Arthropod herbivory induces plant volatiles that can be used by natural enemies of the herbivores to find their prey. This has been studied mainly for arthropods that prey upon or parasitise herbivorous arthropods but rarely for insectivorous birds, one of the main groups of predators of herbivorous insects such as lepidopteran larvae. Here, we show that great tits (Parus major) discriminate be...

Tick saliva is critically important for continuous attachment to the host, blood feeding for days, and transmission of tick-borne pathogens. To characterize the patterns of inflammatory cytokine gene expression during its attachment and blood sucking time, peripheral blood samples of rabbits infested with Haemaphysalis longicornis ticks were collected at different intervals. Blood histamine con...

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...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Resistance amongst cockroaches has been reported to most of the spray insecticides. Imidacloprid gel baits, which can be selectively applied at the infested and potential harborages sites have been found effective in control of cockroach infestation in some laboratory studies but very few field studies are available. This study was therefore undertaken to evaluate the ...

Areas of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks in the Black Hills can provide habitat for black-backedwoodpeckers (Picoides arcticus), a U.S. Forest Service, Region 2 Sensitive Species. These outbreaks are managed through removal of trees infested with mountain pine beetles to control mountain pine beetle populations and salvage timber resources. To minimize impacts t...

A proteomics approach was used to study the proteins associated with chinch bug infested corn seedlings. Examination of two-dimensional gels revealed the presence of more than 600 high quality protein spots each from chinch bug-infested and healthy corn seedlings. A total of 31 protein spots was selected for matrix-assisted laser desorption and ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometric analy...

This research investigated the role of oxidative enzymes in the defense response of buffalograss,Buchloë dactyloides (Nuttall) Engelmann, toBlissus occiduusBarber. Changes in catalase and peroxidase activity were observed in both resistant and susceptible buffalograsses in response to chinch bug feeding. Susceptible plants were shown to have a lower level of catalase activity compared with thei...

BALB/c mice infested with larvae or nymphs of Ixodes ricinus develop in their lymph nodes a T cell-specific immune response triggered by salivary gland soluble antigens (SGA). SGA are apparently conserved in the 3 biological stages of I. ricinus ticks and are species specific. SGA derived from partially fed females I. ricinus stimulate lymph node T cells from mice infested with I. ricinus larva...

Signal-based induced indirect defence refers to herbivore-induced production of plant volatiles that attract carnivorous natural enemies of herbivores. Relationships between direct and indirect defence strategies were studied using tritrophic systems consisting of six sympatric willow species, willow leaf beetles (Plagiodera versicolora), and their natural predators, ladybeetles (Aiolocaria hex...

This research investigated the role of oxidative enzymes in the defense response of buffalograss, Buchloë dactyloides (Nuttall) Engelmann, to Blissus occiduus Barber. Changes in catalase and peroxidase activity were observed in both resistant and susceptible buffalograsses in response to chinch bug feeding. Susceptible plants were shown to have a lower level of catalase activity compared with t...