Heat shock proteins (Hsps) are a ubiquitous component of the cellular response to stress in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, but their role and function during desiccation stress in terrestrial arthropods has received limited attention. Molecular responses to rehydration are arguably as important as those to desiccation in maintaining cellular integrity and enzyme activity, but the ro...

In order to determine the most resistant stage to various high temperature treatments for disinfesting dried fruits and nuts of postharvest insect pests, effect of different Indianmeal moth (lMM) and navel orangeworm (NOW) egg ages on response to heat was estimated. Of the ages treated, 9 :i: 8 hr old IMM eggs, and 42 :i: 6 hr old NOW eggs proved to be the most resistant stages to high temperat...

The globally distributed ectoparasite Varroa destructor is a vector for viral pathogens of the Western honeybee (Apis mellifera), in particular the Iflavirus Deformed Wing Virus (DWV). In the absence of Varroa low levels DWV occur, generally causing asymptomatic infections. Conversely, Varroa-infested colonies show markedly elevated virus levels, increased overwintering colony losses, with impa...

Tribolium castaneum (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is a serious pest of stored agricultural products and one of the most common insects found in grain storage and food processing facilities. Heat treatment has been revisited to control stored-product insects as a potential alternative to methyl bromide for disinfesting mills and food-processing facilities. The influence of acclimation of ...

In the butterfly Inachis io, a pupal melanization reducing factor (PMRF) which is located throughout the entire central nervous system controls the intensity of pigmentation of pupal cuticle depending on the background color of the pupation site. PMRF does not only reduce melanization but, in addition, enhances lutein incorporation in a dose-dependent manner to form pupae with yellow color on b...

w L r w h c w h i a i d m t n ( e S t s u ( t r p r Individual kernels of wheat containing immature ice weevils, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curcuionidae), parasitized by Anisopteromalus calandrae Howard) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) could be sepaated from uninfested kernels and kernels that conained unparasitized weevils by using near-infrared NIR) spectroscopy. Wheat kernels from cultu...

The gut bacterial community of a bark beetle, the pine engraver Ips pini (Say), was characterized using culture-dependent and culture-independent methods. Bacteria from individual guts of larvae, pupae and adults were cultured and DNA was extracted from samples of pooled larval guts. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences amplified directly from the gut community suggests that the gut bacterial co...

The cuticular hydrocarbons of insects are species-specific and often function as semiochemicals. The activity of Tribolium brevicornis cuticular hydrocarbons as feeding deterrents that ostensibly function to prevent pupal cannibalism and predation was evaluated. The cuticular hydrocarbons of T. brevicornis pupae were characterized and flour disk bioassays conducted with individual and combined ...

Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) is a plasticizer used in the manufacture of several industrial and household articles. They get easily released to the environment and may cause adverse effects to living organisms. In this study, effects of DBP on the development and fecundity of Drosophila melanogaster have been studied. 72 h larvae of D. melanogaster were exposed to 0.25 mL/L, 0.5 mL/L and 1 mL/L DBP....

Eight transgenic strains of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were compared with the wild-type parental laboratory strain (P95) in colony. Measurements of average weight of pupae, percentage of adults emerging from pupae, ratio of males to total emerged adults, and mating competitiveness were analyzed. The parental strain colony was subcultured and exposed to handling ...