Aphids commonly harbor bacterial facultative symbionts that have a variety of effects upon their aphid hosts, including defense against hymenopteran parasitoids and fungal pathogens. The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is infected with the symbiont Arsenophonus sp., which has an unknown role in its aphid host. Our research goals were to document the infection fre...

Schizaphis graminum (green bug; GB) and Sipha flava (yellow sugarcane aphid; YSA) are two cereal aphid species with broad host ranges capable of establishing on sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and several switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) cultivars. Switchgrass and sorghum are staple renewable bioenergy crops that are vulnerable to damage by aphids, therefore, identifying novel targets to control aphids...

Medicago truncatula is attacked by a broad range of insect herbivores including sieve-element feeders, cell content feeders, and chewing insects. In M. truncatula, genetic resistance against insects has to date been identified only against aphids: single dominant resistance genes have been identified conferring resistance against the pea aphid, bluegreen aphid, and spotted alfalfa aphid. Aphids...

Sustainable use of insect resistance in crops require insect resistance management plans that may include a refuge to limit the spread of virulence to this resistance. However, without a loss of fitness associated with virulence, a refuge may not prevent virulence from becoming fixed within a population of parthenogenetically reproducing insects like aphids. Aphid-resistance in soybeans (i.e., ...

This study shows that honeydew prompts arrestment and reduced activity, but not attraction, by the mite Balaustium sp. nr. putmani. When presented with short-range, two-choice bioassays, mites ceased their characteristic rapid crawling activity when they encountered honeydew-treated surfaces, resulting in them clustering around the honeydew. Approximately 80% of mites were retained by honeydew,...

Generalist predator guilds play a prominent role in structuring insect communities and can contribute to limiting population sizes of insect pest species. A consequence of dietary breadth, particularly in predatory insects, is the inclusion of low-quality, or even toxic, prey items in the predator's diet. Consumption of low-quality prey items reduces growth, development, and survival of predato...

Twospotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), and hop aphid, Phorodon humuli (Schrank) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are the most important arthropod pests of hop (Humulus lupulus L.) in the Northern Hemisphere. A potential barrier for greater adoption of conservation biological control strategies for spider mites and hop aphid is the extensive use of fungicides for managem...

Three DNA regions (ITS 1, LSU rRNA and GPD) of isolates from the insectpathogenic fungus genus Entomophthora originating from different fly (Diptera) and aphid (Hemiptera) host taxa were sequenced. The results documented a large genetic diversity among the fly-pathogenic Entomophthora and only minor differences among aphid-pathogenic Entomophthora. The evolutionary time of divergence of the fly...

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, is one of the most important economic pests affecting soybean production in Wisconsin and neighboring states. Since its discovery in 2000, the soybean aphid has become established in the North Central Region and presents a potential threat to the soybean industry. Insecticides are available for control of the soybean aphid, but are an additional prod...

Populations of the most abundant alfalfa aphids, Acyrthosiphon pisum and Therioaphis trifolii, have periodic fluctuations, many factors affect their dynamics. In present study, we examined impact daily air temperatures on abundance two aphids in field conditions. The numbers these were documented at locations a representative growing area Serbia during three-year study. Based records aphid whol...