Using electrical penetration graph, salivary flange, and honeydew measurement, this study investigated the effects of feeding-induced intra- and interspecific interactions on feeding behavior and honeydew excretion of brown planthopper (Nilaparvata lugens) compared with small brown planthopper (Laodelphax striatellus). Results showed that many measures of feeding behavior were affected by feedi...

The incidence of phloem sap feeding by animals appears paradoxical. Although phloem sap is nutrient-rich compared with many other plant products and generally lacking in toxins and feeding deterrents, it is consumed as the dominant or sole diet by a very restricted range of animals, exclusively insects of the order Hemiptera. These insects display two sets of adaptations. First, linked to the h...

We investigate the behavioural rule used by ant societies to adjust their foraging response to the honeydew productivity of aphids. When a scout finds a single food source, the decision to lay a recruitment trail is an all-or-none response based on the opportunity for this scout to ingest a desired volume acting as a threshold. Here, we demonstrate, through experimental and theoretical approach...

The melaleuca psyllid, Boreioglycaspis melaleucae (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), was introduced to Florida as a biological control agent against Melaleuca quinquenervia, an invasive evergreen tree that has invaded large areas of Florida Everglades. Colonies of B. melaleucae nymphs are normally covered by white waxy secretions, and nymphs of various instars produce long bundles of white waxy filaments ...

Although mutualism between ants and honeydew-producing hemipterans has been extensively recognized in ecosystem biology, however few attempts to test the hypothesis that mutualism between two alien species leads to the facilitation of the invasion process. To address this problem, we focus on the conditional mutualism between S. invicta and P. solenopsis by field investigations and indoor exper...

Ants are one of the most abundant insect groups in citrus orchards. They help controlling pests, but they can also facilitate outbreak other such as those that produce honeydew. Moreover, ants affect natural enemies pests. Here, we review how pest abundance, considering whether produces honeydew and it spends part its life-cycle soil (edaphic stages). We investigated effects presence on with a ...

Studies have suggested that plant-based nutritional resources are important in promoting high densities of omnivorous and invasive ants, but there have been no direct tests of the effects of these resources on colony productivity. We conducted an experiment designed to determine the relative importance of plants and honeydew-producing insects feeding on plants to the growth of colonies of the i...

The effects of a waiting period at room temperature ( approximately 22 degrees C) before refrigerating fresh-cut watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew pieces contaminated with Salmonella on survival of the inoculated pathogen were investigated. Whole cantaloupes, honeydew melons and watermelons were washed with water, and fresh-cut pieces from individual melons were prepared and inoculated with a...

The success of biological control is partly mediated by the longevity and reproductive success of beneficial insects. Availability of nectar and honeydew can improve the nutrition of parasitic insects, and thereby increase their longevity and realized fecundity. The egg parasitoid, Anaphes iole, showed strong gustatory perception of trehalulose, a carbohydrate found in homopteran honeydew. Chro...

Two samples of oak honeydew honey were investigated. Headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with GC and GC/MS enabled identification of the most volatile organic headspace compounds being dominated by terpenes(mainly cis- and trans-linalool oxides). The volatile and less-volatile organic composition of the samples was obtained by ultrasonic assisted extraction (USE) with two s...