Understanding mechanisms underlying insects’ host choice and plant susceptibility is important to the study of plant-insect interactions in general, and in the context of plant invasions. This study investigates the oviposition and feeding choices of the specialist weevil Exapion ulicis on the invasive plant species Ulex europaeus, gorse. To do so, we studied the oviposition and feeding prefere...

Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense Lour., is a perennial semi-evergreen shrub that is a serious invasive weed in the United States. Classical biological control offers the best hope for controlling it in an economic, effective, and persistent way. Host speciÞcity of one of the most promising biological control agents of Chinese privet, a ßea beetle, Argopistes tsekooni Chen (Coleoptera: Chrysome...

Chinese privet, Ligustrum sinense Lour., is a perennial semi-evergreen shrub that is a serious invasive weed in the United States. Classical biological control offers the best hope for controlling it in an economic, effective, and persistent way. Host specificity of one of the most promising biological control agents of Chinese privet, a flea beetle, Argopistes tsekooni Chen (Coleoptera: Chryso...

Studies were conducted in 1997 and 1998 to evaluate the effects of three particle film formulations consisting of kaolin and adjuvants on neonate larvae, ovipositing adult females, and eggs of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). Neonate larval walking speed, fruit discovery rate, and fruit penetration rate on apple host plants coated with particle films were significantly lower than on host...

A common empirical observation in mutualistic interactions is the persistence of variation in partner quality and, in particular, the persistence of exploitative phenotypes. For mutualisms between hosts and symbionts, most mutualism theory assumes that exploiters always impose fitness costs on their host. We exposed legume hosts to mutualistic (nitrogen-fixing) and exploitative (non-nitrogen-fi...

Plant morphological changes mediated by growth conditions are linked to changes in host preference of herbivores. Understanding how these morphological changes inßuence herbivore feeding is critical in the interpretationof results of host evaluationof candidateweedbiocontrol agents in quarantine and improvement of the evaluation system. We determined the effect of plant growth conditions on lea...

We investigated how host plant phenology and plant species affected longevity, reproduction, and feeding behavior of an invasive weevil. Phyllobius oblongus L. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is common in northern hardwood forests of the Great Lakes Region. Adults emerge in spring, feed on foliage of woody understory plants, and oviposit in the soil. Preliminary data indicate that adults often fee...

ABSTRACT One of the factors that may affect and limit production in eucalypt plantations is attack defoliating insects. Among those, brown caterpillar, Thyrinteina arnobia (Stoll, 1782) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae), stands out for being major pest Eucalyptus spp. Brazil. Thus, present study aimed to investigate food consumption T. arnobia, its native host, guava (Psidium guajava L.), different E....

Cotesia plutellae is being assessed as a potential biological control agent for introduction against Plutella xylostella in New Zealand. As the literature on C. plutellae provided variable assessments of its host specificity, further information was collected from the laboratory and field. Our field assessments in Fiji indicated that this parasitoid did not attack other Lepidoptera in or around...

Beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), oviposition preferences were determined on Þve host plants: cabbage (Brassica oleracea capitata L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), bell pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.), and sunßower (Helianthus annuus L.) in no-choice, two-choice, and Þve-choice tests. Tests were conducted in the laboratory, greenhouse, and Þeld cages...