In a greenhouse experiment, fipronil was applied at 0.014 kg ai/ha to bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon L., in plastic 5-liter containers 120, 90, 60, 30, and 0 days before adding one tawny mole cricket nymph, Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder to the container. After the exposure period, soil in the containers was divided into depth increments of 0-4, 4-8, and 8-18 cm, and cricket status was recorded as dead, absent, or alive by thoroughly examining soil. Soil in the 0-4 cm-increment was analyzed for fipronil and four fipronil metabolite residues. Fipronil residue concentrations decreased with time (C = 0.00002x² - 0.0053x 0.3675, R² = 0.9998 where C = fipronil concentration (μg/g of soil) and x = days after treatment). Concentrations of two metabolites, fipronil sulfone and fipronil sulfide, increased as fipronil residues decreased. Each treatment’s affect on late instar mole crickets was significantly different from the non-treated; however, there were no significant differences in nymph status among fipronil-treated containers. Fipronil and residues of its metabolites 120 days after application were 0.047 μg/g of soil and were high enough to kill or repel mole crickets to the same extent as the 0-day treatment, 0.368 μg/g of soil. Repellency of fipronil and its metabolites was significant as the majority of nymphs evacuated or died in the treated containers, but 35 of 37 nymphs were found alive in the non-treated containers.

Genetic evidence for a new subterranean termite species herein named Reticulitermes okanaganensis is provided based on DNA sequence analysis. Partial sequences of the mitochondrial DNA rRNA 16S gene were obtained from 27 samples of R. okanaganensis from British Columbia, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada and California. Five nucleotide sites were variable among the four observed haplotypes. One haplotype occurred only once, while the most common haplotype, O3, occurred in 37% of the samples. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of R. okanaganensis relative to five other North American Reticulitermes species has clarified its distinct position within the genus.

Experiments were conducted in a flight chamber in a controlled-environment greenhouse to determine if thermal and water stress differentially affects attraction of Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), to BioLure MFF 2-component lures and AFF lures. For most combinations of air temperature, water vs. no water in traps, and non-thirsty vs. thirsty flies, responses to traps with BioLures or AFF lures were equal. Generally, higher temperatures, water deprivation of flies, and especially presence of water in traps, increased attraction to both lures. Results indicate that observed greater attractiveness of BioLures compared with AFF lures in Multi-Lure traps in the field is not due to water in traps or thermal stress. Results are consistent with observed greater attractiveness of Multi-Lure traps containing water compared with sticky traps under hot, dry field conditions.

Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood is a significant pest of various vegetable, ornamental, and fruit crops. Its biology and management are little known in the agro-ecosystems in western hemisphere. We investigated distribution patterns of S. dorsalis in fields and plants of ‘Scotch Bonnet’ pepper, Capsicum chinense Jacq., on St. Vincent in 2004 and 2005. Scirtothrips dorsalis adults and larvae were abundant on top leaves of the pepper plants followed by middle leaves, lower leaves, flowers and fruits. The spatial distribution of S. dorsalis adults and larvae on pepper was analyzed by using Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s patchiness regression. These results were compared with the Index of Dispersion, Mean Crowding, Green’s Index and Lloyd’s Patchiness Index. In Oct 2004, the distributions of S. dorsalis adults on the top leaves were aggregated in 24- and 48 m2-plots. In the smaller plots adults were distributed in a regular pattern. The distribution of larvae on the top leaves was aggregated irrespective of plot size. In Williams Farms on Mar 2005, the distribution of adults was aggregated in the largest plots (48 m²). In all other plots, the distribution of adults was regular as described by Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s patchiness regression. In Baptist Farms on March 2005, the distribution of adults according to both models was aggregated irrespective of plot size. The optimum number of samples from a 24 m² plot was 9 with a precision of 40% when there were 0.5 individuals per top leaf of ‘Scotch Bonnet’ pepper. However if the estimated density was 2 individuals per top leaf, 9 samples from a same sized area were sufficient at the 10% precision level. This information is essential to the development of a scouting-based integrated management program for S. dorsalis. Based on this information, incipient infestations of S. dorsalis easily can be detected by examining young top leaves.

Greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of panicle age on quantitative and qualitative injury caused by rice stink bug, Oebalus pugnax pugnax (Fab.), infestations on rice, Oryza sativa L. The effects were measured at two infestation levels (one and two bugs per panicle) and compared with an undamaged control. Percentage of empty grains and average weight of filled grains (quantitative injury) and percentage of pecky rice (qualitative injury) were evaluated at grain maturity. Regardless of infestation level, insect feeding during anthesis and the early milk stage of grain development (first 8 d after anthesis) caused substantially higher numbers of empty grains than feeding during later grain development and the control. Average grain weights were lower in infestations during anthesis and milk stage and higher in infestations during later grain development and the control. Pecky rice was significantly higher during late milk and soft dough stages, 9-16 d after anthesis, compared with remaining stages of grain development and the control. Injury was greater in the experiment in which panicles were infested with two bugs. Pecky rice was associated with highly significant reductions in germination of the grains. The data suggest that rice is most vulnerable to rice stink bug injury during the first two weeks after anthesis, and that the major effects of stink bug feeding change as panicles age.

Seasonal abundance of the citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), was investigated between Nov 1999 and Apr 2003 in Tafí Viejo (Tucuman province). Phyllocnistis citrella populations increased during spring and summer, declined during fall, and disappeared in the winter. Five species of parasitoids, one exotic and four indigenous, attacked citrus leafminer immature stages in commercial and experimental lemon orchards. Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was the most abundant parasitoid. Cirrospilus neotropicus Diez & Fidalgo (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) was the most abundant indigenous species, followed by Galeopsomyia fausta LaSalle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). The other indigenous species were not common and were only occasionally collected from citrus leafminer larvae. Parasitoids and P. citrella exhibited similar population fluctuations throughout the entire sampling period. A certain degree of synchrony exists between the most abundant parasitoids (A. citricola, C. neotropicus, and G. fausta) and the pest. The highest rates of parasitism were observed in the fall. Ageniaspis citricola exhibited approximately 29.5% parasitism, whereas all the native species together were only 8.2%. Data showed that a clear dependence existed between percentages of parasitism and citrus leafminer population density for the most frequent parasitoid populations. The results of this study show that C. neotropicus has an important role among the native species present in Argentina.

In an attempt to find potential biological control agents of the lobate lac scale (Paratachardina lobata), an important pest in southern Florida and the Bahamas, we made collections of the commercial lac scale (Kerria lacca) in northern Thailand. Four species of parasitoids and two species of predaceous moths were reared from K. lacca infestations on twigs imported into Florida quarantine. None of the parasitoids accepted P. lobata as a host. Parasitoids of P. lobata from India or Sri Lanka, the native home of this scale, probably have more promise as potential biological control agents of this pest.

The oligophagous cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum (Berg), has been recognized as a serious and immediate threat to Opuntia cacti in Florida and the southeastern United States. The moth has successfully colonized new geographical ranges with lower annual temperatures north of the Florida Keys where it was first detected in the continental United States in 1989. This study evaluated the effect of temperature on egg development and egg hatch of C. cactorum by utilizing various treatment temperatures, exposure times, and egg ages. The temperatures used in this study ranged from a low of -20°C to a high of 50°C, thus encompassing the potential range of temperatures that eggsticks may be exposed to in potential new host areas. One-d-old eggs held at a constant temperature of 30°C resulted in the highest percent hatch and shortest time to egg hatch. Eggs did not hatch when held at constant temperatures ≤15°C or ≥35°C. Furthermore, one d of exposure at -10°C and 4 d of exposure at -5°C were 100% lethal to one-d-old eggs. Eggs that were 7- and 14-d-old before exposure to cold temperatures were generally more resistant to temperature effects than one-d-old eggs.

Lixadmontia franki Wood & Cave kills bromeliad-attacking weevils in the genus Metamasius. This parasitic fly is being investigated for its potential as a classical biological control agent of M. callizona (Chevrolat), which is devastating the native bromeliad flora in south Florida. A continuous rearing method was developed based on the fly’s native host, M. quadrilineatus Champion, and a bromeliad species readily obtained from the field. Levels of parasitism of 3rd instars on slices of Tillandsia standleyi L. B. Smith stems were equivalent to those on intact plants. Larval feeding damage (≥3 d) was necessary for successful parasitism. Average level of parasitism per 30 weevil larvae exposed to 42 female flies for 14 d was 85%. Production of L. franki puparia averaged 22.0 ± 12.2 (SD) daily. Most (83%) final instars of the parasitoid exited their host 13-16 d after initial exposure to the flies. Weekly inputs of 210 weevil larvae and 56 fly puparia produced, on average, 154 puparia per week for a net production rate of 2.75.

Despite widespread distributions and abundance, previously published diagnoses of the larvae of the two species of the dragonfly genus Pantala often were contradictory or confusing. Morphometric analysis of mensural characters and qualitative analysis of relative character states were used to determine the ability of previously published characterizations to accurately distinguish larvae of the two species. We found that many published characterizations were inaccurate or insufficient, and their use in making species level determinations would result in frequent misidentifications. In distinguishing between the two species, the most useful and reliable characteristic was the palpal setal count. However, in specimens where this count is intermediate, other characteristics may need to be evaluated.

The citrus leafminer, Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), is an important pest of citrus that has spread around the world. The citrus leafminer invaded Florida in 1993 and rapidly colonized all citrus-growing areas. Despite the fact that the citrus leafminer has been studied extensively, gaps in our knowledge of its biology remain. One issue is how the citrus leafminer overwinters. Citrus leafminers have been observed to overwinter in many countries, but their capacity to diapause has not been confirmed. To investigate whether P. citrella overwinters in diapause, we evaluated the ability of eggs to develop to adulthood on potted citrus trees when reared in both outdoor and growth chamber conditions. No pupae were found to be in diapause in the outdoor assessment in which three populations of citrus leafminer were reared in a shade house in Gainesville, Florida beginning on Oct 15, Nov 11, or Nov 22. Larval and pupal mortality significantly increased in the population set out on Nov 22 compared to the other populations. Adult longevity significantly increased in the last two populations compared to the Oct population. However, similar degree days were accumulated during the adult lifespan among the three populations. In the growth chamber assessments, citrus leafminers showed no arrestment in development during the pupal stage by short-day treatments. Development (days) from egg to adult was not different between short- and long-day conditions in both sexes. No signs of reproductive diapause were found from dissections of adult females reared under short- or long-day conditions. We concluded that P. citrella may overwinter on the few small flushes available during winter in mid and central Florida, and the relevance of these results for citrus IPM programs is discussed.

The lobate lac scale, Paratachardina lobata lobata (Chamberlin) was first found in south Florida in 1999. Reported hosts are present in the germplasm collection located at the USDA/ARS Subtropical Horticulture Research Station in Miami, and the scale was first found there in the summer of 2002. A study was initiated to determine the spatio-temporal dynamics of a lobate lac scale infestation at SHRS from Jul 2003 to Jul 2005. Numbers and percentages of viable adults, and reproductive success as indicated by ratio of nymphs to viable adults (<2 cm diam and 30 cm long branch sample) were recorded. There were 55 plants evaluated over the ∼80 hectares study site. Infestation increased from 42% of sampled plants at the start of the study to 75% at the end, and most of the plants had low or moderate levels of infestation (between 0 and 100 adults per 30 cm branch) over the course of the study. Percentage of non-viable adults dropped from ∼27% at the start of the study to ∼7% by the end of the study, and ratio of nymphs to viable adults dropped from ∼9% to ∼2%. Spatial analysis showed that initial infestations were along the eastern edge of the sampled area, with populations declining over the first half of the study but then increasing during the second half. Over the course of the study, heavy infestations (≥100 scales per 30 cm branch) were found on only seven host plants. Among plants located in areas of high infestation probabilities, individual host susceptibility appeared to be the primary factor regulating infestation level.

The volatile compounds released by calling males of Ceratitis capitata and those that were extracted from the salivary glands with n-hexane were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Twelve of the 24 compounds identified in the released volatiles, namely, 2-heptanone, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 3-octanone, ethyl hexanoate, methyl heptanoate, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, limonene, indene, ethyl heptanoate, methyl octanoate, α-trans-bergamotene and (E,E)-α-farnesene, also were detected in the glandular extract. The similarities found in the chemical profiles of the released volatiles and of the salivary gland suggest that the latter is the storage site, and also perhaps the site of synthesis, of some of the pheromone components in this species of fruit fly.

In Florida, an ongoing Preventative Release Program utilizes the sterile insect technique to prevent infestations of the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann). Unlike other such programs, which use plastic, storage (PARC) boxes, the Florida operation holds pupae and newly emerged adults in eclosion towers prior to release. Although eclosion towers save space and labor, few data exist regarding the quality of sterile male medflies held in towers versus PARC boxes. Here, we present the results of field-cage trials comparing the mating success of sterile males held in towers versus PARC boxes. In addition, previous research has shown that exposing PARC box-held males to the aroma of ginger root oil (GRO) increases their mating competitiveness. Consequently, we assessed whether a similar increase was evident for tower-held males. Finally, we performed a mark-release-recapture study involving GRO-exposed and non-exposed males and estimated their relative survival and dispersal in the field using the trap catch data. Data from the mating trials showed that sterile males held in towers displayed approximately the same mating success as sterile males held in PARC boxes and that, among tower-held males, GRO significantly increased mating competitiveness relative to non-exposed males. In the trapping study, significantly more GRO-exposed males were captured than non-exposed males, and there was no apparent difference in the duration of the post-release interval over which GRO-exposed and non-exposed males were captured. These findings, along with earlier comparisons of adult weight, flight ability, and yield suggest no obvious differences in the efficacy of tower and PARC-box eclosion systems for medfly sterile release programs.

The prepupa of Chalybion femoratum (Fabricius) is described and illustrated. The most salient character state shown by the mature larva of this species lies in the presence of scattered setae on the integument. Morphological characters with diagnostic value for the final instar of the tribe Sceliphrini are discussed.

Limited biological information about Phyllophaga ephilida, a major sweet potato pest in Louisiana, is available. In 2001 and 2002, a study was conducted in the laboratory to investigate the feeding preference of adult Phyllophaga ephilida (Say) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) for the foliage of eight woody plant species: water oak (Quercus nigra L.), live oak (Quercus virginiana Mill.), red maple (Acer rubrum L.), slash pine (Pinus caribaea Morelet), pecan (Carya illinoensis (Wangenh) K. Koch), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua L.), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.), and American elm (Ulmus americana L.). Beetles were placed in an arena with the eight host plants and allowed to feed for 24 h (choice test). Leaf area consumed and change in leaf weight were recorded. In 2001 and 2002, host plant had a significant effect on both leaf area and weight consumed. In 2001, mean leaf area (mm²) consumed was pecan (504), followed by elm (314), water oak (237), maple (176), live oak (38.0), and sweetgum (4.00). Southern magnolia and slash pine were not consumed. In 2002, mean leaf area (mm²) consumed was pecan (628), followed by elm (390), water oak (204), maple (75.0), and live oak (30.0). Southern magnolia, sweetgum, and slash pine were not consumed. In 2001, mean leaf consumption (mg) was pecan (8.400), water oak (3.700), maple (3.500), live oak (1.300), elm (0.300), and sweetgum (0.060). Southern magnolia and slash pine were not consumed. In 2002, mean leaf consumption (mg) was pecan (10.00), elm (4.200), water oak (3.200), maple (1.500), and live oak (1.000). Southern magnolia, sweetgum, and slash pine were not consumed. Phyllophaga ephilida exhibited a preference for pecan, oak, and elm. They avoided slash pine and southern magnolia.

Releases of predacious mites are recommended for use in greenhouse flower crops for suppression of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande). Control from predacious mites alone, however, is not adequate and must be supplemented with the use of insecticides. The principal material currently used by growers in the northeastern United States for western flower thrips control is spinosad (Conserve®). In laboratory tests on direct toxicity, we found that fresh residues (2 h) of this material were not toxic to motile stages of Neoseiulus (=Amblyseius) cucumeris (Oudemans) (74 vs 78% survival for the treated group and the untreated water controls, respectively), the principal species of predacious mites used for control of western flower thrips, but did lower survival of Iphiseius degenerans (Berlese) (56 vs. 73% survival for the treated group and the untreated water controls, respectively). There were no differences for either species from exposure to older (24 h) residues. In contrast, using the same assay we observed 10 and 3% survival of first instar and adult western flower thrips. We found no indication of that either mite species was repelled by freshly dried (2 h post application) residues of this compound. Spinosad did, however, reduce oviposition of mites when confined in glass vials with pollen, a water source, and pesticide-treated foliage. Oviposition in the first 24 h period after confinement was not affected but in the second and third days, it was reduced by 48 and 76% for N. cucumeris and 41 and 70% for I. degenerans, compared with oviposition in the same periods by mites in untreated vials. These data indicate that the use of spinosad may not be compatible with releases of these predacious mites in a western flower thrips suppression program.