Two laboratory workers, who spent a considerable time each day handling grain infested by the grain weevil (Sitophilus granarius), developed allergic responses to this insect varying from rhinitis and pruritus to marked asthma. These findings suggested that weevil protein present in mill dust could result in sensitization in those exposed continuously. A pilot study was therefore undertaken on ...

A cDNA clone encoding pectinmethylesterase of the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) has been isolated and sequenced. The cDNA clone was expressed in cultured insect cells and active pectinmethylesterase was purified from the culture medium, thus confirming that the cDNA encodes pectinmethylesterase. In situ hybridization indicated that the enzyme's transcript was present in the midgut. Weevil...

Bioerosion by boring sponges is an important mechanism shaping the structure of coral reefs all around the world. To determine the excavation rate by boring sponges, we developed a system in which chemical and mechanical boring rates [calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) dissolution and chip production, respectively] were measured simultaneously in experimental tanks containing reefal rock inhabited by ...

A field study examined the temporal patterns of boll weevil mortality provided by two commercially available kill strips, Hercon VaporTape II and Plato Insecticide Strip, and to evaluate the impacts of these devices on weevil escape from traps. Both types of kill strips produced similar levels of weevil mortality with the exception of the last two inspection intervals (30 and 46 h after continu...

For rotating-tool machining, such as milling, line boring, and cylinder boring, the tool rotation causes the machining force on each tooth to rotate repetitively relative to the inertial coordinate frame. This is quite different than stationary-tool machining, such as turning or boring with a stationary boring bar, in which the force directions are fixed relative to the inertial frame. Although...

Volatiles emitted by healthy, mechanically damaged, and weevil-infested Artemisia ordosica (Asteraceae) were obtained through a dynamic headspace method and analysed by automatic thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (ATD/GC/MS). Twenty-eight compounds in all were identified, and the qualitative as well as quantitative differences were compared. The green leaf volatiles 2-hexe...

A retrospective study was conducted in 1993 which quantified the effects of overstory shading on both spruce weevil, Pissodes strobi (Peck) damage, and leader growth on interior white spruce, Picea g/auca (Moench) Voss x engelmannii (Parry ex Englem.). The study was undertaken in the Prince George and Cariboo Forest Regions of British Columbia where the weevil is causing extensive damage to pla...

Pastures in the northern North Island contain a complexofnationallydistributedinsectsandinsects associated with warmer climatic conditions. Argentine stem weevil (Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel)) is the most important insect pest in New Zealand. Progress toward the development of sustainable control of Argentine stem weevil is basedon a thorough understanding of the population ecologyofthepes...

In March 1994, Gonipterus scutellatus Gyllenhal, an Australian weevil that feeds on foliage of eucalypts, was discovered in Ventura County, CA. By the time of its discovery, the weevil was defoliating eucalypt trees in citrus orchard windrows. We imported, reared, and released a parasitoid of the weevilÕs eggs, Anaphes nitens Siscaro (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae). A. nitens was Þrmly established in ...

tents reduces yield, while feeding scars and holes on testa reduce the quality and marketability of pea seed. The pea weevil, Bruchus pisorum (L.) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), is In addition, weevil-damaged seed has lower germination one of the most intractable pest problems of cultivated pea, Pisum sativum L. The availability of resistant cultivars would give growers rates and is prone to structur...