ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS Seasonal Fecundity and Body Size in Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius) (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS Oviposition Behavior of Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann (Diptera: Tephritidae): Association Between Oviposition Preference and Larval Performance in Individual Females

The oviposition preference and larval performance of females of Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) were examined. Wild or laboratory-reared females were tested for oviposition preference in relation to papaya fruit in different stages of ripeness, as well as to two different fruits: papaya and apple. The results demonstrated that both laboratory-reared and wild females preferred ripe papaya fruit c...

Ecology, Behavior and Bionomics First Genotyping of <i>Spodoptera frugiperda</i> (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Progeny from Crosses between Bt-Resistant and Bt-Susceptible Populations, and 65-Locus Discrimination of Isofamilies

Implication of vector characteristics of Phlebotomus argentipes in the kala-azar elimination programme in the Indian sub-continent

BACKGROUND Visceral leishmaniasis (VL), also known as kala-azar in the Indian sub-continent (ISC), is a major public health concern in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal, where it is caused by Leishmania donovani transmitted by the sand fly Phlebotomus argentipes. Various ecological parameters including air temperature, rainfall, wind speed, relative humidity, soil moisture, pH, and organic carbon ar...

ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS Wolbachia in Two Populations of Melittobia digitata Dahms (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae)

We investigated two populations of Melittobia digitata Dahms, a gregarious parasitoid (primarily upon a wide range of solitary bees, wasps, and fl ies), in search of Wolbachia infection. The fi rst population, from Xalapa, Mexico, was originally collected from and reared on Mexican fruit fl y pupae, Anastrepha ludens Loew (Diptera: Tephritidae); the other, from Athens, Georgia, was collected fr...

ECOLOGY, BEHAVIOR AND BIONOMICS Uncapping Activity of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae) towards Worker Brood Cells Infested with the Mite Varroa destructor Anderson & Treuman (Mesostigmata: Varroidae)

Varroosis, a disease caused by the mite Varroa destructor Anderson and Treuman has killed hundreds of thousands of Apis mellifera L. colonies in various parts of the world. Nevertheless, the damage caused by this mite varies with the type of bee and climate conditions. Varroa causes little damage to Africanized bee colonies in Brazil, as the infestation rates are relatively stable and low. We e...