Phytosanitation regulations in several international markets require postharvest treatments to control codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in various commodities. Thermal treatments are gaining acceptance to replace chemical fumigation. Determining the most thermal-tolerant life stage is essential in the development of effective postharvest insect control protocols ba...

We examined the effects of tannin on a generalist herbivorous insect, the common cutworm (Spodoptera litura). The dosage effect was estimated by measuring the growth performance of the cutworm when the larvae were fed artificial diets containing different amounts of synthesized tannin. We used artificial diets to exclude the effects of non-tannin defense mechanisms in plant foliage. Indices of ...

ENTOMOLOGY I MR. SANCHEZ NAVARETTE : NO. DR. WIEHE : DO not 'dead hearts' result in some of the drier parts of Mauritius ? MR. WILLIAMS: When there are several borers near the top of a stalk, the top may die. This is different from a 'dead heart'. MR. SANCHEZ NAVARETTE : IS it easy to find several larvae in a single stalk ? MR. WILLIAMS: NO. We usually find one or two. D. W. FEWKES (Trinidad) :...

Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) does not replicate in Bombyx mori cells (Bm5, BmN). We have shown previously that when a short DNA sequence within AcMNPV ORF95, which encodes the viral helicase P143, is replaced with the colinear region of B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), AcMNPV gains the ability to replicate in Bm5 cells. To determine the mutational events in the p143...

Hygienic behavior, a trait that may confer resistance to brood diseases in the honey bee Apis mellifera, was studied in two species of stingless bees in Mexico. Eight colonies each of Melipona beecheii and Scaptotrigona pectoralis were tested for hygienic behavior, the removal of dead or diseased brood, by freeze killing a comb of sealed cells containing pupae. Both species detected and removed...

Serratia marcescens is a Gram negative bacterium (Enterobacteriaceae) often associated with infection of insects. In order to find pathogenic bacteria with the potential to control scarab larvae, several bacterial strains were isolated from the hemocoel of diseased Phyllophaga spp (Coleoptera:Scarabaeidae) larvae collected from cornfields in Mexico. Five isolates were identified as Serratia mar...

Dispersion or dilution of stool by water from heavy rainfall may affect Strongyloides stercoralis free-living development producing infective filariform larvae (FL). This study examined effect of water dilution of stool on survival of S. stercoralis free-living development. One g of stool was prepared in water so that its soluble component was diluted sequentially from 1:2 to 1:480. Three dishe...

A well-controlled growth environment with plants that are not unduly stressed is essential for Arabidopsis molecular biology research. Even if they do not kill the plants outright, insect pests and microbial pathogens can cause subtle changes in gene expression or plant metabolism that affect experimental results. Therefore, regular scouting for infestations, frequent cleaning of plant growth a...

Conservation of the threatened and protected European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) mainly focuses on availability dead wood as larval habitat. However, ecology this species remains poorly studied, less attention has been given to other habitat requirements such ambient temperatures for development larvae. To design proper guidelines preservation iconic species, growth larvae is compared between...

Recurrent outbreaks of a disease leading to mass mortalities in an oyster (Crassostrea gigas) hatchery located in western Japan were investigated. The disease occurred regularly in 2- to 8-d-old larvae and has been experimentally controlled in the hatchery by treating the larval rearing water with streptomycin, without ascertaining the etiological agent. The signs of the disease and the course ...