A traditional Thai medicinal extract from Cassia siamea was evaluated with respect to its larvicidal properties by determining the median lethal concentration (LC50) at 24, 48, 72 and 96 h against the fourth instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus, which is a carrier of mosquito-borne diseases, by studying the histopathological alterations. The 24, 48, 72 and 96 h LC50 values were 394.29, 350.2...

Entomopathogenic fungi, such as Metarhizium anisopliae and Beauveria bassiana, are being researched as alternatives to chemical adulticides to control mosquito vectors of malaria and dengue. Two cited concerns of fungal control include conidial viability and risks fungal entomopathogens pose to human health. We measured spore viability of 10 fungal isolates over 26 weeks and found a range of pe...

Some Trichoderma isolates were collected from different locations of Bangladesh for evaluating their bioefficiency by determining their genetic variations. PCR-based Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) Marker employing 3 decamer primers produced 29 scorable bands of which all (100%) were polymorphic. The co-efficient of gene differentiation (Gst) was 1.0000 reflecting the existence of high ...

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an invasive dipteran pest of soft fruits that causes substantial damage to the horticultural crops of Europe and North America. As conventional control of this pest is challenging, an environmentally benign microbial biopesticide is highly desirable. A lethal virus could prove to be such a control agent. Here we use a metatranscriptomic approach to discover new...