BACKGROUND RNA interference (RNAi) induced through double stranded RNA (dsRNA) has been used widely to study gene function in insects. Recently, it has been reported that gene knockdown in several insects can be induced successfully through feeding with dsRNA. However, it is still unknown whether phenotypic silencing of genes not expressed in the midgut occurs after ingestion of insect dsRNA. ...

Temperate fruit crops are an important economic activity for growers in southern Brazil. However, several pest species are associated to apple (Malus domestica Borkh.) crops in Brazil. Pesticides are largely used to control them and one way to change this is to combine selective pesticides and predator insects. The goal of this research was to evaluate the effects of the abamectin, carbaryl, fe...

Abstract Background Dortus primarius (Distant) (Hemiptera: Miridae) is a general predator reported from the oriental region. This bug naturally found in many crop ecosystems where it feeds on thrips, aphids, insect eggs and other soft-bodied insects. Although, rearing protocol of this predatory mirid has been developed, efficiency as biocontrol agent limited needs to be investigated. The Frankl...

Correspondence: T. Stankowich, Psychology Department, Young Hall, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A. (email: [email protected]). Biologists have studied group dynamics and attempted to define the benefits of gregariousness across diverse taxa for several decades. The relative costs and benefits of group living (reviewed in Krause & Ruxton 2002) may diffe...

Urban domestic cat (Felis catus) populations can attain exceedingly high densities and are not limited by natural prey availability. This has generated concerns that they may negatively affect prey populations, leading to calls for management. We enlisted cat-owners to record prey returned home to estimate patterns of predation by free-roaming pets in different localities within the town of Rea...

Estimating survival and documenting causes and timing of mortality events in neonate bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) improves understanding of population ecology and factors influencing recruitment. During 2010-2012, we captured and radiocollared 74 neonates in the Black Hills, South Dakota, of which 95% (70) died before 52 weeks of age. Pneumonia (36%) was the leading cause of mortality follow...

Populations of the native ninespotted lady beetle, Coccinella novemnotata Herbst, have undergone precipitous declines in North America following the establishment of the exotic sevenspotted lady beetle, Coccinella septempunctata L. Recent volunteer efforts have made it possible to establish colonies of the now-rare C. novemnotata and test mechanisms contributing to its decline. We evaluated the...

The benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulators (IGRs), diflubenzuron, alsyston, CGA 112913, UC 62644 and Thuringiensin, were tested on adult and late third instar Trioxys pallidus and first instar walnut aphids. The organophosphates, phosalone and azinphosmethyl were used as positive controls. The IGRs and Thuringiensin were not acutely toxic to adult and larval Trioxys when contact, topical a...

Journal Club Every so often, a hypothesis comes along that contains an idea that makes you wonder why no one has thought of it before. A recent paper by T.E. Martin et al. 1 contains such a conceptual leap. In 1949, A.F. Skutch provided an original hypothesis regarding the evolution of parental care behaviour in birds. The hypothesis was that nest predation should increase with increasing paren...