Whirligig beetles (Coleoptera: Gyrinidae) are semi-aquatic insects with a morphology and propulsion system highly adapted to their life at the air-water interface. When swimming on the water surface, beetles are subject to both fluid resistance and wave resistance. The purpose of this study was to analyse swimming speed, leg kinematics and the capillarity waves produced by whirligig beetles on ...

Phenology and abundance of bean leaf beetles, Cerotoma trifurcata (Förster), were examined throughout two eastern South Dakota growing seasons in relation to grain yields in chisel- and ridge-tilled soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merrill] grown in 2-yr rotation with corn (Zea mays L.) with and without added nitrogen (N). Populations were also sampled early and late season in alfalfa (Medicago sativ...

Fluon PTFE is a fluoropolymer dispersion applied as a surface conditioner to cross-vane panel traps to enhance trap efficiency for cerambycid beetles. We describe the results of three experiments to further optimize cerambycid traps of different designs and to test the effect of Fluon over time. We tested Fluon with Lindgren funnel and panel traps fitted with either wet or dry collection cups o...

A field experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of variety and spatial arrangement on pest incidence, damage and subsequent yield of cowpea in a cowpea/maize intercrop. Two varieties of cowpea (Tvu 13076 and Ife brown) and two spatial arrangements (2:3 maize/ cowpea & 1:1maize/ cowpea intercrops) were investigated. There was Lower population density of Maruca vitrata among the 1:1...

Soil-dwelling insects are severe pests in many agroecosystems. These pests have cryptic life cycles, making sampling difficult and damage hard to anticipate. The management of soil insects is therefore often based on preventative insecticides applied at planting or cultural practices. Wireworms, the subterranean larvae of click beetles (Coleoptera: Elateridae), have re-emerged as problematic pe...