Influence of protein hydrolysate baits on oviposition in the apple maggot, Rhagoletis pomonella

Ovipositional responses of apple maggot (AM), Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh), females were studied in the laboratory on apples (var: Golden Delicious) treated with different rates of four protein hydrolysate baits in choice and no-choice tests. Protein hydrolysate baits at rates of 0.5 and 1% had no significant effect, but oviposition was greatly reduced at higher rates of 5 and 10%. Apple maggot females exposed to apples treated with protein hydrolysate baits at a rate of 10% made 41–71% fewer punctures and laid 41–73% fewer eggs than in untreated control. No oviposition activity was shown on apples treated with 25 and 100% Nulure®. In no-choice tests the AM females laid 75–96% fewer eggs in apples treated with 10 and 25% Nulure compared to controls and no oviposition occurred in apples treated with 100% Nulure. Apple maggot females arrived in similar numbers on apples treated with 10% Nulure and untreated apples, but only 5% of those arriving on Nulure-treated apples showed ovipositor boring with no egg deposition while 60% of females arriving on untreated apples showed ovipositor boring activity and laid an average of 2.5 eggs per apple. In another experiment, individual AM females displayed similar behavioral responses to 10% Nulure-treated apples; none of the 56 females tested on treated apples displayed ovipositor boring activity, but 59% of the females (N=56) tested on untreated apples displayed ovipositor boring within 5 min of their arrival. Ninetyeight percent of AM females stayed and fed on fruit surfaces for 5 min on Nulure-treated apples without ovipositor boring compared to only 2% on untreated apples. Of the females that arrived on untreated apples, 39% flew away within 5 min without ovipositor boring compared to only 2% of those that arrived on Nulure-treated apples. Results of these two behavioral experiments suggest that upon arrival on a protein bait-treated apple, an apparent change of behavior occurs in AM females and instead of attempting to oviposit, they attempt to feed on fruit surfaces resulting in reduced oviposition activity. These results indicate that the feeding and oviposition-related activities of AM females are probably mutually exclusive and that the feeding behavior preempts oviposition activities on host fruits treated with higher rates of protein hydrolysate baits.     

Responses of Glossina austeni to sticky panels and odours

The responses of male tsetse Glossina austeni Newstead (Diptera: Glossinidae) towards blue and white sticky legged panels, baited with odour attractants, and towards modified panels were studied in the Jozani forest of Unguja Island, Zanzibar. Increasing the height of the body of a standard panel from 30 to 60 or 90 cm, increased the catch two-fold. Increasing the height of the legs (from 15 to 60 or 120 cm) or raising the device more than 5 cm above the ground reduced the catch significantly. The legs of the panels were the preferred landing sites of the flies, irrespective of the height of the body of the panel. Acetone (300 mg/h) combined with cow urine (60-130 mg/h) significantly increased the catches two- to threefold during the rainy season, but not during the dry season. Acetone had no effect during the dry season and its effect during the rainy season was less consistent. There was no effect of octenol (2.5-12.5 mg/h), used alone or in combination with acetone. Likewise, the catch did not increase through the addition of cow sebum, pig urine (60-860 mg/h), pig urine combined with acetone and octenol. The observed seasonal differences in the response of G. austeni towards odours are discussed in relation to host location strategies.     

诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量的关系研究

为了明确诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量之间的关系,确定最佳的诱饵放置时间,本研究采用火腿肠诱饵诱集法,观察不同季节、不同时间段红火蚁诱集的个体数量,利用房室模型分析诱饵诱集时间与红火蚁工蚁诱集量之间的关系。结果表明,随着诱饵放置时间的增加,红火蚁工蚁的诱集数量会出现一个高峰,春季诱集高峰出现在诱饵放置后38-44 min,秋季出现在诱饵放置后24-29 min,并建立了不同季节、不同时间段红火蚁诱集量与时间的关系模型,分别为Y=12764.8807×e(-0.029102 X)"12820.4625×e(-0.030064 X)(春季上午)、Y=16166.6800×e(-0.023994 X)"16217.0808×e(-0.024866 X)(春季下午)、Y=12211.9095×e(-0.040576 X)"12275.2496×e(-0.041620 X)(秋季上午)、Y=12306.4111×e(-0.049724 X)"12383.6907×e(-0.051217 X)(秋季下午)。因此,在利用火腿肠诱饵监测红火蚁时,春季诱饵放置的最适时间约为40 min,秋季的最适时间约为30 min。     

The Boar-Operated-System: a Novel Method to Deliver Baits to Wild Pigs

ABSTRACT Bait-delivered pharmaceuticals, increasingly used to manage populations of wild boar (Sus scrofa) and feral pigs, may be ingested by nontarget species. Species-specificity could be achieved through a delivery system. We designed the BOS^TM (Boar-Operated-System) as a device to deliver baits to wild pigs. The BOS^TM consists of a metal pole onto which a round perforated base is attached. A metal cone with a wide rim slides up and down the pole and fully encloses the base onto which the baits are placed. We conducted a pilot, captive trial and found that captive wild boar fed from the BOS^TM either directly, by lifting the cone, or indirectly, by feeding once another animal had lifted the cone. Thus, we tested whether free-living wild boar fed from the BOS^TM and whether the BOS^TM could prevent bait uptake by nontarget species. We observed that free-living wild boar fed regularly from the BOS^TM and that the device successfully prevented bait uptake by nontarget species. The BOS^TM should be trialed more extensively to confirm its effectiveness and species-specificity to distribute pharmaceuticals to wild suids. If successful, the BOS^TM could be used to deliver vaccines in disease control programs as well as contraceptives to manage overabundant populations of wild suids.     

Toxicity of anethole and its effects on egg production of Ceratitis capitata Wied. (Dipt., tephritidae)

We report the effects of anethole on adult Ceratitis capitata Wied. (Diptera, Tephritidae) which cause serious damage to fruit crops. Because of the toxicological and environmental pollution due to the indiscriminate use of organophosphates against the endophagous larvae, the control of this pest is now mainly directed against the adults, by the application of bait sprays. Considerable toxic effects have been obtained by oral administration to adults of nutritive formulations containing 5% anethole with some hydrolised commercial proteins. In this test we observed high values of mortality (85% after 24 h) and a total inhibition of reproductive activity. The toxic effect produced by oral administration of the compound tested appears to be correlated to irreversible damage to the gut of the medfly. These results acquire a particular importance in view of the introduction of alternative methods for the control of the medfly. In particular, our objective is the testing of relevant formulations of this active principle in field. The use of anethole combined with protein baits, which can be used in the open field, is therefore particularly promising.     

Spatial and temporal variation in butterfly biodiversity in a West African forest: lessons for establishing efficient rapid monitoring programmes

Because tropical forests face serious threats and are usually situated in developing countries, cheap and easy Rapid Biodiversity Assessment (RBA) seems an ideal strategy for documenting changes in habitat quality and setting conservation priorities. Fruit‐feeding butterflies are often used as focal taxa to document biodiversity trends in tropical forests. However, the choice of inappropriate sampling strategies may nullify its value. More extensive data sets that sample multiple months and seasons and incorporate the vertical dimension are needed as a baseline for designing reliable sampling regimes. Therefore, we performed a butterfly trapping study in Ghana, using both understorey and canopy traps, and sampling seven periods covering dry and wet seasons. Both individual numbers and species richness were on average three to four times higher in the understorey than in the canopy traps with strikingly different species composition (only 11% overlap in species). The number of species and individual abundance recorded in a month varied extensively. This study underlined the importance of taking into account temporal variation and vertical stratification when designing RBAs of fruit‐feeding butterflies in West African forests. We recommend the use of both understorey and canopy traps and inclusion of both ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ seasons into RBA sampling regimes.     

几种白蚁诱饵防霉剂的防霉效果比较

比较了8种供试防霉剂对黑翅土白蚁Odontotermes formosanus(Shiraki)喜食饵料小米粉的防霉效果,结果表明2‰山梨酸钾和0.75‰对小米粉的防霉效果较好,两者都能使野外试验坑中的小米粉样品8d后不发霉。室内试验结果表明,2‰山梨酸钾不影响黑翅土白蚁对小米粉的取食量;而0.75‰百菌清显著降低了黑翅土白蚁对小米粉的取食量,对黑翅土白蚁有明显的驱避作用。野外试验进一步表明,投饵8d后,小米粉诱饵、小米粉+2‰山梨酸钾诱饵、小米粉+0.75‰百菌清诱饵的发霉率分别为100,20和30%,而三者的被食率分别为27.67,53.70和19.15%。由此可见,2‰山梨酸钾最适合作为白蚁诱饵的防霉剂。     

Novel bait stations for attract-and-kill of pestiferous fruit flies

A novel, visually-attractive bait station was developed in Hawaii for application of insecticidal baits against oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), melon fly, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett), and Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (all Diptera: Tephritidae). The bait station developed represents a supernormal visual stimulus of papaya foliage and takes advantage of the flies' strong response to the high light-reflecting properties of yellow color and of their need for shelter, while fully protecting the bait against rainfall. Field studies revealed that the behavioral response of female fruit flies, in particular C. capitata and B. cucurbitae , to yellow-painted bait stations sprayed with GF-120 NF Naturalyte Fruit Fly Bait was significantly enhanced compared with similarly sprayed bait stations that mimicked the green color of fully grown papaya leaves. Field studies conducted with B. cucurbitae indicated that the period of bait attractiveness can be extended for at least 1 week after bait application due to the rain-fastness properties of the bait stations and the use of a visually-attractive color. Our studies provide the behavioral basis for the development of improved attract-and-kill bait stations for fruit flies in Hawaii. These devices also provide a standardized way of evaluating bait spray formulations, thus allowing for proper comparisons over time, across species, and among geographical areas.     

Responses of tsetse flies, Glossina morsitans morsitans and Glossina pallidipes, to baits of various size

Recent studies of Palpalis group tsetse [Glossina fuscipes fuscipes (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Kenya] suggest that small (0.25 × 0.25 m) insecticide-treated targets will be more cost-effective than the larger (≥1.0 × 1.0 m) designs currently used to control tsetse. Studies were undertaken in Zimbabwe to assess whether small targets are also more cost-effective for the Morsitans group tsetse, Glossina morsitans morsitans and Glossina pallidipes. Numbers of tsetse contacting targets of 0.25 × 0.25 m or 1.0 × 1.0 m, respectively, were estimated using arrangements of electrocuting grids which killed or stunned tsetse as they contacted the target. Catches of G. pallidipes and G. m. morsitans at small (0.25 × 0.25 m) targets were, respectively, ～1% and ～6% of catches at large (1.0 × 1.0 m) targets. Hence, the tsetse killed per unit area of target was greater for the larger than the smaller target, suggesting that small targets are not cost-effective for use against Morsitans group species. The results suggest that there is a fundamental difference in the host-orientated behaviour of Morsitans and Palpalis group tsetse and that the former are more responsive to host odours, whereas the latter seem highly responsive to visual stimuli.     

Carbohydrate bait preferences of wasps (Vespula vulgaris and V. germanica) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) in New Zealand

Abstract

Carbohydrates are both a source of food and a potential bait for control of common and German wasps. Carbohydrate preferences of wasps were determined in a series of paired trials by counting the number of wasps caught in traps baited with carbohydrate‐based baits versus a standard protein‐based bait. Factors influencing wasp attraction to carbohydrate‐based baits included bait type, season, weather, and location. A 30% sucrose solution was more attractive than honey, jams, gels, or dry (solid) sugars. The sucrose solution was more attractive in spring and autumn than in summer, probably because rainfall washed away natural carbohydrate supplies. There was a significant relationship between rainfall in the previous week and the proportion of wasps caught in traps baited with sucrose solution versus sardine cat‐food. A higher proportion of German wasps than common wasps was caught in sucrose‐baited traps. This may have been related to seasonal differences in abundance and/or behavioural differences between the two species. In some locations, more wasps were caught in traps baited with sucrose solution than in those baited with sardine cat‐food. The proportion of wasps caught in sucrose‐baited traps was higher in locations without beech scale honeydew than with beech scale honey‐dew. Proportionally more non‐target species (mainly honey bees) and fewer wasps were caught in traps baited with sucrose solution than in those baited with sardine cat‐food. All five bee repellents tested also repelled wasps. These results indicate the importance of determining the bait preferences of wasps (carbohydrate or protein) and the presence of non‐target species before attempting a poison‐baiting operation. They also emphasise the need for a wasp‐specific carbohydrate‐based bait.