Predator diets represent a potential interaction between local prey availability, prey antipredator defenses, and predator foraging behavior. Female spider-specialist mud-dauber wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) collect spiders and provision them intact, but paralyzed, to their developing larvae, providing a unique means of quantifying the diversity and abundance of prey that they capture. Mud-dauber wasps are hypothesized to be a major source of selection on antipredator defenses in web-building spiders, and the spiny and thickened abdomens of female spiny orb-weaving spiders (Araneae: Araneidae) are hypothesized to function as antiwasp defenses. We inventoried spider prey from nests of the mud-dauber wasps Sceliphron caementarium (Drury) and Chalybion californicum (Saussure), and surveyed for spider fauna in areas surrounding nest collection sites, to specifically investigate if the spiny orb-weaver Micrathena gracilis (Walckenaer) was collected as prey by these wasps. We collected nests from six sites in southeastern Nebraska from two regions that we classify based on habitat—a forest corridor and agricultural land. We collected 761 intact spider prey from 87 nests and identified them to the family level. None of these spiders were M. gracilis. Micrathena gracilis were rare in faunal surveys on agricultural land and, surprisingly, absent in forest corridor surveys. Mud-dauber wasps were more common; we collected more spiders on agricultural land than in the forest corridor. We propose that in agricultural landscapes, the lack of certain spiders in mud-dauber wasp nests is driven by habitat use differences between predators and prey rather than physical antipredator defenses.

Insect nesting boxes and hotels have the potential to provide shelter and overwintering sites for beneficial insect communities such as pollinating bees, wasps, earwigs, and other predatory arthropods. This study evaluated beneficial arthropod visitation to consumer-ready, commercially available nesting boxes over a 2-yr period. Insect hotels were placed on mature river birch (Betula nigra L.) and crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica L.) in garden plots established with floral resources for pollinators and other beneficial insects. Paper and thread-waisted wasps, soldier flies, predatory ants, and spiders were observed visiting the boxes. Boxes located in garden plot treatments (with floral resources) had the greatest numbers and diversity of pollinator and beneficial insect taxa compared to control plot treatments (naturalized areas away from floral resources) in 2016. Insect hotels placed on B. nigra had a higher number of thread-waisted wasps in 2016 and spiders and total beneficial insects in 2017. Higher numbers of predatory ants and total beneficial arthropods were found in boxes placed on L. indica in 2016. During the study, bamboo stems and drilled tunnels in the insect boxes were evaluated for arthropod inhabitance. Largest counts of occupied stems and tunnels were observed in boxes placed in proximity to floral resources and on L. indica trees.

In the family Miridae (Hemiptera), females and males attract each other by means of sex pheromones. Among insects, these pheromones are characterized by a variety of chemical structures, including saturated and unsaturated, long- and short-chain esters, as well as unsaturated ketoaldehydes. The aim of this study was to assess the chemical emissions in Eccritotarsus catarinensis (Carvalho) and Eccritotarsus eichhorniae Henry to determine their similarity and their possible role in reproductive isolation mechanisms that led to speciation. Chemicals emitted by adults inserted in air-entrainment chambers were collected in absorbent tubes and were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results from the GC-MS library indicate that E. catarinensis females and E. eichhorniae males have chemical emissions that their conspecific and the same sex of the other species lack. Also, E. catarinensis males lack benzenebutanoic that the other sexes have, while E. eichhorniae males have 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-(phenyl methyl) that other sexes lack. Further analysis using statistical approaches (e.g., cluster analysis, multidimensional scaling plot, and principal component ordination) indicated that cross-breeding pairs have similar chemical emissions in that E. eichhorniae females had similar chemical emissions to those of E. catarinensis males, while E. catarinensis females had similar chemical emissions to those of E. eichhorniae males. These unique differences in chemical emissions could be caused by the recently identified differences in the metathoracic scent glands and the antennae of the two Eccritotarsus species, and they may serve as a basis in explaining the interbreeding and mating incompatibilities reported in these two Eccritotarsus species.

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is a major pest that has developed resistance to many groups of synthetic insecticides. Natural plant products present reliable alternatives for its management. In this study, the activities of essential oils and ethanol extracts from three medicinal plants, i.e., Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae), Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle (Gramineae), and Acorus calamus L. (Acoraceae), from Thailand against P. xylostella were evaluated. Four concentrations of the extracts (i.e., 0.625, 1.25, 2.5, and 5%) were tested. The essential oils and ethanol extracts of Cu. longa, Cy. nardus, and A. calamus exhibited different degrees of activity against P. xylostella. Of these, both the essential oil and ethanol extract of A. calamus at 5% (v/v) concentration exhibited feeding toxicity for P. xylostella larvae, resulting in 100% mortality 1 d after treatment, with a median lethal concentration of 0.528% for the essential oil and 1.074% for the ethanol extract. Furthermore, all concentrations of A. calamus ethanol extract exhibited contact toxicity to the larvae, resulting in >75% mortality 3 d after treatment. All tested extracts, except A. calamus ethanol extract at the 0.625% concentration, exhibited high repellent activity against P. xylostella larvae, while Cu. longa and Cy. nardus ethanol extracts at 5% (w/v) concentration and A. calamus essential oil at 2.5% (v/v) concentration deterred oviposition by P. xylostella adults with an effective repellency >70%. These results indicate that both essential oils and ethanol extracts of these plants have the potential to be developed as insecticides for use in integrated pest management of P. xylostella.

Tetranychus truncatus Ehara (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a serious economic pest of many plants in Thailand and other countries. The use of plant extracts is an alternative to conventional synthetic pesticides for controlling mite pests. This study was conducted to evaluate the residual and direct contact toxicities of crude extracts and essential oils obtained from Acorus calamus L. (Acoraceae) rhizomes against T. truncatus eggs and adult females under laboratory conditions. Residual toxicity was assayed by applying compounds on leaf discs and then releasing adult female mites on the discs; direct contact toxicity was assayed by spraying the compounds on eggs and adult females. In residual assays, a 10% (v/v) concentration of essential oils extracted from fresh A. calamus rhizomes caused 73.8% mortality of T. truncatus adults, while treatment with oils from dried rhizomes caused 91.8% mortality of adults. In direct-contact toxicity assays, essential oils from fresh rhizomes reduced egg hatch by 96.3% at 5% (v/v) concentration and 100.0% at 10%. Oils extracted from dried rhizomes reduced egg hatch by 28.8% at 5% and 91.8% at 10%. The respective median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀s) were 2.18% and 5.91%, based on cumulative mortality at 7 d after treatment. Methylene chloride extracts from fresh and dried rhizomes (individual extraction method) caused a cumulative adult mite mortality of 100% and 91.4% at 5% (v/v) concentration, with LC₅₀s of 1.31% and 2.52%. Based upon our results, essential oils and methylene chloride extracts from A. calamus rhizomes appear as suitable botanical acaricides for further development for the management of T. truncatus.

Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an invasive species in the United States representing a great threat to crops of economic importance, such as soybean and corn. Due to the lack of information about its damage to early vegetative-stage corn, this study was conducted to provide information about H. halys damage to sweet corn seedlings. In the field experiment, caged sweet corn seedlings were exposed to sexed H. halys adults of densities of 0, 1, or 2 insects per plant for 7 d. In a complementary greenhouse experiment, caged sweet corn seedlings were exposed to 0 or 2 nonsexed H. halys at different stages (second to fifth instars and adult) per plant for 14 d. In both experiments, we evaluated plant fresh and dry weights, plant height, stalk diameter and plant injury (using a rating scale, 0 to 5). In the field experiment, plant injury based on the rating scale was greater in plants exposed to insects compared with the control. In the greenhouse experiment, fresh and dry weights, height and diameter of seedlings were lower for those exposed to fourth instars. This stage also caused greater injury based on the rating scale. In general, our results indicate that H. halys can feed on sweet corn seedlings, and that fourth instars cause more injury. The rating scale adapted here can be used for early identification of H. halys occurrence and to assess its injury in the field.

Four species of the genus Smicronyx Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) were examined in this study with Smicronyx albosquamosus Wollaston, S. coecus Reich, and S. syriacus Faust reported for the first time in Turkey. Given that S. jungermanniae Wollaston, S. reichii (Gyllenhal), S. sordidus LeConte, and S. fulvus LeConte were previously reported from Turkey, there are now seven species of Smicronyx in the insect fauna of Turkey. Specimens of S. albosquamosus, S. coecus, S. syriacus, and S. jungermanniae were collected from almond trees, Amygdalus communis L., in Eastern Southern Anatolia Region of Turkey and subjected to taxonomic study using primarily genitalia and reproductive structures to provide descriptions of these species with comparisons with previous studies.

Eogystia hippophaecolus Hua, Chou, Fang et Chen (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) is a notorious carpenterworm pest of sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides L. (Elaeagnaceae). Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are thought to be responsible for initial biochemical recognition during olfactory perception by the insect. We examined the structure, function, and expression profiles of these proteins in four structures (e.g., antennae, labipalp, legs, and external genitalia) of male adults. Molecular weight, isoelectric point, hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of proteins, and signal peptide prediction of 18 E. hippophaecolus CSPs (EhipCSPs) were investigated via software. Expression profiles in the four male structures were analyzed by fluorescence quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Bioinformatics analysis showed that most EhipCSPs are low-molecular-weight proteins with hydrophobic regions and a high proportion of alpha-helices, consistent with the general characteristics of insect CSPs. Eight EhipCSPs (EhipCSP2, EhipCSP5, EhipCSP7, and EhipCSP13–17) were predominantly expressed in the labipalp (P < 0.01), and three (EhipCSP6, EhipCSP8, and EhipCSP9) were predominantly expressed in legs (P < 0.01). We speculate that these proteins may be related to contact sensations, host recognition, and other functions. Two EhipCSPs (EhipCSP4 and EhipCSP11) were highly expressed in the external genitalia (P < 0.01), suggesting that they may be involved in spousal positioning or mating activities. Most EhipCSPs were differentially expressed in the four structures, with wide overall expression, indicating an important role in olfactory recognition in multiple tissues. Our findings establish the foundation for further investigation of EhipCSPs and potential development of nonpesticide control measures.

Plants in gardens and parks within Diyarbakir Province (Bağlar, Kayapınar, Sur, and Yenişehir) of Turkey were sampled throughout the years of 2016 and 2017. These collections yielded 10 species from the superfamily Coccoidea (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha) including 3 species from the family Coccidae (Parthenolecanium corni [Bouché], Didesmococcus unifasciatus [Archangelskaya], Sphaerolecanium prunastri [Boyer de Fonscolombe]), 5 species from the family Diaspididae (Leucaspis pusilla [Löw], Pseudaulacaspis pentagona [Targiona-Tozzetti], Mercetaspis halli [Green], Salicicola kermanensis [Lindinger], Parlatoria oleae [Colvée]), and 1 species each from family Eriococcidae (Gossyparia spuria [Modeer]) and family Pseudococcidae (Planococcus vovae [Nasonov]). The diaspids L. pusilla, Pseudaulacaspis pentagona, and Salicicola Kermanensis; the eriococcid G. spuria; and the pseudococcid Planococcus vovae represent the first records for the Diyarbakır Province insect fauna.

Early detection of resistance to acaricides in Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) populations is important for the implementation of efficient control methods. Current methodologies to detect resistance in the laboratory require exposure to acaricides for 24 to 72 h. Our objective was to design a reliable method faster than the current one. We modified the existing Insecticide Resistance Action Committee method to obtain results in less than 4 h. Experiments were conducted using a susceptible laboratory population of T. urticae and a field population from raspberry Rubus idaeus L., obtained in Tlazazalca, Michoacán state, Mexico. Susceptibility to the acaricides abamectin, acequinocyl, fenpropatrin, propylene glycol monolaurate, and bifenazate was evaluated. Reliable results were obtained in less than 30 min for all acaricides except bifenazate, for which results were obtained in 3.5 h. For abamectin, relative resistance (RR) of the field population compared with the susceptible colony achieved values of 13.99× (RR50) and 6.5× (RR95). For bifenazate, RR50 and RR95 values were 14.9× and 12.9×, respectively. For all other acaricides, the RR values were <10×.

Rhipicephalus sanguineus (Latreille) is the most widely distributed tick species globally and plays a major role in tick-borne pathogen transmission among canine populations. The microbial community of this tick has not been characterized previously in Nigeria. Thus, in this study, the bacterial diversity in R. sanguineus collected from two states in Nigeria was explored using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing (IonS5TM XL sequencing platform). Three hundred genera (although 18 groups belong to unidentified genera) of bacteria belonging to 22 phyla were detected after pooling and sequencing, indicating a diverse bacterial community profile. At the phylum level, Actinobacteria (47.39%) was the most abundant phylum in the Benue state samples, followed by Proteobacteria (43.87%) and Firmicutes (8.21%), whereas Fusobacteria (38.14%) was the most abundant phylum in Plateau state samples, followed by Bacteroidetes (17.57%) and Firmicutes (17.54%). Proteobacteria accounts for 17% of samples from Plateau state. In general, Cetobacterium (35.86%) was the most abundant genus, followed by an unidentified genus under Corynebacteriaceae (29.94%) and Stenotrophomonas (19.52%). Coxiella spp., one common endosymbiont found in various tick species, was present in R. sanguineus. This study provides a baseline of knowledge of the bacterial microbiome of R. sanguineus in Nigeria. Nonpathogenic bacteria species were prevalent, and not much is known about their role. Thus, their composition, functional, and ecologic implications merit further investigation because this will aid in the subsequent management of ticks and tick-borne diseases.