Effectiveness of plastic matrix lures and traps against Bactrocera dorsalis and Bactrocera cucurbitae in Hawaii

Trapping trials were conducted in two locations on the island of Hawaii with plastic‐matrix formulations of methyl eugenol (ME) (1‐2‐dimethoxy‐4‐allylbenzene) and cuelure (CL) [4‐(p‐acetoxyphenyl)‐2‐butanone] in traps with or without a toxicant (2, 2‐dichlorovinyl dimethyl phosphate, DDVP) against wild fly populations of oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) and melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) respectively. Both 5 g disks and 10 g cones of ME and 2 g plugs of CL caught flies for >9 months which varied relative to the population fluctuations. In all of these trials a one‐way entrance design trap caught more flies than the toxicant‐baited trap. The similar‐sized entrance holes (0.70 cm) of the latter may have slowed the dispersal of the toxicant vapour, thus causing flies to be repelled or killed outside the entrance to the trap when DDVP vapour was evolving at a maximum rate. The effect decreased as the toxicant aged. One‐way entrance traps are appropriate where toxicant traps are not allowed (e.g. organic farms), present a health hazard (e.g. yards with children), or would need to be replaced more frequently than lures. The results of these studies are discussed in relation to areawide fruit fly suppression programs where large populations of these flies are persistent, as well as to detection programs in areas where fruit flies have not established.     

Adult plasticity of cold tolerance in a continental-temperate population of Drosophila suzukii

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is a worldwide emerging pest of soft fruits, but its cold tolerance has not been thoroughly explored. We determined the cold tolerance strategy, low temperature thermal limits, and plasticity of cold tolerance in both male and female adult D. suzukii. We reared flies under common conditions (long days, 21 °C; control) and induced plasticity by rapid cold-hardening (RCH, 1 h at 0 °C followed by 1 h recovery), cold acclimation (CA, 5 days at 6 °C) or acclimation under fluctuating temperatures (FA). D. suzukii had supercooling points (SCPs) between −16 and −23 °C, and were chill-susceptible. 80% of control flies were killed after 1 h at −7.2 °C (males) or −7.5 °C (females); CA and FA improved survival of this temperature in both sexes, but RCH did not. 80% of control flies were killed after 70 h (male) or 92 h (female) at 0 °C, and FA shifted this to 112 h (males) and 165 h (females). FA flies entered chill coma (CT_min) at approximately −1.7 °C, which was ca. 0.5 °C colder than control flies; RCH and CA increased the CT_min compared to controls. Control and RCH flies exposed to 0 °C for 8 h took 30–40 min to recover movement, but this was reduced to <10 min in CA and FA. Flies placed outside in a field cage in London, Ontario, were all killed by a transient cold snap in December. We conclude that adult phenotypic plasticity is not sufficient to allow D. suzukii to overwinter in temperate habitats, and suggest that flies could overwinter in association with built structures, or that there may be additional cold tolerance imparted by developmental plasticity.     

Real-time monitoring of oriental fruit moth,Grapholita molesta,populations using a remote sensing pheromone trap in apple orchards

A fusion of information technology (IT) and sex pheromone monitoring provides a remote sensing IT-pheromone trap to monitor Oriental fruit moth, Grapholita molesta, populations in apple orchards. Once a male of G. molesta is attracted to its sex pheromone lure in the trap, an infrared sensor installed at the funnel-shaped orifice generates an electric signal. The signal is processed in a central processor and then transferred to an internet site via a code division multiple access protocol. The signal also contains information about when each male is caught. Daily trapping information from different localities is archived in a website. The accuracy of IT-pheromone traps in detecting male catches was shown by a high correlation (r = 0.956) between the generated IT signals and actual numbers of males caught in the trap in apple orchards. Using this IT-pheromone trap, G. molesta in apple orchards was monitored for one year. These data were compared with monitoring data obtained from a conventional wing type-based sticky trap containing the identical sex pheromone lure. Both showed four characteristic adult peaks from April to September and were significantly correlated (r = 0.695). IT-pheromone traps also gave real-time signals of male catches in the field. These real-time signals of male catches showed a characteristic diel attraction rhythm from 4 pm to midnight. The diel rhythm of the male response to the sex pheromone started earlier in the evening in the spring season compared to mid and late seasons. This study provides a novel sex pheromone trap for G. molesta to monitor its population in field conditions in real-time without visiting or counting. The field monitoring data can be accessed any time through a designated internet website.     

Microbial biological control potential of three strains of Beauveria bassiana s. l. against greenhouse shore fly Scatella tenuicosta: Assessment of virulence,mass production capacity,and effects on shore fly reproduction

The microbial biological control potential of three strains of Beauveria bassiana sensu lato originally isolated from the shore fly Scatella tenuicosta (Diptera: Ephydridae) was assessed in a series of laboratory bioassays. Comparisons were made to two commercially-available strains of B. bassiana. Two of the shore fly strains proved 27–67 times more virulent than the commercial strains in terms of LC₅₀ (14–17 vs. 458–942 conidia/mm²) and killed shore flies more rapidly. B. bassiana s. l. strain ST1 exhibited a mass production capacity comparable to the commercial B. bassiana stain GHA, producing 2.8 × 10¹² conidia/kg barley-based solid substrate in ventilated mushroom spawn bags. The shore fly strains of Beauveria sporulated on a higher percentage of killed adult shore flies and produced substantially greater numbers of conidia per cadaver than the commercial strains, indicating that these pathogens are well adapted to this host. Female shore flies treated with strain ST1 survived for only 5 days, with longevity being reduced by 8–10 days compared to control insects. This reduction in survival had a large impact on total lifetime egg production, reducing it by 78–88%, depending on the time of treatment relative to the pre-oviposition period. However, fungal growth within infected female shore flies had no effect on egg production or egg viability until the day before the flies succumbed to mycosis (day 4 post-inoculation). As a consequence, the intrinsic rate of shore fly population increase and population doubling time were little affected by fungal infection (0.4357 vs. 0.4152 and 1.6 vs. 1.7 days for control vs. Beauveria-treated populations, respectively). These findings underscore the challenges involved with use of slow-acting pathogens for control of highly fecund greenhouse pests and the fundamental necessity of integrating these agents into integrated pest management systems.     

Mark-release-recapture of males of Bactrocera cucurbitae and B. dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae) in two residential areas of Honolulu

This paper describes a mark-release-recapture study involving males of two economically important tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae), Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) and B. dorsalis (Hendel), conducted over a 2-year period in Honolulu, Hawaii. In each of two residential neighborhoods, we placed two traps, one baited with cue lure and the other with methyl eugenol (male attractants for B. cucurbitae and B. dorsalis, respectively), in a single tree. Dyed, mature males from recently established laboratory colonies were released 100 or 500 m from the traps along the four compass directions in both winter and summer seasons. In each neighborhood, a total of 5,600 flight-able males of each species were released 100 m from the traps (14 dates × 4 directions × 100 males/release) and 56,000 flight-able males of each species were released 500 m from the traps (14 dates × 4 directions × 1,000 males/release). Within each study area, the number of males trapped did not vary significantly with direction or season for either species for either the 100- or 500-m releases. Significantly higher numbers of B. dorsalis males were captured than B. cucurbitae males for both the 100-m (16 versus 8 males/release) and 500-m (7 versus 2 males/release) releases (average values computed over both study areas). Also, following their release, B. dorsalis males were, in general, trapped more quickly than B. cucurbitae males. Given the strong attractancy of methyl eugenol, trap captures for B. dorsalis were lower than expected, and possible explanations are discussed.     

Distance-dependent capture probability of male Mediterranean fruit flies in trimedlure-baited traps in Hawaii

Many countries operate regional trapping programs for the detection of exotic tephritid fruit flies, which because of their polyphagous habits pose a serious threat to fruit and vegetable crops. Detection of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), relies primarily on trimedlure (TML), a synthetic male-specific lure, yet few studies have measured the relationship between distance from TML-baited traps and the probability of male capture, and consequently the detection sensitivity of medfly trapping programs is largely unknown. The present study measured distance-dependent capture probabilities for male C. capitata in TML-baited traps using mark–release–recapture procedures. Releases were performed at distances of 25, 50, 100, and 200 m at 4 sites in Hawaii, and the resulting capture rates were used to estimate the minimum detectable population size (detection probability > 99.9%) for a trapping density of 5 TML traps per 2.59 km² (= 1 mi², the density used in California, USA). Capture rates were similar for 3 of the sites (6.5%, 3.8%, 1.1%, and 0.1% for the 4 distances, respectively) and yielded an estimated minimum detectable population of ≈ 2300 males, a value similar to that obtained in a comparable study conducted in California. For unknown reasons, capture rates were significantly lower at the remaining site (1.8%, 0.6%, 0.1%, 0.04%) and the estimated minimum detectable population was correspondingly much larger (≈ 10,000 males). Implications of these results for medfly detection programs are discussed.     

Establishment and dispersal of the fire ant decapitating fly Pseudacteon tricuspis in North Florida

The decapitating fly Pseudacteon tricuspis Borgmeier was released at eight sites in North Florida between the summer of 1997 and the fall of 1999 as a self-sustaining biocontrol agent of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Several releases used parasitized fire ant workers while most involved adult flies released over disturbed ant mounds. Establishment and dispersal of fly populations were monitored by disturbing about 10 fire ant mounds at each site and then inspecting them closely for hovering flies over a period of about 30 min. Overwintering populations of flies were successfully established at 6 of 8 release sites. Over several years, fly populations at these sites increased to levels as high or higher than those normally seen in their South American homeland. By the fall of 1999, flies had expanded out 1–6 km from five release sites and occupied about 125 km². By the fall of 2000 the five initial release sites plus one new site had fused into one large area about 70 km in diameter. The flies had expanded out an additional 16–29 km and occupied about 3300 km². By the fall of 2001 the flies had expanded out an additional 10–30 km and occupied approximately 8100 km². Fly dispersal was not related to wind patterns in the Gainesville area. Based on the above rates of dispersal and an establishment rate of 66%, we estimate that a state the size of Florida would require 5–10 releases spaced over a 3-year period to cover the state in 6–9 years.     

Comparison of the thermal performance between a population of the olive fruit fly and its co-adapted parasitoids

Long-term separation of a host from its native parasitoids may result in divergent thermal adaptation between host and parasitoid. The olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), most likely originated from Sub-Saharan Africa, but has since had a long invasion history in cultivated olives that spans geographical barriers and continents. This study compared three major thermal performance profiles (development, survival, and reproduction) across a wide range of temperatures (10–34 °C) among a Californian population of the olive fruit fly and two African parasitoids, Psyttalia lounsburyi (Silvestri) and Psyttalia humilis (Silvestri), believed to have co-adapted with the fruit fly in its native range. Temperature ranges for the development and survival were 10–30 °C for the fly, 10–28 °C for P. lounsburyi, and 14–32 °C for P. humilis. There was no difference in any thermal performance measured between two P. humilis populations (Kenya and Namibia) tested. The most suitable temperature ranges for reproduction were 22–30 °C for the fly, 18–32 °C for P. humilis, and 18–26 °C for P. lounsburyi. The results showed slight differences in the thermal profiles among olive fruit fly and both parasitoids species, with P. humilis being more heat tolerant whereas P. lounsburyi was less heat tolerant than the fruit fly. The results are discussed with respect to thermal co-adaptation and classical biological control of the olive fruit fly.     

Crop domestication relaxes both top-down and bottom-up effects on a specialist herbivore

Domestication of crop plants selects for numerous traits that often distinguish them dramatically from their wild progenitors. In some cases, these modifications lead to increased herbivory, by enhancing their attractiveness to herbivorous insects or reducing the efficiency of natural enemies, or both. This study investigated the effects of fruit enlargement on the olive (Olea europaea L.), the specialist olive fruit fly, Bactrocera oleae (Rossi), and its specialized larval parasitoids. Wild olive fruit are small (<2 mm pulp thickness) and the larval parasitoids associated with B. oleae have short ovipositors (<3 mm), while cultivated fruit are larger (4–8 mm pulp thickness). Female flies allocate more offspring to large than to small fruit within or across different-sized commercial cultivars, without reducing the fitness of their offspring. Fly larvae move deeper into the olive pulp with their increasing age and fruit size. In contrast, the specialist larval parasitoid, Psyttalia lounsburyi (Silvestri), more effectively parasitizes hosts in smaller than larger fruit. The inverse relationship between the performance of the fly and its co-evolved parasitoids on fruit of increasing sizes indicates that olive cultivation favors the success of the fly by providing a better food resource and more enemy-free space. These findings offer some explanation for the failure of the decades-old classical biological efforts to manage B. oleae using specialized larval parasitoids in the Mediterranean Basin and provide further evidence that crop domestication can alter host–parasitoid interactions.     

Attraction of feral Bactrocera dorsalis males (Diptera: Tephritidae) to natural versus commercial sources of methyl eugenol

Males of Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) are strongly attracted to methyl eugenol (ME), which occurs in over 450 plant species. Given this powerful attraction, ME is commonly used in surveillance and eradication programs against this invasive agricultural pest. Preliminary observations revealed that B. dorsalis males visited ME-bearing flowers of the fruit fly orchid (FFO) Bulbophyllum cheiri subsp. cheiri even when these occurred near traps baited with far greater quantities of ME. Based on this evidence, we undertook field experiments to assess the attraction of feral B. dorsalis males to FFO flowers relative to commercial sources of ME. At the edge of a secondary forest, an FFO flower was placed midway between two ME sources located 20 m apart, and attracted flies were collected over an entire day. When the ME sources were unenclosed (not in traps), the relative attractiveness of FFO flowers to B. dorsalis males varied with the amount of ME placed nearby. The FFO flower (i) attracted a similar proportion of males when 1 g ME was placed at the flanking sites but (ii) captured significantly smaller proportions when the nearby sites had 6 or 10 g commercial ME sources. Similar tests with the commercial sources enclosed in traps showed that (i) 6 g ME sources in Steiner traps attracted significantly more B. dorsalis males than FFO flowers but (ii) 10 g sources in Clear traps (1 L buckets with 4 entrance holes) did not outperform the FFO flowers, presumably owing to limited dispersion of volatiles from the trap. Implications of these results for surveillance programs are discussed.     

Effects of daily protein intake levels on the oral stereotypic behaviours in energy restricted lambs

Effects of daily protein intake levels on oral stereotypic behaviours (OSB) in energy restricted lambs were investigated. Thirty-eight male lambs were randomly allotted to three treatments. Lambs in the first group (AL) received their ration (12.1 MJ ME/kg DM; 148.6 g CP/kg DM) at ad libitum level, whereas the second group (RP1) (12.1 MJ ME/kg DM; 177.4 g CP/kg DM) and the third group (RP2) (12.1 MJ ME/kg DM; 214.9 g CP/kg DM) received their rations at restricted levels. Recording of behaviours was carried out once a week using time sampling technique during a 7-week experimental period. OSB were significantly (P<0.001) affected by the treatments. RP2 group showed higher oral stereotypies than the others. It was concluded that increasing the daily protein intake under energy restricted conditions may have additive effects on the development of stereotypic oral behaviours.     

Male and female Popillia quadriguttata (Fabricius) and Protaetia brevitarsis (Lewis) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) response to Japanese beetle floral and pheromone lures

Popillia quadriguttata (Fabricius), and Protaetia brevitarsis (Lewis) adults were captured with Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, sex attractant and floral lures at Changchun, China during July–August 2012. The floral lure (phenethyl propionate:eugenol:geraniol, 3:7:3) was attractive to male and female P. quadriguttata (AV: 1.2 ± 0.9; 1.1 ± 0.3; total: 2.3 ± 0.8), and was similar in attraction to the combination of the sex attractant (SA) [(R, Z)-5-(1-decenyl) dihydro-2(3H)-furanone] plus the floral lure for male (1.60 ± 0.2), female (1.30 ± 1.1) and total captures (2.9 ± 3.0). However, the SA alone captured only males in much higher numbers than when combined with the floral lure (10.0 ± 6.4). In a separate earlier test, the greatest number of P. quadriguttata males (12.5 ± 3.0), female (12.2 ± 1.5) and total captures (24.7 ± 2.5) was in yellow, laboratory-made, bottle traps. The floral lure also attracted female Pro. brevitarsis (10.0 ± 3.4), while the SA attracted only few male beetles (1.0 ± 0.2). The combination SA + floral lure captured similar females (11.0 ± 2.0) and total (14.2 ± 2.2) Pro. brevitarsis as the floral lure alone. Two butterflies, Colias erate poliographus (Motschulsky) and Pieris rapae (Linnaeus), were also attracted to the floral lure. These studies indicate a potential for replacing pesticides by using the Japanese beetle lures for monitoring and control of several insects in China, and that they would be useful in monitoring and eradication of two potential scarab pests, P. quadriguttata and Pro. brevitaris, in the United States and Europe.     

Toxicity of basil and orange essential oils and their components against two coleopteran stored products insect pests

Two commercialized essential oils and their constituent compounds were investigated for fumigant and contact activities against two grain storage insects, adults of the maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais) and the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum). The two commercialized basil and orange oils showed strong fumigant and contact activities against S. zeamais and T. castaneum. The constituents of the basil oil were linalool (21.83%), estragole (74.29%), and α-humulene (2.17%), and those of the orange oil were α-pinene (0.54%), sabinene (0.38%), β-myrcene (1.98%), limonene (96.5%), and linalool (0.6%). As a toxic fumigant, the basil oil was more effective (24-h LC₅₀ = 0.014 and 0.020 mg cm^− 3) than the orange oil (24-h LC₅₀ = 0.106 and 0.130 mg cm^− 3) against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults, respectively. Among the constituents of the two essential oils, the toxicity of estragole was the highest (0.004 and 0.013), followed by linalool (0.016 and 0.023), limonene (0.122 and 0.171), α-pinene (0.264 and 0.273), and β-myrcene (0.274 and 0.275) based on 24-h LC₅₀ values (mg cm^− 3). Similar results were obtained in a contact toxicity test. The contact activity of basil oil was more toxic than orange oil, and estragole and linalool showed pronounced contact toxicity against S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults. Alpha-humulene had no activity as a fumigant at the tested doses, but it did have an effect as a contact poison, having 24-h LD₅₀ values of 0.040 and 0.045 mg adult^− 1 to S. zeamais and T. castaneum, respectively. Although basil oil, orange oil, and their components displayed both contact and fumigant toxicities, their effects were mainly exerted by fumigant action via the vapor phase. Thus, basil oil, orange oil, and their components could be potential candidates as new fumigants for the control of S. zeamais and T. castaneum adults.     

The impact of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in mitigating salt-induced adverse effects in sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.)

Salinity is one of the serious abiotic stresses adversely affecting the majority of arable lands worldwide, limiting the crop productivity of most of the economically important crops. Sweet basil (Osmium basilicum) plants were grown in a non-saline soil (EC = 0.64 dS m⁻¹), in low saline soil (EC = 5 dS m⁻¹), and in a high saline soil (EC = 10 dS m⁻¹). There were differences between arbuscular mycorrhizal (Glomus deserticola) colonized plants (+AMF) and non-colonized plants (−AMF). Mycorrhiza mitigated the reduction of K, P and Ca uptake due to salinity. The balance between K/Na and between Ca/Na was improved in +AMF plants. Growth enhancement by mycorrhiza was independent from plant phosphorus content under high salinity levels. Different growth parameters, salt stress tolerance and accumulation of proline content were investigated, these results showed that the use of mycorrhizal inoculum (AMF) was able to enhance the productivity of sweet basil plants under salinity conditions. Mycorrhizal inoculation significantly increased chlorophyll content and water use efficiency under salinity stress. The sweet basil plants appeared to have high dependency on AMF which improved plant growth, photosynthetic efficiency, gas exchange and water use efficiency under salinity stress. In this study, there was evidence that colonization with AMF can alleviate the detrimental salinity stress influence on the growth and productivity of sweet basil plants.     

Biosorption of Basic Orange using dried A. filiculoides

In order to understand the biosorption of Basic Organic (BO) textile dye on dried Azolla filiculoides (A. filiculoides), batch experiments were conducted under various conditions. The results show that biosorption of BO on dried A. filiculoides was dependent on the initial solution pH, biosorbent dosage, contact time and the initial BO concentration. Using the Langmuir equation, the biosorption capacity (q_m) for BO was 833 mg/g at 303 K. The kinetic study suggested that the mechanism of biosorption was due to ion-exchange physisorption via the intra-particle diffusion and chemisorption on the external surface of dried A. filiculoides. Different techniques were used to characterize dried A. filiculoides and indicated that the biomass had a high cation exchange capacity (93.6 mmol/100 g), a large specific surface area (80.35–422.89 m²/g) and contained various functional groups which may play an important role in the physisorption and chemisorption of BO on the surface of A. filiculoides. The results showed that the removal ratio of BO reached 79.3% from wastewater containing 100 mg/L BO, indicating that the biomass could be used as a potential biosorbent for the removal of BO from industrial wastewater.     

Sampling of Bemisia tabaci adults using a pre-programmed autonomous pest control robot

An autonomous robot (Cabbot) was built to control insect pests in a plastic greenhouse and utilized to sample adult whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) on paprika plants (Capsicum annum var. angulosum). To accomplish this, a sampling device consisting of an air compressor for pest agitation, a sticky trap (100 mm × 150 mm) and an image processing system for pest identification were installed on the Cabbot. The sampling precision of the Cabbot (D = 0.16) was higher than that of the sticky trap (D = 0.19) when sampling of adult white flies was conducted in caged pots. The Cabbot could also collect a substantial number of individuals within a short duration (3 minutes). The collection efficiency (i.e., percent of samples collected at least n (1 in this case) individuals to the total sample number) of insects by the Cabbot was markedly high at low population size, showing approximately 30% when the population size was ≤ 16 individuals per plant. The sampling precision and collection efficiency suggested that the Cabbot is effective in local, short-term sampling and could be used for early warning of pest occurrences.     

Trapping tephritid fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) in citrus groves of Fujian Province of China

Certain tephritid fruit flies, such as the oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis, the Chinese citrus fly, B. minax and the Japanese orange fly, B. tsuneonis (Diptera: Tephritidae: Dacinae), are destructive citrus pests in China. A two-year trapping study was conducted in pomelo, Citrus maxima, groves in Fujian Province of China. The objectives of this study were to investigate the species, the abundance of tephritid fruit flies in the orchards, as well as the efficacy of the selected lure traps to these flies. Four lure traps or devices, i.e. methyl eugenol + Steiner trap (ST), cuelure + ST, ammonium acetate + putrescine + ST, and sticky spheres, were deployed from June to November 2017 and April to October 2018. Six economically significant Dacini pests were trapped during the period. These flies are B. dorsalis, the melon fruit fly, Zeugodacus cucurbitae, the pumpkin fruit fly, Z. tau, the Malaysian fruit fly, B. latifrons, and other two species - B. rubigina and Z. scutellatus. B. dorsalis was the most abundant, accounting for more than 50% of the capture, followed by Z. cucurbitae. The remaining four species accounted for less than 2% of the total capture. B. minax and B. tsuneonis, two destructive citrus-damaging tephritid fruit flies in China, were not found during the trapping period. Methyl eugenol trapped the highest number of fruit flies, followed by cuelure.     

Seasonal monitoring of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in a mixed fruit production system

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae), an invasive pest native to Southeast Asia, is now reported throughout North America and Europe. We used traps baited with apple cider vinegar to monitor D. suzukii adult presence in multiple crops and associated fruiting plants at the Wolfskill USDA Germplasm Repository in Winters, CA, USA from 2011 to 2013. Traps were placed in small (~ 160 m × 40 m on average) almond, apricot, cherry, fig, grape, mulberry, peach, persimmon, plum, and pomegranate deciduous fruit orchard blocks as well as a citrus block and evergreen trees located near a house at the repository. D. suzukii was present in all blocks with the greatest monthly deciduous fruit captures in the cherry and fig blocks. Few D. suzukii were captured in almond, apricot, pomegranate and grape blocks. Deciduous fruit blocks had two distinct periods of trap capture: spring through midsummer and again in fall. Most deciduous fruit blocks had low trap captures during the hottest summer months (August to September) and the coldest winter months (December to April). However, from late December through mid-January, high trap captures were associated with the citrus and house sites. This study provides seasonal trapping data of D. suzukii adults in an unsprayed multi-crop mosaic, and may serve as a model of adult capture patterns across smaller mixed-crop commercial orchards and associated urban landscapes.     

The discovery of isoxazoline oxime ethers as a new class of ectoparasiticides for the control of Haematobia irritans (horn fly) in cattle

Haematobia irritans (horn fly) infestation in cattle is responsible for over a billion dollars a year in global economic loss due to decreased milk production and lower feed conversion. There is significant need for new insecticidal agents since current treatments such as organophosphates and pyrethroids suffer from field resistance. Isoxazoline oxime ethers represent a new class of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor channel blockers which show good activity (LD⁹⁰ = 1.0 μg/mL) against horn flies in an in vitro feed assay and have demonstrated efficacy (>90% reduction at 1.0 mg/kg) as a topical treatment in a field study.     

Ecological-economic assessment of ecological sanitation development in the cities of Chinese Loess Plateau

Many cities in Chinese Loess Plateau have inadequate sanitation. Ecological sanitation (ecosan) is a systemic approach to solve environmental and sanitary problems. Thus, suitable ecosan technologies and systems were analyzed, and three alternative developing models of sanitation were compared, namely, centralized traditional (CT) model, centralized ecosan (CE) model, and centralized and decentralized mixed ecosan (ME) model. Their ecological-economic assessment was made in the theoretical framework of social–economic–natural complex ecological system. Main results were (1) CE and ME reduced the emission of greenhouse gases, and the maximum reduction was 96.8% of CT. (2) ME reduced the water pollutants at a comparatively lower capital and running cost, and BOD₅ emission could be reduced to 85–88% of CT. (3) CE and ME reclaimed more nutrients than CT. Attributing to reclaiming nutrients, CE and ME could produce 461.4 and 809.9 Gg foods, respectively, and CT was 32.1 Gg. (4) The sequence of health risk caused by sanitation was CT > CE > ME. (5) Urban ecosan system could bring forward a maximum net benefit of 0.267 billion RMB. In addition, the bottlenecks of developing ecosan in China were also discussed in this paper.