of Bt cotton compared to non‐Bt cotton plants. Egg cannibalism significantly improved the survival of Bt‐susceptible H. armigera larvae on Bt cotton plants. Larvae were more likely to eat live aged eggs, than newly laid or dead eggs. Survival significantly improved when larvae cannibalized eggs before feeding on Bt leaves. The behavior of Bt‐susceptible larvae with respect to drop‐off and egg cannibalism may help enhance their survival on Bt cotton plants.     

Adult Neurogenesis in the Olfactory System: Improving Performance for Difficult Discrimination Tasks?

What is the function of new neurons entering the olfactory bulb? Many insights regarding the molecular control of adult neurogenesis have been uncovered, but the purpose of new neurons entering the olfactory bulb has been difficult to ascertain. Here, studies investigating the role of adult neurogenesis in olfactory discrimination in mice are reviewed. Studies in which adult neurogenesis is affected are highlighted, with a focus on the role of environment enrichment and what happens during ageing. There is evidence for a role of adult neurogenesis in fine discrimination tasks, as underscored by studies that enhance adult neurogenesis. This is also observed in ageing studies, where older mice with reduced levels of adult neurogenesis perform poorly in olfactory discrimination. Differences in methodology that could account for alternative conclusions, and the importance of specificity in methods being used to investigate the effect of adult neurogenesis in olfactory performance are emphasized.