A series of tests were conducted to determine if the sensitivity and efficiency of an established rabbit immunoglobulin (IgG)-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) could be improved for detecting a protein mark on insects. Five variations of ELISA were examined for their ability to detect a rabbit IgG mark on the convergent lady beetle, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville. The c...

Introduced species have been linked to declines of native species through mechanisms including intraguild predation and exploitative competition. However, coexistence among species may be promoted by niche partitioning if native species can use resources that the invasive species cannot. Previous research has shown that some strains of the aphid Aphis craccivora are toxic to a competitively dom...

An extensive survey of predatory Coccinellid beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) was conducted in the Chitral District, Pakistan, over a period of 7 months (April through October, 2001). A total of 2600 specimens of Coccinellids were collected from 12 different localities having altitudes from 1219.40–2651.63 m. Twelve different species belonging to 9 genera of 3 tribes and 2 sub-families were ...

The Adonis ladybird, Hippodamia variegataGoeze (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) is known as an important predator of the Common pistachio psylla, Agonoscena pistaciae Burckhardt & Lauterer (Hemiptera: Psyllidae). Despite using the selective pesticides to manage the pests in the pistachio orchards, these chemicals have influenced non-target organisms like predators and parasitoids. ...

Intraguild predation (IGP) is pervasive in many managed and unmanaged ecosystems and may have negative, neutral or positive effects on the biological control of pest insects. Both generalist predators and aphelinid parasitoids attack Bemisia tabac i (Gennadius) Biotype B ( B. argentifolii Perring & Bellows) on cotton in the southwestern USA. Free-choice and no-choice laboratory assays were cond...

Coccinellid communities across North America have experienced significant changes in recent decades, with declines in several native species reported. One potential mechanism for these declines is interference competition via intraguild predation; specifically, increased predation of native coccinellid eggs and larvae following the introduction of exotic coccinellids. Our previous studies have ...