Recent attention has focused on the harmful effects of introduced biological control agents on nontarget species. The parasitoid Compsilura concinnata is a notable example of such biological control gone wrong. Introduced in 1906 primarily for control of gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, this tachinid fly now attacks more than 180 species of native Lepidoptera in North America. While it did not pre...

Gypsy moth management is divided into three components: eradication, suppression, and transition zone management. All three components require knowledge of the boundaries that delimit these areas. Additional interest is also placed on the relationship between population spread and defoliation to prepare for the gypsy moth advance in new areas and minimize its impact. We developed relationships ...

Anti-reflective coatings (ARCs) are used to lower the reflection of light on the surface of a substrate. Here, we demonstrate that the two main drawbacks of moth eye-structured ARCs-i.e., the lack of suitable coating materials and a process for large area, high volume applications-can be largely eliminated, paving the way for cost-efficient and large-scale production of durable moth eye-structu...

Several integrated pest management programs rely on the use of mating disruption tactics to control insect pests. Some programs specifically target non-native species, such as the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). We evaluated SPLAT GM, a new sprayable formulation of the gypsy moth sex pheromone disparlure, for its ability to disrupt gypsy moth mating. The study was...

Industry concerns over insect resistance, regulatory action, and the needs of organic processors have renewed interest in nonchemical alternative postharvest treatments to fumigants used for California tree nuts. The development of inexpensive polyvinyl chloride containers capable of holding low pressures has increased the practicality of vacuum treatments for durable commodities such as tree n...

in laboratory experiments the toxicity of acetone was investigated against four species of stored-product insects. in empty-space trials, estimates of the lethal concentrations of acetone (lc, 72-h exposure) for 50% mortality against adults of the lesser grain borer, rhizopertha dominica (f.), red flour beetle, tribolium castaneum (herbst), rice weevil, si-tophilus oryzae (l.) and eggs of the a...

The lepidopteran family Lymantriidae contains about 200 genera and about 2,500 described species, mostly from the Old World Tropics (DeWorms, 1983). Of the 46 recognized species and subspecies of Lymantriidae in North America, 30% are considered pests (Ferguson, 1978). The pest species include three introduced species which have become established in North America, the gypsy moth, Lymantria dis...

Novel methods of data analysis were used to interpret codling moth (Cydia pomonella) catch data from central-trap, multiple-release experiments using a standard codlemone-baited monitoring trap in commercial apple orchards not under mating disruption. The main objectives were to determine consistency and reliability for measures of: 1) the trapping radius, composed of the trap's behaviorally ef...

Next month will see the first major event in a new four-year project which promises to be the world's largest effort to monitor and promote awareness of moth populations. Moths Count (www.mothscount. org), launched this spring by wildlife television presenter David Attenborough is Britain's attempt to address the apparent decline in many of its numerous moth species. The launch attracted consid...

Pollen grains are regularly used as markers to determine an insect's movement patterns or host (plant) feeding behavior, yet conventional morphology-based pollen grain analysis (or palynology) encounters a number of important limitations. In the present study, we combine conventional analytical approaches with DNA meta-barcoding to identify pollen grains attached to migrating adults of the turn...